Why Isnt My Co2 Producing Anything?

[offutt_chris]

i mixed up my recipe about 3 hrs ago and nothing has happened. either my diffuser is working extremly well as the bubbles are so small you cant even see them, or nothing is being made. im guessing it is the second one here unfortunatly. the mix is in a 1 gallon gatorade bottle consisting of, water filled up to about 3 inches from top of bottle, 2 cups of sugar, and 1/4 tsp of yeast. any help will be greatly apprecaited.

 

[Jer-]

Hey Chris

Using a 1 gal gatorade bottle was a mistake.

The amount of sugar and yeast you used is suited for 2 Litre coke (or pepsi...whatever) bottles, and even then, you would probably need more than 1/4 teaspoons of yeast as 1/4 teaspoons, in my experience, produced too little CO2.

So. Either change the bottle to a 2L, and use the same amount of sugar, with 3/4 teaspoon of yeast (thats how much i use anyway).

OR, up the amount of sugar and yeast in ur 1 gal gatorade bottle...someone please help as to how much sugar and yeast is needed in a 1 gal....im terrible with mathematics.

HTH.

 

[zig]

^^^^id say thats good advice.........i would have reckoned you used to little yeast in to big a container also.

 

[offutt_chris]

well should i just have doubled the sugar, so instead of 2 cups, it shoulda been 4 cups?

thinking behind only adding 2 cups was because i figured the water was just so the sugar can disolve and the reaction can take place. as water does in a chemistry experiment, only there to make the solution aquese. and as for the yeast, it was probably a little bit more than a 1/4 tsp since i just used a regular spoon to scoop some out and guessed what was a 1/4 of a full spoon full.

i probably should have posted something along these lines before i mixed it, but i guess you can always add more, just cant take stuff out.

 

[Jer-]

To be honest chris, I am not sure as to why having the same amount of ingredients in a 1 gal is different from a 2 L bottle...

I think that with the 1 gal, your little yeast friends are gonna have more trouble looking for sugar cos of the big space they can swim in...causing them to initiate their CO2 producing jobs later?

I was thinking the same thing too. cos I mean, the sugar is there, and so is the yeast. It shouldnt really matter how much water there is, right?

can anyone explain this?

If i was you i would start over and put in 3.7 cups of sugar, as 1gal (US), is around 3.7Liters, and put in 2 and 3/4 teaspoons of sugar.

There, i did the maths for you.

 

[offutt_chris]

i added about another cup and a half of sugar, and the rest of the yeast from the package, so thats like 2.25 tsp of that in there, and it started the reaction while i putting the lid back on since it was getting rather warm, and it was fizzing. im assuming this is what is suppose to happen. but yet, i still dont see any bubbles coming from the diffuser. if it doesnt do anything tonight, then i am going to restart the batch.

and the only reason i used the 1 gal bottle was because i just got done with the gatorade, and it was handy. plus it is a lot stronger than a 2 litre bottle.

 

[kenneth_kpe]

im not sure if i missed anything with the previous posts but did you check for leaks ? is the yeast still fresh ? did you use lukewarm and not boiling hot water ?

 

[offutt_chris]

yes, i used warm water. and there wasnt any leaks when i checked the tube where it goes through the cap with a soapy water mix. so i dont have a clue what is going on here at all.

 

[kenneth_kpe]

this is what you can do altough some might not recommend it, close the gatorade bottle tightly using its normal cap (seal the yeast in) give the bottle a bit of a shake (the pressure inside should build up a bit) then open the bottle if it fizzes open (fssst) then its probably something else......

I would also just recommend brewing up another batch in a smaller bottle and see what happens... of all else fails change your yeast, it might be inactive already

*be carefull with the sealed bottle ! leaving it sealed for a long time could cause the bottle to explode ! leaving you smelling like beer

*btw ! how long since you mixed the batch up ?

 

[offutt_chris]

well i take it back guys, it is making bubbles. very very very small ones at that. i moved the rock that was holding the upside down bottom 1/5 of a water bottle so i could see all of the diffuser, and it is making bubbles!!!

 

[kenneth_kpe]

haha good for you maybe the yeast wasn't reacting yet btw if you local water is a bit soft ( low KH) it would be a nice idea to add baking soda to the mixture gf posted about this, for me it makes the water more stable for the yeast but it is also known i think to prevent the formation of the white slimy stuff usually associated with DIY co2

 

[offutt_chris]

thanks for the tip. i hate useing water from my college, it isnt the greatest qaulity, but i dont liek paying for it either though. well time to go get some for me.

 

[Jen]

The first time I hooked up my CO2 bottle with the packets of yeast that came with the kit, it took 36 hours for the bubbles to start. I'm glad it started up for you... I know how frusterading it is!

 

[offutt_chris]

yea, it was extremly frustrating, i was like alright now, any moment i will see bubbles. ok maybe after 10 minutes i will. maybe after an hour. but finally it worked. lol