SS triple failed to start

[bobnot]

I put on a SS triple 6kg wash 36 hours ago and so far theres nothing happening it was at 30c when i put the yeast in and its at 19c at the moment and so far the airlock shows no signs of life.
A quick removal of the lid and there is a slight sign of fermentation but nothing really.
Any advice on a way forward from here? is this an oppurtunity to try a champane yeast? will the SS have provided the nutrients to just throw a sachet of ec-1118 yeast in?
Im befuddled this is the first time ive ever had one fail to start at all.

[Almanac]

Give it a good stir then check your getting an airtight seal when it's all closed up and if nothing happens in 2-3 hours I'd be inclined to chuck it and start again.

There are two probable causes, 1. The yeast was already dead when you opened the pack or 2. the yeast died since you opened the pack.

On the presumption that you aerated the wash water before adding the yeast it is reasonable to assume that, even if there was only a small amount of live yeast present, the yeast would have started budding and then got down the the business of making alcohol and CO2.

There is a remote possibility that it has loads of Oxygen available and is still budding instead of making alcohol. However after 36 hours I'd be writing off the wash as a loss and start again - but that's just me!

AM

[bobnot]

Still no signs of life im going to give it until morning and then im going to throw a vodkastar in with it.

[Jimmy]

19 is quite low, I'd be tempted to aerate the hell out of it and try to warm it up a little, see if you can get it going. If not, more yeast might help but only if the problem isn't something else, temp or PH or something. Good luck!

[bobnot]

Alive she cried!!!
A good stir and just a tiny bit of a pack of vodkastar seems to have booted it into life ive also lifted it off the concrete floor onto a wooden box which has brought the temparature up to 22c and its chugging away steadily now.
Ive never had one fail to get going before and im still not sure why it was 2 1/2 days and its finally underway.

[mozr]

I'm sure the temp crashing from 30-19 might have had something to do with it.

Those concrete floors love to pull the heat out of anything that touches it.

[Phantom]

Rather curious I'll admit, and while the temp thing may have relevance, it would need to get colder than that. Though I'm thinking the temperature drop may have shocked the yeast into a long lag.....

I don't bother following the instructions for either DW triple or vodka star anymore. I just measure out the water, add the sugar, give it a bloody good stir to dissolve the sugar, clip the bucket closed and leave it for 6 to 12 hours, then just sprinkle the yeast on top and close it up, leaving it for about a week or so.

Dead yeast is unlikely, as it will last many many months past its useby date.

The only ones I've ever had a problem with were Nov/Dec 2010, when it got mega cold and snowy, the buckets were in the outhouse. Now I just leave them in the dining room, but the ambient temp averages about 18C.

The destructions say that it should be kept at 25C.......from memory.

[bobnot]

Its still ticking gently away and now down to 1.000 and looking good to finish off in the next 24 hours or so.
I guess it will remain a mystery really it could of been the cold shock i suppose a concrete floor makes an excellent heat sink or on another line i happen to know our tap water seems to vary a lot with chlorine levels some days you can really smell the chlorine in the tap water and when thats the case i have always taken it from the hot water tank instead where its more likely to have dispersed.
but i guess it will remain a mystery.