rookie - is my cider fermenting or not?!

[noelizabeth]

This is my first attempt at making cider. I started with a gallon of orchard UV treated cider and a packet of red star dry champagne yeast. I put the yeast in one cup of cider as a starter, it got nice and bubbly and seemed to be active! I pitched the yeast into the rest of the cider in a 2 gallon bucket, and put on the lid. 48 hours later and there is zero airlock activity. None. Should I just leave it alone for a week and take the SG reading, or try pitching new yeast?

 

[Setesh]

This is my first attempt at making cider. I started with a gallon of orchard UV treated cider and a packet of red star dry champagne yeast. I put the yeast in one cup of cider as a starter, it got nice and bubbly and seemed to be active! I pitched the yeast into the rest of the cider in a 2 gallon bucket, and put on the lid. 48 hours later and there is zero airlock activity. None. Should I just leave it alone for a week and take the SG reading, or try pitching new yeast?

Buckets are notoriously leaky. It is VERY likely that you just don't have quite a good enough seal to cause bubbles in the airlock. This doesn't mean that you aren't fermenting though. What you did first with your yeast is called "proofing" and proves the yeast is good. It would have gone through another replication cycle when you pitched it in but this generally only lasts about 24 hours. I would wait it out.