Re: Help. Wash won't ferment

> I started by brewing up a wort of 15 lbs of refined cane sugar
>and 1lb of brown sugar. I cooled and added enough water to get it up
>to 5.5 gallons. I took a gravity reading and it was 1.120.

Numbers here look just fine 

> I added a package of yeast nutrient and about two packets of what the homebrew
>store claimed was turbo yeast (they were repackaged in baggies, so I
>cannot confirm what kind of yeast it actually was). I pitched the
>yeast at about 80 deg F.

Hmm, pitching temp was a bit high. Some of the Turbo yeasts are very
temp sensitive and Gert Strand will often put "killing temps" combined
with OG right on the packet to let you know that if you have a wash of
such and such O.G. that you cannot go above a specified temp. just a
thought for you. 
The not knowing the turbo yeast, its nutrients or yeast
characteristict is a bit suspect. not that Gert Strand usually gives u
any inside info in this respect but at least its a branded name that
can be trusted although people have their own views on this. 

>After about 48 hours, I started getting bubbles through the airlock. I
>really thought it would probably start after just a few hours so I was
>surprised that it took so long. Anyway, the activity wasn't intense.
>After a few days, the bubbling had subsided so I assumed the
>fermentation was complete.

What was the ferment temperature?

>
>What the hell?  I didn't know what had happened. I added more nutrient
>and two packs of champagne yeast. Still no more activity. I taped a
>heating pad to the side of the fermenter to get the temp up a little.
>Still no more activity. Yesterday I bought a different type of yeast
>nutrient and added it to the wash. It instantly started bubbling and I
>had bubbles through the airlock all night long. This morning I took
>another gravity reading and it was still 1.120.
>
Adding a powder of any description provides fine particles for the
dissolved CO2 to nucleate from and bubble out. its a bit like the
Quebecers that love to thow salt into their Molsons beer. Instant
fizz. This may have provided you with a false sense of an "instant"
fermentation.
That  said, it sounds like you have a very slow ferment going but at
least it is has hopes of fermenting down. what did you say the temps
were again? have you tried  _very_ vigourous shaking of the primary in
order to rouse the yeast?
  
-peeniwali