Water kefir attempt- think I have killed them

[Dreamer]

I received a live packet of grains and same day I put them into a sugar solution exactly as written and left for 2 days. The large grains have all but disappeared and just a mush is left at bottom of water. What might I have done wrong. I did leave the lid on the sterilized jar so it could have been that. I left my water overnight beforehand to get rid of chlorine in it. The other thing that might have done it was too high a temp? I used an insulated box with a seed mat in as my house is too cold. I think they r dead but I need to understand what I did if anyone can help

[Smileyme]

I don’t think the tight lid was the problem. Nor your water, unless you have very high fluoride content or some other contaminant. The seed mat, or the other hand, is probably the culprit. I don’t know how you set it up but I would guess the temperature might have been too high. Also you would not have wanted your jar to be sitting directly on the mat, as the direct conduction of heat to the jar would have caused the jar to heat more than surrounding air. The grains should not exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The grains are really quite resilient and cool temps will slow them but not kill them. To high a temperature will definitely kill them.
Let us know how you make out.

Rick