I just made some kimchi for the first time. Three heads of Napa cabbage. I put it in glass jars and left lots of room. It has been a day and and a half at room temp. and I still don't think it has expanded very much. It has a little liquid but it is just covering the cabbage and it is not bubbling.   I used all fresh ingredients except the garlic. The garlic was from a jar. It was the minced kind. I pureed an onion and ginger in a blender and added the garlic with those at the same time.   Do you think the preservatives in the store-bought minced garlic could have stopped the fermentation? It was only about three tablespoons of the garlic in a three head of cabbage batch. 
I figured out the problem myself. I used iodized salt. I was suppose to use sea salt or kosher. The fermentation prosess was inhibited by the iodine. I missed this tip the first time but when I looked at more recipes, I found it was a common practice. It took an extra day to show any activity but it is now going strong. Next time I will use sea salt or kosher salt. Many recipes state that the flavor is better too. I'm just happy it still worked. 