My hydrometer reads 1.000 at the meniscus, at 60*F using distilled water

progmac said:

He is saying the the 1.000 is at the miniscus. So what most of us have been trained to interpret as about 1.002. I'll look closely at mine tonight.

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flars said:

Just got my brain in gear. If your hydrometer reads 1.000 by looking across the top of the meniscus, that is the calibration for that hydrometer. The hydrometer would always be read the same way for accuracy.

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Hedo-Rick said:

Sounds fair to me. I've just never been real confident in my hydrometer reading skills and wanted to get some opinions.

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The meniscus and measurement

When reading a depth scale on the side of an instrument filled with liquid, such as a water level device, the meniscus must be taken into account in order to obtain an accurate measurement. Depth must be measured with the meniscus at eye level (to eliminate parallax error) and at the center of the meniscus, i.e. the top of a convex meniscus or the bottom of a concave meniscus.

Manufacturers of glassware and other tools calibrate their measurement marks to account for the meniscus. This means that any instrument is calibrated for a specific liquid, usually water.Manufacturers of glassware and other tools calibrate their measurement marks to account for the meniscus. This means that any instrument is calibrated for a specific liquid, usually water.

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Hedo-Rick said:

I've always read that using distilled water will give you the most accurate reading of 1.000 at 60*F. But that reading had to be read below the meniscus where the liquid cuts across the stem of the hydrometer.

But both of my hydrometers: my regular brewing hydrometer .990 - 1.170 and my "lab grade" hydrometer 1.000 - 1.073 both read 1.000, at 60*f using distilled water.

Does anyone else have the same situation?

Not that it's that big of a deal, but I like to be as accurate as possible.

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