Broken hydrometer - Page 2

El Pistolero · 09-28-2005, 12:43 AM

Elemental lead is not very reactive...you won't get any appreciable amount of lead in your beer over the few days it'll be in the primary.

DrewsBrews · 09-28-2005, 04:38 PM

I don't think it's pure lead. I noticed some thin lines of rust appearing after a day or so on the remainder of the pellets in the broken hydro. I kept it to take to the local brew store for input. There must be some iron in it. Unless, of course, I just don't remember from science class that elemental lead contains iron.

**Walker** · 09-28-2005, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyLong

There must be some iron in it. Unless, of course, I just don't remember from science class that elemental lead contains iron.

By definition, "elemental" lead contains only lead.

Anyway, iron won't hurt you (in fact, your body NEEDS it), but some people are sensitive to it and get constipated from too much in their system.

Some hydrometers DO contain mercury, but you won't find those kinds in your LHBS.

-walker

DrewsBrews · 09-28-2005, 07:05 PM

That's what I thought.

In the mean time, I've found a new twist to this saga. I work for the local utilities and I contacted an engineer friend in the Water Dept. He said that a small amount of lead in stagnant water wouldn't be any concern. Beer, on the other hand, is very acidic. The substantial difference in pH makes quite a difference in how the liquid reacts with the lead. In beer, even a few days can break down enough of the lead to cause health concerns. If any got in three days ago, it's been in there long enough to do the damage. Since I don't know if there is any, I'd be playing Russian roulette if I drank it.

**Walker** · 09-28-2005, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AndyLong

Beer, on the other hand, is very acidic.

What constitutes "VERY" acidic?

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with your friend, but I am curious as to a quantitative answer.

Beer typically has a PH of about 5.5 (7 is neutral). That doesn't seem "very acidic" to me, but.....

anyway, just curious.

-walker

**Walker** · 09-28-2005, 07:34 PM

I retract my statement that a typical PH is 5.5.

I got hat from browsing the web, where I found a place that had the PH listed for each of their beer kits (all in the 5 to 6 range).

However, I also find references that say a PH of 4 is normal.

I guess it's all going to depend on the type of beer and hops (can we say "alpha ACIDS").

I'd probably not risk it and would toss it, honestly. No batch of beer is worth being poisoned.

-walker

**Walker** · 09-28-2005, 07:43 PM

Hey.. wait a second....

do you still have the broken hydrometer? If so, pass a magnet over some of the BBs. If they are strongly attracted to the magnet, they are NOT made of lead (lead is 100% unattracted to a magnet).

Maybe they are JUST IRON (since you see rust on them).

-walker

**Walker** · 09-28-2005, 07:48 PM

and this is from my college chem text:

Pb (lead)
A bluish gray metal; non magnetic; malleable; little affected by sulfuric acid or HCl;

Maybe the acidity doesn't even matter.

Let's not dump it yet. There are two rays of hope here.

-walker

**Walker** · 09-28-2005, 08:08 PM

some other "is it lead?" tests:

can you easily squish the BBs with some pressure? If not, they are not lead.

can you 'write' on paper with one of the BBs? If not, it is not lead.

(yeah... i'm a science geek... you gotta problem with that!?)

Also, I will add that myself and probably many many MANY other guys here have bitten down on hundreds of lead shot while fishing. If lead were THAT dangerous, we'd all be slobbering idiots. (ok.. that should spark some comments from the peanut gallery.)

-walker

DrewsBrews · 09-28-2005, 08:28 PM

The engineers he consulted with came up with a pH of 4.2 for beer. I suppose there is some degree of variance.

Unfortunately, I don't have the broken hydro anymore. I tossed it at the brew shop after we decided it was lead and not mercury. I'd have to break the new one I purchased to test your theory. Even then, without handing a sample to a lab to find the exact material, it still could be some kind of pot metal that contains lead. I had passed one of those fridge magnets by it and didn't get any attraction, but none of the remaining pellets were loose, so attraction might have been too weak to notice.

My last ditch effort is to bring in a sample of the fermenting beer and have them test it. My friend is checking to see if they have the equipment to do so. It's really the only definitive way.

While I appreciate the passion for saving my beer, without this test, I have to assume it's dangerous. Part of being a newbie is the learning experience, right?