broken hydrometer :(

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aa_atw

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I just finished brewing my first batch today. When I went to grab my hydrometer that came with the kit, i saw that it was broken. I poured a few ounces of 72 degree wort into a platstic bowl with a lid and placed it in the freezer before i pitched my yeast into the fermenter. I just ordered another new hydrometer and plan to warm my original sample back up to 72 degrees and take a SG reading when the new hydrometer arrives in the mail. This plan sounds like it will work. Can anyone confirm or refute my hypothesis. thanks
 
It should work as long as it's a representative sample an it's sealed in a bag. Maybe double bag it just incase. I'm worried about the dry freezer air sublimating water from the ice and skewing it to a higher OG.

I think just about everyone who has owned a hydro has broken a hydro. Welcome to the club.

If/when you get tired of breaking them, get a refractometer.
 
Seems like every other time I brew, I break my hydrometer or thermometer. Out of curiosity, why are you freezing it?
 
Thanks for the feedback. I am freezing the sample because I thought that a sealed frozen sample would be less susceptible to physical property changes than just a sealed refrigerated sample would be. I am sure that my replacement will be here in about a week. thanks
 
That's excellent thinking ahead, keeping some wort to check the OG when you get a new hydrometer! I will be filing this one away in the back of my mind... just in case.

:mug:
 
I always buy two hyrometers at a time. Last one went a whole 10 months. They are pretty cheap so....always have a spare.
 
Oddly enough (and this occurred to me a few weeks ago), I still have the original and only hydrometer that I bought, oh, 15 years ago, when I bought a beginner's kit. It has survived many interstate moves. I realize that this is abnormal...
 
Yep broke my hydrometer last weekend after bottling (during clean up). Popped the top on the tube and slid it in. Didn't realize i had forgotten to put the cap back on after I had taken it out. It hit the floor then bounced off the wall and snapped. I probably wouldn't have kept a sample though, not worried about calculating alcohol content so long as it tastes good.
 
Oddly enough (and this occurred to me a few weeks ago), I still have the original and only hydrometer that I bought, oh, 15 years ago, when I bought a beginner's kit. It has survived many interstate moves. I realize that this is abnormal...

This is me too.
The trick with a hydrometer is to treat it like it is a fragile glass instrument. :D
 
Oddly enough (and this occurred to me a few weeks ago), I still have the original and only hydrometer that I bought, oh, 15 years ago, when I bought a beginner's kit. It has survived many interstate moves. I realize that this is abnormal...

You, sir, are overdue for a breakin'. You have my word that it'll break the next brew session.
 
Hydrometer finally came in today. Thawed my sample and checked it. It came out to be 1.050 at 60 degrees. Since this is my first try at brewing, I want to play with all the fun scientific tests that go with it. It's 0.004 higher than the recipe calls for but I guess that means more ABV at the end. thanks
 
yeah. from liquid to a solid for storage and back to a liquid again for the test. All changes occured within a closed system. I probably didn't need to go that far though, but this is a completely reversible process without losses so shouldn't affect anything.
 
I ordered about 3 or 4 just to have some backups. Now I simply throw one in my carboy when I'm fermenting and watch it sink after the krausen has settled. then after I rack out I fill it back up with hot water right to the top. Poof hydrometer is right at the top. I still take another reading before bottling just incase bubbles or crud was stuck to it, but it's a good gauge anyways.
 
I once broke hydrometers on back-to-back batches. The first I have no idea what happened; the second I just dropped, trying to hold just the tip while spraying with Starsan. Those were expensive batches!
 
I had a friend break one of mine and not even offer to replace it... That's the only one that really kind of pissed me off. I just bought two the other day to have a back up myself.
 
I once broke hydrometers on back-to-back batches. The first I have no idea what happened; the second I just dropped, trying to hold just the tip while spraying with Starsan. Those were expensive batches!

I did this too. I bought a refractometer the day after the second one broke.

I haven't broken my refract yet.
 
I broke mine last batch. It made it through 5 or 6 batches but it was still a little sad to see it go since it was a gift (from a kit from SWMBO). I have another one coming and I really dont want to break them but its bound to happen.

Good thing the ones we use are pretty cheap. I heard that the ones that can measure to a thousandths or small precision get a bit more expensive! I dont think a brewer cares their gravity was 1.012761 versus 1.013 :)
 
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