Broke thermometer in Wort

I just finished brewing a banch and closing up my primary after pouring in the yeast and I noticed that I broke the glass of my thermometer. It is one of the floating types. The bottom glass broke and some of the metal balls that are used for weight might be gone (I can't tell).

I think it broke when I was cooling my wort in the brewing kettle before racking into the primary. My question is, does anyone know what those little metal balls are made of, lead? also if they are in my beer is that batch screwed?

Thanks

I would toss it due to safety issues... If you really wanted it you might just rack through some cheese cloth or something when you do the secondary or bottling

I don't really want to toss it. I just don't want lead ball sitting in my wort for a week. Hopefully they are just steel. I'm going to try and do some research on what they are.

Hmm, the weight could be lead,then you have mercury for the thermometer, then you have broken glass.

When in doubt, throw it out is a rule of thumb IMHO.

Another vote for throwing out the Batch for Safety issues. Broken Glass is not something you want to play with. Also, I have no isea what the wieght is at the bottom of a thermometer is, but if there is any possibility of glass being in the Wort, toss it.

I wouldn't be worried about the minuscule amount of lead or the alcohol from the thermometer.. but drinking glass shards isn't high on my 'to do' list.

Dump it or filter it.

I'd pitch it for sure.

+1 dump it

The price of a batch of beer is nothing compared to what could happen to you or anyone else if the ingest a piece of glass. Another vote for let it go and brew again.

My bigger worry would be about the mercury, like Ed said. Glass can be strained out. Liquid poison can't.

I would dump it too but if the concern was JUST glass wouldn't the glass settle out? The yeaties do it seems like a denser material like glass would fairly easily. But you cant really drink mercury, safely at least.

As far as I know, most thermomters are not made out of mercury anymore. But either way the actual temperature tube didn't break, just the glass outer casing.

My thought is that I will easily be able to get any glass out when I rack to my secondary and then once again to my keg. Also if it broke in my kettle I ranked through a strainer into my primary.

I wasn't really worried about the glass as much as the metal. Thanks for you guys' thoughts.

i had that happen to me once before and after a minute of thought and sobriety, i dumped it.. hangovers are bad enough sometimes but.....

This is probably one of the only cases where you get a unanimous throw it out. Broken glass is very hard on your insides.

And a message to everybody. Throw away those damn float thermometers! A dial one is $5!

Pitch it. It's not worth it.

(and that's from the guy that didn't pitch his tainted-with-glue beer)

Kai said:

(and that's from the guy that didn't pitch his tainted-with-glue beer)

Click to expand...

Turned out pretty well, for an ambitious second beer.

I had this happen to me twice. The first batch I dumped out. The second time, I was really frustrated and decided to rack and pitch the yeast anyway... I then I emailed the makers of the thermometer and they said...

As for the contents of the floating thermometer it is steel shot and food grade wax so you will be fine continuing as normal.

Click to expand...

I then bought a more expensive one that wouldn't break, and it hasn't since.

As for the red in the thermometer, it isn't mercury. Hasn't been for a long time. It's some kind of alcohol with coloring in it.

The biggest problem, as others have mentionned, is the glass. I would prone dumping it, but you might want to check if your LHBS rents out filtering instruments and could filter out the beer... ?

It'll be stuck in the trub and yeast, personally i wouldn't worry about it.

I wouldn't dump it. Just rack well above the trub layer. Sacrifice the bottom few inches of beer for the sake of not drinking glass.

dump it. not worth it.

Dump it, brew another batch and have piece of mind that you're drinking clean beer instead of the potential of sending yourself to the hospital...

I'm with Yuri. Rack far (FAR) above the trub so that you can keep most of your batch without worry. Really, whatever glass is in there will settle fairly quickly and easily, but peace of mind is better than a piece of glass.


TL

I noticed a slight oily substance on top of my wort after cooling. I looked at the floating thermometer and didn't see any signs of the outer glass breaking; but the red bar was not continuous, stuck on about 140 degrees, and some red was in the bottom of the tube with the shot. I fear that some of the contents may have leaked out. I am told these thermometers are filled with kerosene. I'd like to know if anyone else has experienced this before before throwing a whole batch of beer out? The wort is currently in a conical and I was thinking that oil does not dissolve in wort and would float on the surface. I would of course take the beer off the bottom and leave the top layer alone thus leaving the oil if any in the conical. I put the thermometer floating in a glass of water and have yet to see any signs of discharge.