How many hydometers have you broken?
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sailman
Well-Known Member
only 1... pot lid fell over on it
I broke 1 in five years and I wasn't even brewing!
You see, I always took care to put the thing back in the little cardboard box that it came in, while first wrapping the instructions around it so it would be cushioned and tight in the box, and then putting it in a ziplock bag with the rest of my delicate pieces of equipment each and everytime I used it; for five long years it was safe.
Then I came back from evacuating from Hurricane Katrina and was moving the bag that held the delicate bits and low and behold the ziplock bag had come open and the hydrometer was sliding out! I quickly grabbed the box, avoiding certain catastrophe and had it in my hand a good 30 seconds before the bottom of the box decided it wanted to disintegrate (amazing what ultra high humidity (read: 3.5 feet of water in house) will do to cardboard) and it was 'BB' time.
I've brewed 8 batches since it broke and jut ordered a new one today. Do you "need" a hydrometer to make good beer? Nope, sure don't, but if you're anal and into the gritty bits then it's a must have...also, I'll be doing AG in the near future and will probably lean on it more.
Thanks for reading!
You see, I always took care to put the thing back in the little cardboard box that it came in, while first wrapping the instructions around it so it would be cushioned and tight in the box, and then putting it in a ziplock bag with the rest of my delicate pieces of equipment each and everytime I used it; for five long years it was safe.
Then I came back from evacuating from Hurricane Katrina and was moving the bag that held the delicate bits and low and behold the ziplock bag had come open and the hydrometer was sliding out! I quickly grabbed the box, avoiding certain catastrophe and had it in my hand a good 30 seconds before the bottom of the box decided it wanted to disintegrate (amazing what ultra high humidity (read: 3.5 feet of water in house) will do to cardboard) and it was 'BB' time.
I've brewed 8 batches since it broke and jut ordered a new one today. Do you "need" a hydrometer to make good beer? Nope, sure don't, but if you're anal and into the gritty bits then it's a must have...also, I'll be doing AG in the near future and will probably lean on it more.
Thanks for reading!
Too heavy and they wouldn't work. I've broken one; while washing up. It was sitting in the drainer, snagged it with the sprayer hose. You can buy a nice solid refractometer, it's only good for the OG but very handy when you do AG.
Well i've never broken one ever! However i'm fully aware of the curse i've just put on myself so i actually own 2! 
(i bought some cheap second hand kit on ebay last year that was local and a hydrometer was part of the package)
(i bought some cheap second hand kit on ebay last year that was local and a hydrometer was part of the package)
They are not that expensive. What would be the advantage of building your own?Keln said:
I asked fo ra more rugged one at the local HBS, and they told me that they had the option of carying the unbreakable ones, but they ony cost like 2 dollars or so.
So they decided to carry the expensive ones that break every two weeks.
AHhahahahaha!!!!
The first one I gently tossed while in the box (it didn't survice).
the next one was out of it's little tube (I was measuring) and I set my mug on the skinny part without looking. (it also didn't survive).
I should have bought a couple today (which would guarantee I never break another), but I only got one. That means it is very likely to break right before I really need it.
So they decided to carry the expensive ones that break every two weeks.
AHhahahahaha!!!!
The first one I gently tossed while in the box
(it didn't survice).the next one was out of it's little tube (I was measuring) and I set my mug on the skinny part without looking. (it also didn't survive).
I should have bought a couple today (which would guarantee I never break another), but I only got one. That means it is very likely to break right before I really need it.
Beer Snob
Well-Known Member
ahoym8e said:I am buying my 3rd today, and have only made like 7 or 8 batches
Can't they make one out of bulletproof glass or something?
It's a marketing plot I think...
3rd? Your 3rd? Well, you'll see the humor in this.... I started up again brewing beer in like.... January of this year. I started up again because I found the box that had all my beer stuff in it and my interest perked. The last time it was open was when I had activly brewed before.... think I closed the box in 97ish. Was open for about a year. I started brewing with a friend in college in 1991. We used his stuff for a while and about a year later I ordered a beginners equiptment kit that did not contain anything special... your usual stuff. Hydrometer was certainly included. The same one in fact. This hydrometer has been used, boxed, stored, shuffled around, used again and reboxed... followed me around through different states I had lived in and to finally now I had re opened it and am using it. Same one
LMAO What in the wortld are you doing to your poor hydrometers LMAO
nosnhojr
Well-Known Member
Well, I've never broken one, and I used one for 10+ years when keeping a marine aquarium. As some wise poster once said, the key is to treat it as if it were made of glass.
On the other hand, I'm finding the hydrometer far less useful for brewing than it was in maintaining an aquarium. With salt water, I used the hydrometer to get the right salinity and temperature before topping off the aquarium, so I was actively adding salt or hot/cold water based on feedback from the hydrometer. With extract brewing, so far I've used the hydrometer only to note down OG and FG, and it's always been pretty much as expected. I suppose some day I'll get a wild reading and realize I screwed up somewhere. But for now, my opinion is that the hydrometer is mildly interesting, but not an essential tool. It confirms that I'm on the right track, but I've yet to take any corrective action based on a reading.
On the other hand, I'm finding the hydrometer far less useful for brewing than it was in maintaining an aquarium. With salt water, I used the hydrometer to get the right salinity and temperature before topping off the aquarium, so I was actively adding salt or hot/cold water based on feedback from the hydrometer. With extract brewing, so far I've used the hydrometer only to note down OG and FG, and it's always been pretty much as expected. I suppose some day I'll get a wild reading and realize I screwed up somewhere. But for now, my opinion is that the hydrometer is mildly interesting, but not an essential tool. It confirms that I'm on the right track, but I've yet to take any corrective action based on a reading.
nosnhojr said:
Eggs seem to be the universal icon of fragility. If you don't believe me, go to your local retailer/grocer when the chip vendors are stocking the shelves each day. Printed on the side of each box that contain the bags of chips is printed "Handle like eggs".
Everytime I saw this I always thought, "...OR you could handle them like CHIPS!" I hate crumbling bags of sawdust that some try to pass as chips. Make terrible nachos, but then again, make good Frito Pies....hmmm
Bernie Brewer
Grouchy Old Fart
My good beer hydrometers get broken regularly. My cheapo backup, which I bought in an emergency from a pet store, will probably last forever.
I only started my first batch yesterday so no broken hydrometers yet, but I did have the highest breakage fee on record in chemistry class in high school so I'm sure I'll lose a few.
