Official Broken Hydrometer Count

I went 20 years without breaking a single one, then a couple weeks ago, I broke 2 within 10 minutes of each other!

I recently bought a digital refractometer. I also bought a FG hydrometer (really fat one for more accurate FG measurements), but I've always broken mine on brewdays, so hopefully that's the last of my breakages

I broke the brewmasters hydrometer once...But I quickly replaced it

I'm on number four in a year of brewing. My son pulled one off the counter today and dropped it. Ready for a new one!

Coopers plastic Hydrometer for $10 is the best money you can spend right now

-=Jason=-
Sent from my HTC using Home Brew Talk

I've only broken one so far... my friends and family have broken 4 for me though.

Fermenting: Razor Wit
Bottling: Matanuska Wildberry
Drinking: As American As... Ale

One down.

First one I ever owned became first one I ever broke today. Timing couldn't have been better, I had just taken samples from the last two beers I am going to brew this year.

I have only broken one!!! Knock on wood!

+1 this year. last one broken in the 90's

I think I might be interested in trying out one of those plastic ones. I'll nab one next time I'm in the shop (hopefully they have some) and see how it compares with my glass one. It really would be nice to not sweat dropping 'em (not that I'd make a habit out of it -but you know... just imagine the grain or even long-shank tap I could have purchased if not for buying replacement hydros)

Broke my first one yesterday on batch number 12 overall. I guess it was it's time. I had previously kicked it in the garage with a sample and it didn't break. Then I pulled it off the kitchen counter with the wort chiller hose. At least they are only $6.

After little over a year brewin have gone thru 3....luckly never in wort or beer

made an interesting discovery last weekend while brewing -I'd tucked an older hydro away in a drawer -I always get one with an integrated thermometer (to adjust for temp) -this one was a simple hydro (no thermometer) -I must have purchased it quite a while back, and put it in a drawer, and forgotten about it. Not bad to find something you didn't even recall losing!

just broke another one. star san you slippery bugger...glad i always have an extra now.

Broke mine a few weeks ago. Had it in the plastic case to protect it and picked up the wrong end.

434?

Kate00 said:

Broke mine a few weeks ago. Had it in the plastic case to protect it and picked up the wrong end.

434?

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Done that before too. Watched in horror as, almost in slow motion, the bugger slid right out of the tube and hit the floor. I got lucky and it didn't break, but I think I gained a year or two of age (felt like it, anyway). Man I feel old sometimes

Dropped my favorite hydrometer so I ordered a new one. I chilled my wort and went to grab my brand spankin' new, never before used hydrometer out of the cooking utensil drawer and, lo and behold, it was smashed into pieces. I never did get an OG reading on that brew. Three lessons learned: 1. Never put your hydrometer in the cooking utensil drawer. 2. Keep an extra hydrometer on hand. 3. I'm a freakin' idiot.

ouch. That hurts.
SWMBO set aside a 'beer glass shelf' -its a stand that has several shelves with all of my beer mugs, glasses etc. I usually keep my hydro in a 20oz bottle on the top shelf -its long enough that the tip sticks out. They're just so darn fragile!

theDeutscher said:

Dropped my favorite hydrometer so I ordered a new one. I chilled my wort and went to grab my brand spankin' new, never before used hydrometer out of the cooking utensil drawer and, lo and behold, it was smashed into pieces. I never did get an OG reading on that brew. Three lessons learned: 1. Never put your hydrometer in the cooking utensil drawer. 2. Keep an extra hydrometer on hand. 3. I'm a freakin' idiot.

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I broke one during a 2 brew session day before. What I did was took a sample of the worts and froze them. Went out the next day to get a new hydrometer and took a reading from the frozen wort.... dont see why this would give a false reading, but there are lots of things I dont know.

BoundForBeer said:

I broke one during a 2 brew session day before. What I did was took a sample of the worts and froze them. Went out the next day to get a new hydrometer and took a reading from the frozen wort.... dont see why this would give a false reading, but there are lots of things I dont know.

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Now that would have been the logical thing to do but, once again, I'd like to refer you to point #3 of my lessons learned. I don't see a problem with doing that as long as the samples warmed up to room temperature. I guess I could still send one of my brews in for really expensive caloric and alcohol testing and figure out my OG from there. Haha Anyways, it ended up tasting how I wanted so I guess that's all that matters.

3 within 2 batches :-\

First one last week.

add one to the count. i'm sure i'll be back, if it's glass, the wife breaks it. it's like her calling in life or something.

Psht the first day I started brewing I got my reading and because it was wet it slipped straight out of my hands, smashing into hundreds of small shards along my kitchen floor... What a good way to start a hobby huh? lol

Mine was over a year ago so not sure if it should be added, but when I first started brewing my dumb self would put them in the carboys. I broke one trying to get it out with a needle nose pliers.

Agh, chalk me up for two. Both times I just dropped the thing onto the carpet. The glass stem snapped both times and that was it.

Yep, I broke one. But they are cheap.

I broke one this morning. My 2nd one Nd only used it twice. Seriously considering a refeactometer

Add one more to the list. I broke mine as it was drying in the dish rack.

broke my first one dumping out a bucket full of sanitizer.

broke my first one on my first batch i was devistated, at the time i had thought it was the most expesive thing i owned turned out otherwise.

I just bought 2 hydrometers online. You might as well add them to the count. Are we even counting?

Add me to the list, broke it right at the end of my brew. Had to dump it!

add me to the list. took a reading and sat the damn thing down a non exiting shelf that my beer goggles saw....but i had a spare! will pick up a new spare next trip to the HBS!

#1 broke today....along with two carboys. I really don't know what was up with me and glass today. Worst part is I was sober

Zakit24 said:

#1 broke today....along with two carboys. I really don't know what was up with me and glass today. Worst part is I was sober

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Wow, and I thought I'D had bad brewdays! My condolences on the loss of your glass!

Add my dad to the list. he bumped the hydrometer in the storage tube off my counter last night.

He ordered me a refractometer 20 min later. but that doesn't help me much with the wine and beer I have in process and need to test today.

It looks like that makes #454

Drunk- cleaned after brewing and squished one

455

i will start my year as of last week...which is the first time ive brewed since last spring...broke one just after new years while cleaning and orginizing the room in my garage where i brew...broke one last week when i dropped it off the workbench after measuring O.G...broke another one that same night after finding my super secret double emergency one in my spare closet....put it in my back pocket then immediatly sat on it. i went thru all of mine in 1 week on a single batch of beer. bought 3 more (6.00 a piece at my LHBS) brewed another batch today and i still got all three.

2012 ytd totals= 3

lifetime= 50