Hydrometer broke...in my fermenter

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Deskjockey894

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I feel like a complete jackass even posting this, but in my clear, level-headed thinking I believed it to be a good idea to fish out my hop bag using my hydrometer. The upper part broke off and the base sunk like an anchor straight to the bottom. I was kind of freaked out and thought the hardened green base and black balls of the hydrometer could seep out, so I decided to rack to the secondary (it had been 15 days in the primary) to get it away from the sunken hydrometer. Of course, the innards were completely hardened. So I'm not sure how sanitary the inside of a hydrometer is, but do you think this batch has any hopes of being half-way decent?
 
Little known fact. Hydrometers contain inside them, a vaporous form of strychnine. When the hydrometer is broken open, this vapor condenses into liquid form. You must take this batch to your nearest homebrew disposal center. Since I'm on the west coast, I don't know of any near the Boston area. But I'm sure that some folks will be happy to direct you to one.






















j/k You'll be fine. RDWHAHB
 
Like the desk jockey says, you'll probably be fine. The only concern I might have is if any glass from the broken hydrometer got into the beer. If you were careful with your racking it shouldn't be an issue at all.

:off: I'm probably jinxing myself here, but I've had extraordinary luck when it comes to hydrometers. My cat once knocked mine off the counter and played with it all night long, before batting it under my refrigerator. I've also dropped my gear box with it off a high shelf. No idea how the thing hasn't broken yet. it'll probably shatter the next time I look at it. :D

Terje
 
Skaggz said:
Little known fact. Hydrometers contain inside them, a vaporous form of strychnine. When the hydrometer is broken open, this vapor condenses into liquid form. You must take this batch to your nearest homebrew disposal center. Since I'm on the west coast, I don't know of any near the Boston area. But I'm sure that some folks will be happy to direct you to one.

j/k You'll be fine. RDWHAHB
Click to expand...


besides, they have mercury in them, and since mercury kills fish, and fish swim in water, and homebrew has water in it, it's probably bad. i'll dispose of it; let me get you my address :D it should be good if you strained it VERY good. just be careful with that; as thin as hydrometers are, those glass slivers can slip through just about any filter
 
lumpher said:
besides, they have mercury in them, and since mercury kills fish, and fish swim in water, and homebrew has water in it, it's probably bad. i'll dispose of it; let me get you my address :D it should be good if you strained it VERY good. just be careful with that; as thin as hydrometers are, those glass slivers can slip through just about any filter
Click to expand...

I know you're just joking. But, 99% of all thermometers out there no longer use mercury. As a general rule, if the liquid inside a thermometer is red, it is not mercury. But it is not joke about the glass slivers. Imagine getting one of those in your throat...
 
all kidding aside.. I probably WOULD dump it. No batch of beer is worth drinking glass. Unless you can be absolutely sure there is no glass.. which seems impossible.

I feel your pain though.. I once had to throw away over $50 in fresh halibut because of a f-ing glass baking dish that exploded in my oven (stay away from anchor glassware)... wasnt worth the risk of eating glass slivers.
 
Skaggz said:
Little known fact. Hydrometers contain inside them, a vaporous form of strychnine. When the hydrometer is broken open, this vapor condenses into liquid form. You must take this batch to your nearest homebrew disposal center. Since I'm on the west coast, I don't know of any near the Boston area. But I'm sure that some folks will be happy to direct you to one.
Click to expand...

I suggest Inman Square, PM me for the address.
 
Might be a good time to look into Refractometers for your measurements. They are easy to use imo and no chance you'll try to fish anything out of your beer with one. :mug:

Theyre also a thousand times more durable.
 
If it were my batch I would dump it. I would not risk drinking the glass shards or whatever is contained in a hydrometer.

I've lost a batch, I know it sucks but IMO not worth the risk.
 
Ok, a few glass shards never hurt anyone, some could argue a character builder. Since there was actually no liquid inside the hydrometer, I'll take my chances on this one.
 
the_bird said:
What *is* inside of a hydrometer, anyway? It's lead shot, right? Me PERSONALLY, I don't think I'd drink it.
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Older hydrometers could be weighted with mercury or lead. Most of the new ones I've seen state that they use steel shot in the bottom covered with wax.
 
OK, I had done a quick Google and just saw mercury and lead as the two options. If I could confirm that, I'd probably keep the batch - but I'd be damn careful when I racked to let everything settle, and to not pick up anything in the trub.
 
HItransplant said:
all kidding aside.. I probably WOULD dump it. No batch of beer is worth drinking glass. Unless you can be absolutely sure there is no glass.. which seems impossible.

I feel your pain though.. I once had to throw away over $50 in fresh halibut because of a f-ing glass baking dish that exploded in my oven (stay away from anchor glassware)... wasnt worth the risk of eating glass slivers.
Click to expand...

I feel something is fishy with this post....

glass inyour food could really "sink" a meal... Or at least weigh it down....


ok I thinkim done now...

my first thought was to match up the 2 sides & see if you can see any missing pieces...
 
My only concern was really was the possibility for contamination, which is probably low. The inside at the bottom of the hydrometer was the steel-wax mixture (that's what i think). The hydrometer itself didn't shatter into pieces, i was holding the top and remained holding the top as the bottom part broke off and sunk. I like my odds on not getting any glass.
 
Deskjockey894 said:
My only concern was really was the possibility for contamination, which is probably low. The inside at the bottom of the hydrometer was the steel-wax mixture (that's what i think). The hydrometer itself didn't shatter into pieces, i was holding the top and remained holding the top as the bottom part broke off and sunk. I like my odds on not getting any glass.
Click to expand...

At a minimum run it through a filter (hop sack over your siphon for example) and don't disturb the trub which means at most 1/2 gal waste as to not siphon any possible glass.

Best of luck.
 
Sorry to resurrect such an old thread but instead of making a new thread i figured i'd post in here.

Man so bummed. This is my first time brewing. Had the same brilliant idea as you. At the time using a sanitized thermometer seemed like a "Easy fast way" of fishing out the hop bags. I thought i grabbed my nice heavy duty thermometer instead it was my hydrometer.

So the top breaks. I have grip of it but as soon as i move i see a piece of glass fall in my pot. So bummed i spent so much time and $ on this to throw it out. I know safety comes first . Just curious how your batch ended up.

What I did was i have a super tight strainer sanitized it and poured it thru the strainer into my fermenting bucket. It seemed to catch all pieces of glass and the bigger shiver were still in my pot. I'm hoping it caught all the glass. I'm still planning on siphoning into a 2nd fermenter which should also help.

You think i should dump or i should be fine ?
 
again sorry if i broke any rules for posting in such an old thread. Just really curious if i seemed to get all the glass out should my "beer" still be ok. The filter type strainer i used had the tiniest openings so anything that was big enough to be visible would of been caught before going into my fermenter. I'm wondering if the inside of the glass of the hydrometer that broke could of infected it however.
 
You didn't break any rules, but you are probably not going to get an answer from the OP as to how that batch came out.

It's ultimately a judgment call you're going to have to make. If you run it through a strainer I imagine it would be okay....

No harm in bumping this thread in any case; it doesn't hurt to remind people DON'T PUT YOUR HYDROMETER DIRECTLY IN YOUR FERMENTER. ;)
 
thecraft said:
I'm wondering if the inside of the glass of the hydrometer that broke could of infected it however.
Click to expand...

Extraordinarily unlikely. A dry sealed glass container that has been that way for months if not years is not a friendly place for the baddies to live. Actually, just in general, clean glass is not a friendly place for the baddies to live. The odds of clean-but-not-sanitized glass of any kind infecting your beer are pretty close to zero.
 
I wouldn't worry about infections if you properly sanitized the hydrometer, but I would worry about glass shards in your beer. Personally I would dump it.
 
jsweet said:
You didn't break any rules, but you are probably not going to get an answer from the OP as to how that batch came out.

It's ultimately a judgment call you're going to have to make. If you run it through a strainer I imagine it would be okay....

No harm in bumping this thread in any case; it doesn't hurt to remind people DON'T PUT YOUR HYDROMETER DIRECTLY IN YOUR FERMENTER. ;)
Click to expand...

ok thank you!

I am hesitant to drink it still. My buddy insists we caught all the glass. it was pretty much one piece and the strainer type device we used would of kept anything to the size of being visible with the naked eye out. Luckily we had it handy. He says continue im iffy on it.
 
jsweet said:
Extraordinarily unlikely. A dry sealed glass container that has been that way for months if not years is not a friendly place for the baddies to live. Actually, just in general, clean glass is not a friendly place for the baddies to live. The odds of clean-but-not-sanitized glass of any kind infecting your beer are pretty close to zero.
Click to expand...

cool good to know. now its trusting that we did get all the glass. Like i said the large piece was at the bottom of the pot still. the smaller pieces were picked up by the strainer we used. the holes on this strainer are smaller then a flea. or so it seems.
 
63belair said:
I wouldn't worry about infections if you properly sanitized the hydrometer, but I would worry about glass shards in your beer. Personally I would dump it.
Click to expand...

I was worried about infection a bit more then the glass (does not sound reasonable i know) . The only reason i felt a little ok about the glass is the device we used to strain it. These holes the glass would have to travel thru are miniature. The main glass piece was still in the kettle. a few smaller pieces were caught in the strainer. If anything got thru the strainer idk how much damage it could really cause someone. Then again i also see the point of view of why would you even risk it. i appreciate all your input.

the biggest sinking your boat feeling. 1st time brewer everything was going great then towards the end of day one boom you make an idiotic mistake and have to dump your batch. made me feel like a dumb ***
 
thecraft said:
If anything got thru the strainer idk how much damage it could really cause someone.
Click to expand...

TBH this is kinda how I feel... but I've never been one for the "better safe than sorry" approach. It's ultimately a judgment call.
 
jsweet said:
TBH this is kinda how I feel... but I've never been one for the "better safe than sorry" approach. It's ultimately a judgment call.
Click to expand...

i hear you. I guess if i live to tell about it I can come back on give someone a "well i survived" type story if this comes up again lol.

Just glad we had that strainer device handy. literally do not think carpet mites could fit thru it.
 
again thanks for the input guys. you dont know how much i was stressing all night haha.

i happened to google the exact thing that happened to me and this thread popped up. i Thought to myself. At least im not the only one haha. One other person on this earth had the same not so smart idea.
 
scottieo2 said:
Agree 100%....I'd dump the batch.
Click to expand...

+1! Even if a stray shard gets by your throat,( or someone else's), there's still the rest of your digestive system to worry about. The best homebrew in the world is not worth internal bleeding. It totally sucks to dump a batch, but sometimes you have to do what's prudent.:)
 
Okay, I'm sick of the fearmongering:

http://www.corecharity.org.uk/The-Hazards-of-Swallowing-Glass.html

Highlights:

"Small pieces can travel right through the bowel and be passed normally without problems."

"Sharp objects such as glass fragments might be expected to cause damage but rarely do so because of the gentle way in which the bowel handles them."

"Ground glass, despite its reputation in thrillers, has no serious effect on the bowel."

They also say if you think you might have swallowed glass that you should see a doctor, but they also say that the treatment is usually just to wait and see. They also point out that most people, you know, notice if there is glass in their mouth and don't swallow it.

I think the decision to dump it out of an abundance of caution is totally defensible, but I also think the decision NOT to dump it is at least as defensible. Let's look at the chain of events that would have to occur for this to actually cause serious injury:

thecraft would have to have missed one or more of the shards, which due to the setup, he or she thinks didn't happen.
The shard would then have to get sucked up through the siphon when racking to the bottling bucket, rather than just resting harmlessly in the trub.
You'd then have to drink the shard without noticing it when you poured the beer into the glass.
And then even after that, it would be extremely rare for it to cause even minor internal bleeding.

The odds of that whole chain of events coming to pass are TINY. Now, if you are of the mindset that even the tiniest risk is not tolerable for the modest benefit of getting to keep the batch, then that's fine. But the risk is pretty damn small.
 
PIGMAN said:
+1! Even if a stray shard gets by your throat,( or someone else's), there's still the rest of your digestive system to worry about. The best homebrew in the world is not worth internal bleeding. It totally sucks to dump a batch, but sometimes you have to do what's prudent.:)
Click to expand...

i hear you. thanks for the input. as stated before def a judgement call on my part. all the input is appreciated.
 
jsweet said:
Okay, I'm sick of the fearmongering:

http://www.corecharity.org.uk/The-Hazards-of-Swallowing-Glass.html

Highlights:

"Small pieces can travel right through the bowel and be passed normally without problems."

"Sharp objects such as glass fragments might be expected to cause damage but rarely do so because of the gentle way in which the bowel handles them."

"Ground glass, despite its reputation in thrillers, has no serious effect on the bowel."

They also say if you think you might have swallowed glass that you should see a doctor, but they also say that the treatment is usually just to wait and see. They also point out that most people, you know, notice if there is glass in their mouth and don't swallow it.

I think the decision to dump it out of an abundance of caution is totally defensible, but I also think the decision NOT to dump it is at least as defensible. Let's look at the chain of events that would have to occur for this to actually cause serious injury:

thecraft would have to have missed one or more of the shards, which due to the setup, he or she thinks didn't happen.
The shard would then have to get sucked up through the siphon when racking to the bottling bucket, rather than just resting harmlessly in the trub.
You'd then have to drink the shard without noticing it when you poured the beer into the glass.
And then even after that, it would be extremely rare for it to cause even minor internal bleeding.

The odds of that whole chain of events coming to pass are TINY. Now, if you are of the mindset that even the tiniest risk is not tolerable for the modest benefit of getting to keep the batch, then that's fine. But the risk is pretty damn small.
Click to expand...

i actually just read almost same exact information on swallowing glass which kind of had me leaning to saying f it.

thanks a bunch man that put things in perspective for me.

everyone's input is appreciated . like you said man judgement call.
 
btw just saw my first bubbles . wow haha never thought i'd be so stoked to see bubbles in my life. thanks home brew community i see why you guys love doing this so much. i havent even finished and already feel hooked with the whole process. hopefully beer turns out drinkable lol and no glass in throat!
 
I'd think of it this way...

If someone handed you a beer and said, "I broke some glass in this but I'm fairly certain I got it all out" would you drink it?

If you'd say yes, then go ahead are bottle her up.
If you'd say no, then dump it.
 
thecraft said:
At the time using a sanitized thermometer seemed like a "Easy fast way" of fishing out the hop bags. I thought i grabbed my nice heavy duty thermometer instead it was my hydrometer.
Click to expand...

Not intending be mean or cruel here but being that people say it's a judgment call I'd say your judgment was suspect when you decided to use a thermometer for something it was not intended to do. The fact that you grabbed a hydrometer was just compounding the first error in judgment.
 
It only takes one piece of glass to lacerate something inside your body. So "most of it" isn't really going to cut it.

$50 worth of homebrew supplies

vs.

$3000+ ER bill.


Its still your call but, I know what I'd do.
 

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