Broken floating Thermometor

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brewmaster48

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I broke my floating thermometer in my wort. About 1/3 of the BB's were lost and 3/4 of that red packing around the BB's. The thermometer itself was not damaged. My question is that red packing material, is it toxic and if so it is enough to affect the whole wort. I racked of the wort so that any glass would stay behind, I think between racking again to secondary and then racking for bottling the little bit of glass should not be an issue.
 
The red liquid is most likely alcohol that's been dyed, but the BBs are lead. It also doesn't take much glass to completely shred a digestive tract. I would probably dump it. :(
 
no, the red stuff around the BB's? that's some kind of wax to hold the BB's in the bottom. the red clearish liquid in the thermometer tube is alcohol but he said that didn't break.
 
EvilTOJ is wrong on all counts the BB's are almost surely steel and NOT lead.

To test take a magnet and hold it next to the BB's if they are Steel the magnet will attract them if they are lead there will be NO magnetic attraction.

And yes some filtration should elimiate any glass particles which are by and large an overblown concern. While you don't want to shallow larger particles of glass. Very small particles of glass are not considered dangerous according to everything I read.

Look up ground glass on snopes.
 
Even if they are lead they won't breakdown fast enough to make a big difference. I'd be worried about the glass.

There was a day I would say go for it, but those days are long gone.

Cut your losses and throw it out

Trip
 
I'd pitch it and not even think twice about it.

Order more ingredients to get another batch going and chalk this up as a learning experience.
 
ohiobrewtus said:
I'd pitch it and not even think twice about it.

Order more ingredients to get another batch going and chalk this up as a learning experience.

X2

Not worth it to hurt yourself or someone else.
 
Get a digital probe thermometer. :D

Rack your beer off using a siphon that is 1-1/2 inches off the bottom. Last I checked, glass doesn't float.

If you're not confident, wrap several loose layers of a paint strainer cloth around the end of your racking cane to act as a filter.
 
There's an almost identical thread around here somewhere where the OP actually e-mailed the company about the contents of floating thermometers. It turns out that they contain wax and steel shot. No worries there.

As for glass...you'll have to make a personal call there. You'll get plenty of responses telling you to dump it. I'm with the Muncher, in that I would just rack will above the trub layer after visible activity ceases since all the glass should settle to the bottom.
 
I posted in an identical thread that the glass would settle like any other particle in you beer and everyone disagreed and said to pitch it. Hmmmm.
But +1 on the throwing a coffee filter or whatever on your racking cane if there is nothing toxin in the thermometer.
 
BierMuncher said:
Get a digital probe thermometer. :D

Rack your beer off using a siphon that is 1-1/2 inches off the bottom. Last I checked, glass doesn't float.

If you're not confident, wrap several loose layers of a paint strainer cloth around the end of your racking cane to act as a filter.


Excellent advise those floating thermometers are a major POS.

You might want to consider getting a calibration thermometer as well.

Don't throw that beer away send it to me if you don't want it.
 
I agree with those who say to rack above the trub. I do that anyway. You could tie a sanitized hop bag over the end of the racking cane.
 
Just had my True Brew floating thermometer break as well. No good reason that I could see, just went to check the wort for a yeast pitch and there was beer inside the thermometer!

Some previous posters are correct: the shot is not lead, it's steel. Use a magnet, it will create cool little steel-shot icicles on the magnet. No worries about lead.

Glass particles will sink! A day or two before you rack to the secondary, tilt the fermentor to one side a little and let it settle with a thicker edge on that side. When racking, use a little cheese cloth, sanitized in some boiling water, around the racking cane and keep it from moving and stirring up the sediment layer and rack from the thick side. Keep the racking cane above the sediment and you'll be fine. Any glass that could have dropped into and remained in the wort after the initial move to the primary will be encased in the yeast and hop sediment and should stay there, even if it is disturbed a little.

No reason I can see to worry about this, but those who choose safety at all costs and dump their beer have their point too.

Good luck! And make sure to tell your local supplier to dump True Brew floating thermometers!
 
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