60°F water - Hydrometer reads 1.003

My hydrometer came with a slip of paper that said it is calibrated for 60°F. It also explains how to compensate at other temperatures blah blah blah

Just for fun I put in tap water that was exactly 60°F and came up with 1.003. I did this a few times. I always was measuring at the bottom of the meniscus (it helps to look at the water line from slightly below and above to verify).

Do you think the .003 discrepancy is from an inaccuracy in the hydrometer, or something else? Should I start to subtract .003 from all of my readings?

I could be wrong, but I think you're supposed to use distilled water to calibrate your hydrometer.

I think you're right rtp...Check this out:
http://byo.com/departments/1464.html

Yes, I did think about that, but could there really be enough minerals in the water to do that? I don't have my water specs but this is city water. Thanks for your reply.

Ah thanks Kilted for the link. That's perfect. I'll get some distilled and properly calibrate. I hope it will be more like 1.001 or so.


From BYO:
"If you're lucky, your hydrometer reads 1.000 at the specified temperature. If it reads either higher (1.001 or more) or lower (0.9999 or less), simply add or subtract the amount of error from your readings in wort or beer. For example, let's say your hydrometer reads 0.998 in pure water at 60 °C (its calibration temperature). This means that it's reading two "points" low and you should subtract two "points" from any reading you take in wort or beer. In other words, if your wort reads 1.050, your corrected reading would be 1.048."

They've got that backwards don't they?

Yes that is actually the standard reading for my tap water before I filter it. Distill the water and it should read 1.000. However, if it doesn't take note of the difference and apply it to all readings.

If you want to go one step further get a refractometer this is hands down my favorite device used for brewing to date. My wort chiller is a close second but not having to deal with a thief anymore and wasting all of that delicious beer is worth it.

hammacks said:

From BYO:
"If you're lucky, your hydrometer reads 1.000 at the specified temperature. If it reads either higher (1.001 or more) or lower (0.9999 or less), simply add or subtract the amount of error from your readings in wort or beer. For example, let's say your hydrometer reads 0.998 in pure water at 60 °C (its calibration temperature). This means that it's reading two "points" low and you should subtract two "points" from any reading you take in wort or beer. In other words, if your wort reads 1.050, your corrected reading would be 1.048."

They've got that backwards don't they?

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Thats what I was thinking as well when i just read that.

Area51BrewCo said:

If you want to go one step further get a refractometer this is hands down my favorite device used for brewing to date. My wort chiller is a close second but not having to deal with a thief anymore and wasting all of that delicious beer is worth it.

Click to expand...

Refractometers are cool but are only for non-fermented wort. They do not measure gravity post fermentation. You would still need the Hydrometer to determine ABV.

IrregularPulse said:

Refractometers are cool but are only for non-fermented wort. They do not measure gravity post fermentation. You would still need the Hydrometer to determine ABV.

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apparently, you can use a refractometer to calculate gravity after fermentation has started with the following

Final Specific Gravity from original and final Brix

SG = 1.001843 - 0.002318474*OB - 0.000007775*OB*OB - 0.000000034*OB*OB*OB + 0.00574*FB + 0.00003344*FB*FB + 0.000000086*FB*FB*FB

where:

SG = estimated specific gravity of the sample
OB = Original Brix
FB = Final Brix

Click to expand...

Pro Mash will do the calculation for refractometer reading during fermentation.

Its true once alcohol is present the refractometer readings need to be calculated based on your OG and current brix reading. Trust me though best device I have for All-Grain. Being able to quickly check the gravity of my wort is huge. Promash does all of this for me

Brewsmith have this function?

Sorry I have never used brewsmith so I can't say. I can email you this cool program I got from Morebeer.com that is a simple excel spreadsheet that is great for logging brix readings for your beer and it corrects your gravity for you. It really is a great tool.

IrregularPulse said:

Brewsmith have this function?

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Yeah it does. 'Refractometer Tool' on the left toolbar.

Although last time I used it the tool gave my refractometer reading 2-3 points lower than the hydrometer reading.

I want this.

That is the one I have with automatic temperature adjustments. My hydrometer is no a relic of past times. I just calibrate my refractometer once a month though it is never really off. I will repeat of all the gadgets I have purchased for this wonderful hobby it is my favorite.

denimglen said:

Yeah it does. 'Refractometer Tool' on the left toolbar.

Although last time I used it the tool gave my refractometer reading 2-3 points lower than the hydrometer reading.

I want this.

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I bought one of these on eBay for about 18 bucks. Shipped from China after the auction stated 'Made In America' but ya know...Works great, and worth every penny.

http://cgi.ebay.com/0-32-Brix-Refra...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

This is the same guy.
Good luck, mine is perfectly calibrated FYI, easy as pie and all that stuff.
Usual disclaimers, I don't know the seller etc YMMV