What's an accurate evaporation rate for the hour long boil?

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My pre-boil volume can vary as I use the SG and pH of the final runnings to determine when to end the sparge.
...but the most significant effect on the boil rate is heat addition......make that consistent and you will be pretty damn close.
The larger the volume the more heat intensity you need to maintain the same boil-off rate, so if the volume varies as lhommedieu says above, he would have to adjust his burner accordingly to get the same rate with each boil.
 
The larger the volume the more heat intensity you need to maintain the same boil-off rate, so if the volume varies as lhommedieu says above, he would have to adjust his burner accordingly to get the same rate with each boil.

That's true - but there is another consideration at play: I'll always want to get enough wort to fill two 6 1/2 gallon carboys; if there is any wort left over, I'll pressure cook it in quart mason jars for use later as krausen, starter, etc.

I'll typically take an OG reading towards the end of the boil when my level starts to approach 15 gallons (I'm using leaf hops, so I have to account for what's going to be left in the boiler.) If the OG is too high, I may dilute with some water; if it's too low, I may boil for a while longer.
 
That's true - but there is another consideration at play: I'll always want to get enough wort to fill two 6 1/2 gallon carboys; if there is any wort left over, I'll pressure cook it in quart mason jars for use later as krausen, starter, etc.

I'll typically take an OG reading towards the end of the boil when my level starts to approach 15 gallons (I'm using leaf hops, so I have to account for what's going to be left in the boiler.) If the OG is too high, I may dilute with some water; if it's too low, I may boil for a while longer.

I have a refractometor, what can I use to sample wort during the boil that will not melt. They provided a plastic eye dropper with the refractometer but I would be afraid it would melt.
 
I have a refractometor, what can I use to sample wort during the boil that will not melt. They provided a plastic eye dropper with the refractometer but I would be afraid it would melt.

Use a ladle and take a very small amount of wort out and pour it into a Pyrex measuring cup. The cup will absorb some of the heat of the wort and the sample will cool quickly due to the amount of surface area exposed to the air. In a couple of minutes, use the eye dropper to pick up a small amount of wort, and place your sample on the refractometer.

That said, I've never really had a problem with the plastic eye droppers that came with my refractometer; using the ladle just keeps me from burning my fingers with hot wort.
 
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