Official Broken Hydrometer Count

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JefeTheVol

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I figured at because so many of brewers are completely clumsy that we should be keeping a count of how many hydrometers the average message board breaks over a one year period. If you're like me, I broke mine the first time I used it. Checking account balance: minus $14.95. Ill start. Just search for this thread if, and when, you break one because I think it will be interesting to see how many we actually go through.

Hydrometer Count: 1
 
I've broken 2 so far.

The second was quite comical- I had just bought it and used it. When it was dry I put it back into the tube and when I put the top back on there must have been some nice pressure, the bottom shot off and the hydrometer came out with it onto the tile floor.

You know how it is when you see something happen "in slow motion" and later on you think, "I could have grabbed that!", it was one of those situations.
 
I had one roll off the counter and fall onto the lip of an open fermentation bucket filled with beer I was just about to rack to the bottling bucket. Of course, the weighted end fell into the beer.....and the harmless tube with the paper scale fell outside onto the kitchen floor. :(

Luckily, the weight in this one was just steel shot and not lead. The pellets were captured by the yeast cake, so I just racket it off and bottled normally. One the better Oatmeal Stouts I've ever brewed. :)

Hydrometer: 1
 
Zero so far, and I've been brewing for 5 years. Now where is that knock on wood emoticon...
 
I broke my first one Tuesday.

Well, second, if you count the one I had for aquarium purposes that I broke a few years ago. First brewing hydrometer though.
 
I'm on #4. The weird thing is I've been brewing for 11 years and I broke all three within the span of a few months. I had my first hydrometer for about 5 years, and my 4th hydrometer for 5+ years, #2 and #3 only lasted a brew or two each.

Now I have a refractometer as a back-up. Hopefully I don't break that!
 
I just broke number 3. The last two I used for only one batch. I've broken my last one because I'm getting a refractometer.
 
None yet, but I have a back-up plus a plastic hydrometer now (which seems to be more accurate as you can nip off pieces of plastic to bring it down to exact calibration). I think having an extra one somehow keeps you from breaking the first one.
 
I broke my first one last weekend, on my third brew day. I have read about so many people breaking them, so I'm going to AHS today to pickup a refractometer.
 
I broke my first one a few weeks ago, after only a half a dozen brewing sessions. I ordered a new one and a refractometer and expect delivery today.
 
Put it back in the holding tube,the bottom came out and crash all over the tile floor:(

+1 RIP
 
I had just bought my third last weekend when I saw AHS had the sale on refractometers so I picked one of those up. I'm done with the #*%& hydrometers.
 
I think the point of this thread is for people to make posts to it when they actually, newly, break a hydrometer, isn't it?
 
I've only dropped one which resulted in a clean up effort... I view it as paying homage to the beer goddess'.

so +1 here...
 
I was getting some odd readings from a hydrometer that was about 15 years old (I took a loooong break from brewing) so I calibrated it and discovered that it was off, like the paper slipped or something. So I bought a new one, used it once and after taking an FG reading started to wash it. I was cleaning it very gently and it...just...snapped. The glass was paper thin. Don't know if that's normal or not but I broke one and, maybe, wore one out. So two?
 
You know, all you evil guys jinxed me! Last one of these I posted i said I have never broken one. Well sure enough, about a week ago I took a hydro reading of my cider (0.998) and my SWMBO poked me in the side, I spun my head around and hit the hydro and cider sample off the counter with the bill of my hat... DOH! not only did it break but I lost my sample of cider!!!! So my official count is now 1 dead hydro RIP lil guy.
 
Here I was thinking I would never break one... I was puting it in the plastic tube, it felt like it went in and then.... oops.... pop....





Sounds like a bad condom review.
 
So last Sunday I decided to really analyze my brewing process by taking gravity readings at every step. I'm pretty lazy, and I usually wait until I'm about to boil, then take a reading. If I'm low, I top up with extract. I usually get 70% to 75% efficiency into the carboy without extract, though.

Not Sunday. That was my day to turn my brew day into a chemistry lab experiment, and I was going to take a reading after the first runnings and after each batch sparge step to find out where I was losing efficiency. I reached up to grab my hydrometer from the shelf it was on without realizing that the tube it was in didn't have its top on it.

broken_hydrometer_count++

I'm up to 3 now in 6 years.
 
broke one. luckily it was in its plastic case when it got smacked. It started rolling off the counter and I smashed it trying to catch it. At least there was no cleanup involved!
 
Just broke my 3rd, considering this is only my 9th Brew, this isnt looking good. Maybe its time to go with a refractometer /cheers
 
Never broken one, but I have a question. Is that paper scale anchored in any way other than it being rolled up and pressed against the inside of the glass? what's to keep it from shifting? How do I check the calibration of mine to make sure the paper hasn't moved?
 
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