Broken hydrometer

I'm a new homebrewer and I cooked my first batch last night. I tried using a hydrometer in a "sample tube" (gadget that you dunk straight into the wort and then float the hydrometer for the reading) and wasn't having much luck getting the tube to fill, so I gave up and popped the lock into the top of the carboy. This morning, I attempted to rinse out the sample tube with the hydrometer still in it. I filled it full of water from a shower head and then noticed that the water wasn't draining from the valve tip. I turned it over and got about 15 little bb's in my hand. I realized the hydrometer had broken on the weighted end. My question is: are there any nasty chemicals inside the hydrometer? I don't know if it broke before or during the sampling, or when I was trying to clean it. I hate to toss the batch, but I don't want lead poisoning or any other toxic chemicals in my beer. Help!

Did you sanitize the sample tube before dipping it? Was the hydrometer in the tube when you dipped it?

Check the bottom of your container for any lead or mercury looking stuff.

If anything's there then dump it. It's poisoned.

Always remember to place your hydrometer and thermometer back into their plastic cases when not in use.

Both the sample tube and the hydrometer were sanitized with Idophor. The hydrometer was in the sample tube when I dipped it into the wort. Everything was clean - I'm just concerned about the potential for chemicals or lead from the broken tip of the hydrometer getting into the beer. It might not have broken until I was cleaning it... but I'm not sure. I have no idea what they put in those hydrometers when they make them and I wouldn't want to make anyone sick.

or better yet... LEAVE the hydrometer in the plastic tube and never use it again. your beer will be beer regardless of whether you measure the gravity or not.

-walker

If there's mercury in that thing, I'm not even going to risk it. $30 for the recipe and a few hours isn't worth the potential injury to someone.

Thanks for your help, folks.

Is it possible that that stuff could be lodged in the trub and he wouldn't necessarily see it anyway? If the hydrometer was stored in the sample tube or if it was in the tube when he went for a sample, I think I'd rather play it safe...

AndyLong said:

If there's mercury in that thing, I'm not even going to risk it. $30 for the recipe and a few hours isn't worth the potential injury to someone.

Thanks for your help, folks.

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There isn't any mercury in your hydrometer...do not dump that beer!

El Pistolero said:

There isn't any mercury in your hydrometer...do not dump that beer!

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I'd agree with that; it's probably only lead weights that certainly would drop right into the trub. Got one handy still? Is it lead? If you don't have a carboy/secondary I would get one for the $20 and then rack/move it over right away. You get to keep your beer and get a carboy out of the bargain as opposed to blowing $30 for nothing. That little amount of lead isn't going to hurt nothing and you'd probably get more out of eating a fish out of Lake Erie. If your still paranoid, don't stick your racking cane all the way into the trub.

Mmm, old fashioned paint chips are tasty! :cross:

It appears that El P and desert are correct. I've recently visited the brew shop where I purchase the hydrometer and looked at another of the same item. The fellow helping me and I agreed that there is no mercury in my hydrometer, only lead pellets.

I have a second carboy that I can transfer the brew to. My quandry at this point is whether to let it sit for a few more days in the primary (getting the most out of the yeast), or moving it to the other to seperate it from any possible lead that may have made it into the primary. Decisions...

Elemental lead is not very reactive...you won't get any appreciable amount of lead in your beer over the few days it'll be in the primary.

I don't think it's pure lead. I noticed some thin lines of rust appearing after a day or so on the remainder of the pellets in the broken hydro. I kept it to take to the local brew store for input. There must be some iron in it. Unless, of course, I just don't remember from science class that elemental lead contains iron.

AndyLong said:

There must be some iron in it. Unless, of course, I just don't remember from science class that elemental lead contains iron.

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By definition, "elemental" lead contains only lead.

Anyway, iron won't hurt you (in fact, your body NEEDS it), but some people are sensitive to it and get constipated from too much in their system.

Some hydrometers DO contain mercury, but you won't find those kinds in your LHBS.

-walker

That's what I thought.

In the mean time, I've found a new twist to this saga. I work for the local utilities and I contacted an engineer friend in the Water Dept. He said that a small amount of lead in stagnant water wouldn't be any concern. Beer, on the other hand, is very acidic. The substantial difference in pH makes quite a difference in how the liquid reacts with the lead. In beer, even a few days can break down enough of the lead to cause health concerns. If any got in three days ago, it's been in there long enough to do the damage. Since I don't know if there is any, I'd be playing Russian roulette if I drank it.

AndyLong said:

Beer, on the other hand, is very acidic.

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What constitutes "VERY" acidic?

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with your friend, but I am curious as to a quantitative answer.

Beer typically has a PH of about 5.5 (7 is neutral). That doesn't seem "very acidic" to me, but.....

anyway, just curious.

-walker

I retract my statement that a typical PH is 5.5.

I got hat from browsing the web, where I found a place that had the PH listed for each of their beer kits (all in the 5 to 6 range).

However, I also find references that say a PH of 4 is normal.

I guess it's all going to depend on the type of beer and hops (can we say "alpha ACIDS").

I'd probably not risk it and would toss it, honestly. No batch of beer is worth being poisoned.

-walker

Hey.. wait a second....

do you still have the broken hydrometer? If so, pass a magnet over some of the BBs. If they are strongly attracted to the magnet, they are NOT made of lead (lead is 100% unattracted to a magnet).

Maybe they are JUST IRON (since you see rust on them).

-walker

and this is from my college chem text:

Pb (lead)
A bluish gray metal; non magnetic; malleable; little affected by sulfuric acid or HCl;

Maybe the acidity doesn't even matter.

Let's not dump it yet. There are two rays of hope here.

-walker

some other "is it lead?" tests:

can you easily squish the BBs with some pressure? If not, they are not lead.

can you 'write' on paper with one of the BBs? If not, it is not lead.

(yeah... i'm a science geek... you gotta problem with that!?)

Also, I will add that myself and probably many many MANY other guys here have bitten down on hundreds of lead shot while fishing. If lead were THAT dangerous, we'd all be slobbering idiots. (ok.. that should spark some comments from the peanut gallery.)

-walker

The engineers he consulted with came up with a pH of 4.2 for beer. I suppose there is some degree of variance.

Unfortunately, I don't have the broken hydro anymore. I tossed it at the brew shop after we decided it was lead and not mercury. I'd have to break the new one I purchased to test your theory. Even then, without handing a sample to a lab to find the exact material, it still could be some kind of pot metal that contains lead. I had passed one of those fridge magnets by it and didn't get any attraction, but none of the remaining pellets were loose, so attraction might have been too weak to notice.

My last ditch effort is to bring in a sample of the fermenting beer and have them test it. My friend is checking to see if they have the equipment to do so. It's really the only definitive way.

While I appreciate the passion for saving my beer, without this test, I have to assume it's dangerous. Part of being a newbie is the learning experience, right?

AndyLong said:

While I appreciate the passion for saving my beer, without this test, I have to assume it's dangerous. Part of being a newbie is the learning experience, right?

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Fair enough. I'll fly the flag at half mast for your beer.

This incident, however, just gives me another reason to state that hydrometers are evil and should not be used. I don't even know where mine is right now and I don't want to know.

-walker

I'll shead a tear when I tip the carboy into the drain.

I'm such a detail freak, skipping the hydrometer would be like not scratching an itch. I just gotta. From this point on, however, I don't plan on introducing the hydrometer to any beer still inside the fermenter.

Dear Mr. Long

You are a boob

brewmaster9999 said:

Dear Mr. Long

You are a boob

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?????????

what the hell is that all about?

-walker

I'll assume you intended to put a smiley face at the end of that post.

Uhm, we're a cordial group here... There's that little Edit button you could always play with.

I think you've just been hit by a drive by posting.

I'm not saying it's entirely inaccurate. I have my moments (as my wife would attest - although she just calls me obtuse). I'd just like a little more detail regarding the motivation for the comment.

i think the most likely explanation is that we have a bit of a troll there.

He's only made two posts since joining. The first was a totally useless (not even remotely humerous) "mmmmm... beeer...." and the other was the "boob" insult.

i wouldn't worry about it. the last thing you want to do is get worked up about it. It will only encourage the behavior. The best way to battle a troll is to ignore them. They can't stand that.

-walker