Anybody just leave their hydrometer in the carboy?

[st0neski]

I was just wondering if any of you just plop your hygrometer in the carboy so that you can check the gravity without having to pop the carboy open and get a sample. Would this affect the fermentation process at all?

 

[BittererPlease]

If there was any foam on the top it would make it hard to read.

 

[The Pol]

Why are you concerned about the barometric pressure in the carboy?

FWIW, it will be wholly inaccurate with the krausen and CO2 clinging to the hyDrometer

 

[Revvy]

I just use this,

And this;

I just sanitize the baster, draw up a sample and put it in the test jar...that way the sample can even be held at eye level, not trying to read it through a carboy (if that even worked) or looking down into a bucket with foam on top.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I tried that once. Impossible to read, and difficult to get out. I don't recommend it, but it won't hurt your beer if you do.

 

[st0neski]

Why are you concerned about the barometric pressure in the carboy?

FWIW, it will be wholly inaccurate with the krausen and CO2 clinging to the hyDrometer

I must be drunk, i am a *******, hahahaha.


you make a good point of it being hard to read and inaccurate.

 

[Yooper]

I tried that once. Impossible to read, and difficult to get out. I don't recommend it, but it won't hurt your beer if you do.

Unless it breaks in there, and ruins all 5 gallons of beer due to glass shards. Just something to think about.

 

[davesrose]

Unless it breaks in there, and ruins all 5 gallons of beer due to glass shards. Just something to think about.

Well technically your beer wouldn't be ruined with glass shards....no known pathogen can exist in beer! And as for the shards themselves....hey, my uncle claims that when he was a kid in Austria....he had nothing better to do but eat glass bottles on dares.

 

[double_e5]

Why are you concerned about the barometric pressure in the carboy?

I'd be more concerned with humidity if I had a hygrometer in my fermenter.

 

[st0neski]

I'd be more concerned with humidity if I had a hygrometer in my fermenter.

:rockin: and thats exactly what was on my mind, well not in my fermenter, but in my humidor!

 

[Sigafoos]

I've just been dropping it into my primary to get a reading... by then the kraeusen has dropped down so there's nothing affecting it. Between that and a refractometer for OG readings I've cut down on a lot of my angel's share (and also generally have no idea what the beer tastes like until I get my first glass)

 

[Brewin_CRAZY]

I guess I would be more worried about getting yeast cake off my hydrometer, plus the reading would be way inaccurate. In my eyes less cleaning=better brewing. Just grab a sample, measure, drink said sample and instantly clean. No problems. Oh btw, running insta-hot water over a hydrometer to clean it will shatter them, just a little fyi, lol.

 

[bob1852]

(and also generally have no idea what the beer tastes like until I get my first glass)

IMO this is blasphemy part of the fun is tasting along the way

 

[Arkador]

I used to, but it was not greatly accurate, and i broke 2 this way...

<3 my refractometer.

 

[david_42]

Draw off a wort sample after pitching and leave the hydrometer in the sample tube. It will probably ferment faster, but the final gravity will be the same.

 

[Simphoto02]

One point was never mentioned. I hope for your sake that the Hydrometer was sanitized BEFORE you sent it on a swim in the carboy.

I usually have more than one batch in the works so I need my Hydrometer as each proceed down the fermentation line. Why in the world would you do this?

 

[philrose]

here's an idea: build a "sight glass" into the side of a plastic fermenter.

It would need a cap of some sort, would have to be clear and tall enough to always be above the fill of the fermenter.

of course, this is WAY more trouble than its worth. especially when you consider an extra step in the cleaning/sanitizing process. :-/. Also, if it ever leaked onto the floor I'd be in deep trouble with the girlfriend!

 

[Revvy]

here's an idea: build a "sight glass" into the side of a plastic fermenter.

It would need a cap of some sort, would have to be clear and tall enough to always be above the fill of the fermenter.

of course, this is WAY more trouble than its worth. especially when you consider an extra step in the cleaning/sanitizing process. :-/. Also, if it ever leaked onto the floor I'd be in deep trouble with the girlfriend!

There's actually a thread about that on here from about a month ago...there ended up being a bunch of design challenges to it...IIRC maintaining a sanitary environment was a biggy.

 

[philrose]

There's actually a thread about that on here from about a month ago...there ended up being a bunch of design challenges to it...IIRC maintaining a sanitary environment was a biggy.

Yeah, one of those things wher the thought process is...

"Hey I have an Idea!"
"Wait, thats a bad idea"
"But what if somebody on Homebrewtalk has a good way to do it!"
"Better post and find out!"

 

[Revvy]

Yeah, one of those things wher the thought process is...

"Hey I have an Idea!"
"Wait, thats a bad idea"
"But what if somebody on Homebrewtalk has a good way to do it!"
"Better post and find out!"

I think it was/still is a great idea...I'm just saying that. you weren't the first on here to think of it, you might not have realized that some folks on here discussed it to a point, so maybe you MIGHT want to SEARCH for the thread, see what was discussed and maybe you can solve the ideas and come up with something that we can use..

 

[The Pol]

I just got to use my refractometer on my Hefe this week for the OG, and took a sample today to see where the gravity sits after 5 days. It is really nice for checking the FG, the pipette needs little to be cleaned and it is easy to suck out a tiny sample and seal it back up.

The only drawback is that you are not getting to taste the beer with it.

Super convenient though.