Best Way To Measure Water In Brew Kettle

[pvpeacock]

I have a 7 gallon stainless steel brew kettle with weldless thermometer and ball valve. Measuring the water I put in the kettle is easy using a one gallon aluminum pitcher. However, once I get the boil going, It is hard to tell how much I have and if I need to boil it more to reduce the volume to 5 gallons (to hit OG) I tried marking my large stainless brewing spoon with a sharpie so I could put it in the kettle and see how much water was left during and after the boil, but those marks disappeared very quickly. I don't want to add a sight glass, because I know I would find a way to break it. Is there a good way to mark the inside of the brew kettle or my spoon? Is there a better way to measure the volume left in the brew kettle? Thanks

 

[Math0]

I used a knife to make a mark on my brewing spoon. Not very accurate but does the job in the end!

 

[Paradingbull]

I marked 5 and 6 gallon marks on my kettle with a dremel tool and grind stone. They don't wash away with cleanings.

 

[Flipadelphia]

I cut a 2x4 in half and marked it with a sharpie all the way up to 7 gallons, has worked great for me. I sanded it off so it's pretty clean.

 

[501irishred]

Yea the plastic spoons and paddles are a very dense plastic made not to stain (via wort or marker). I use a piece of cpvc left over from a project, marked off with a sharpie, and it's still legible after several years use.

 

[MaxStout]

Anything harder than ss to etch a line. If you don't have access to a dremel, use the edge of a file, a hacksaw blade or the tip of a knife to scratch the lines.

 

[bzwyatt]

I bought a dowel at HD and carved marks for every gallon. I dip it in and measure the distance between each mark for sub-gallon measurements.

 

[jroot]

I simply calculated the volume of water in the size kettle I have for every 1/8th inch of height and printed out a spreadsheet. I use a stainless steel ruler available at any stationary store and measure the height at the center of the kettle and voila! you know the volume easily at any point in the boil. If your brewing area floor is not level it does not matter as long as you measure at the center.

 

[IL1kebeer]

I simply calculated the volume of water in the size kettle I have for every 1/8th inch of height and printed out a spreadsheet. I use a stainless steel ruler available at any stationary store and measure the height at the center of the kettle and voila! you know the volume easily at any point in the boil. If your brewing area floor is not level it does not matter as long as you measure at the center.

That's the same way that I do it.

 

[MindenMan]

I too use a marked off long handled plastic spoon. My sharpie lines are wearing off so I will cut marks into it from now on.

 

[IL1kebeer]

http://merrycuss.com/calc/kettle_volume.html