Hydrometer Advice Needed

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Homebrew Harry said:
I'm glad you looked at that and saved him the trouble. I'm still wondering what the hell I was seeing that morning. I would have swore the pic I saw had 1.000 near the top. My apologies to the OP and anyone else for that matter !
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for the record, the aquarium glass hydro i ordered, still has not been shipped....tracking number created, but not tendered to post office yet...might end up having to complain and get my money back....

@BrewingWisdom in Urdu, what be..

wait look for lactometer? that goes from 1.000 to at least 1.060? i see all kinds of lacto hydros on daraz!

most them look like they only go to 1.040, but that would still be useful for a lot of brews.....

edit: and especially perfectly fine if not prefered for final gravity readings, if that's the only reason you don't like refracs?
 
bracconiere said:
for the record, the aquarium glass hydro i ordered, still has not been shipped....tracking number created, but not tendered to post office yet...might end up having to complain and get my money back....

@BrewingWisdom in Urdu, what be..

wait look for lactometer? that goes from 1.000 to at least 1.060? i see all kinds of lacto hydros on daraz!

most them look like they only go to 1.040, but that would still be useful for a lot of brews.....

edit: and especially perfectly fine if not prefered for final gravity readings, if that's the only reason you don't like refracs?
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https://brainly.in/question/1648923
 
BrewingWisdom said:
https://brainly.in/question/1648923
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principles are the same...density's of a solution? it's just a lactometer only goes to 1.040, and a lot of beers start at 1.050+....but all end around 1.010?


but if you can get one for cream maybe? but fat has a lower density then water, even though thicker...which is why hydros come in handy.....
 
to sum this up for you, here's a couple pics of my hydro....it's a plain form one, so no looking fancy, because that's the way i like it....

1653079476792.png


1653079579052.png



no fancy brix, cheat sheet for ABV, baum, what the hell else they try as gimmicks...all i want to know is how thick it is!


the only difference is mine goes from 1.000 to 1.100, and bit below 1.000....on one side it goes by 10's the other 1.001's....


edit: and honestly when i did my experiment with salt compared to sugar, i learned something new from participating in this thread, salt has a higher density then sugar! i thank you for that still! always amazes me stuff like that, because you wouldn't think a hydro would float in water higher then oil, and higher in salt water then a syrup! :mug: but it's all density. you need to know the density to use one of to figure how much there is in it....same measurement just different molecules your trying to get a measurment for....
 
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and for reference, i have another hydro that goes to 1.220....but you can see the reading on it is pretty much the same, just not as precsise....

1653080827385.png



it'll still work for brewing but being i shoot for 1.060 with all my beers, i prefer the 1.001 prescion of the 1.000-1.100 one.....


but honestly, a aquarium one that goes from 1.000 to 1.060 would be just fine for me.....
 
wsmith1625 said:
If you haven't used a hydrometer before, there are a few things you should know. Hydrometers are calibrated at a set temp, typically 60 or 68 degrees. You should cool your wort to the calibration temp when taking readings or use an online calculator to do the temperature correction. The calibration temp is usually printed on the hydrometer somewhere.

https://www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/
Another thing is they're pretty fragile. Make sure you have enough liquid in your test jar so the hydrometer doesn't bottom out and break. If you break a hydrometer and you probably will, there's a post for that.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/official-broken-hydrometer-count.148083/
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I didn't see mentioned, but inexpensive hydrometers are often not calibrated precisely, or the paper gauge within may shift if the hydrometer is dropped and not broken. This usually isn't a big deal, as we are measuring the relative difference between starting SG and ending. If we were being scientifically accurate, we'd 'calibrate' by testing in pure distilled water at the proper temp (60F on mine) to determine the offset. E.g., if your reading in pure d. H2O is 0.996 instead of 1.000 at the bottom of the meniscus, then you'd add 0.004 to each reading taken with the device. A bit persnickety for us, perhaps, but better science.

Oh -- and it may not be obvious, but if you work up your wort in a kettle and transfer it to your fermenter, then to add in make-up water to get to 5 gallons or 19L or whatever, do be sure to stir very well before taking your starting wort sample for S.G. Without proper mixing, the higher-density sugar-laden wort is in the lower portion of the fermenter while the fresh make-up water is in the top section where you'll likely sample, giving you an artificially low starting S.G.

Use sterile technique and equipment where ever possible.
 
well @BrewingWisdom i got that aquarium salinity one today....and i can say it works just fine, but is really TINY! definatly need the 2 pack because you're going to become a member of the broken hydro thread FOR SURE!

1653525718276.png


but like i said it goes to 1.060 so good enough for most beers....

i tried it in both plain water, and with an ounce of sugar in the cyilinder....read the same as my big one...

:mug:
 
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and for more confirmation to save your rupees yourself, i just spent the cost of the 2 pack on sugar to take two more pictures....just to prove it's acurate at 1.060 too....


still small though ;) :mug:

1653551488892.png


and here be the young lad....i know you have to count the marks because my camera can't make out the digits, it's so small...but you can see in the same 1.060 sugar solution...it be floating 'about the same'....


1653552098994.png



the green bar is just the fish tank equivelant of the ABV thing on a triple scale....the SG is all that matters really....


edit: and i feel vindicated! i'm not as stupid as people tell me i am! ;) not sure if other people have that problem.....but it makes me self conscious...



edit: damn it it's bed time, and talking about...well having a shoulder bump, with the bros..reminded me this damn thing has a zoom feature....but you can tell from the zoomed pic, about maybe 1.058 reading...instead of the solid 1.060 on the big one....i don't think that'd really be critical though....i never can tell one point from another on the triple scales the go to 160! :mug:

1653553371167.png
 
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wsmith1625 said:
The benefit of a smaller hydrometer could be smaller sample sizes if you have an equally small test tube. Just make sure you put your reading glasses on.
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maybe so, but i just used it on some actively fermenting sugar wash to make sure i used enough wheat germ tea to get it going...


and the co2 really does raise it up quite a bit! need to give it a good spin and read it pretty quick....other wise it'll be floating on it's side, hyperbolic maybe, but it sure does raise it up a bunch....but with a quick spin it still works...

i'm still thinking this is as close local to order? it's only disadvantage is it only goes to 1.045....which sorta is good enough for SOME beers.....

https://www.daraz.pk/products/lacto...0e.searchlist.list.26.3b1f20e4MgPDBf&search=1

i'd order one...but here it'd be the equiv of 12,000 rs..... i'm a nice guy, but not THAT nice! ;)
 
bracconiere said:
and the co2 really does raise it up quite a bit! need to give it a good spin and read it pretty quick....other wise it'll be floating on it's side, hyperbolic maybe, but it sure does raise it up a bunch....but with a quick spin it still works...
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B - I'm curious. At the end of your fermentation, how much carbonation do you have in the fermenter? With an air trap, the beer should be at 1 atmosphere of pressure, with no significant dissolved CO2 to bubble out during SG readings.
 
Bad DNA said:
B - I'm curious. At the end of your fermentation, how much carbonation do you have in the fermenter? With an air trap, the beer should be at 1 atmosphere of pressure, with no significant dissolved CO2 to bubble out during SG readings.
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this is a sugar wash, and i need to make sure the ferment is going as it should, so i need to take a reading a few days while it's active to make sure the gravity is dropping....
 
bracconiere said:
this is a sugar wash, and i need to make sure the ferment is going as it should, so i need to take a reading a few days while it's active to make sure the gravity is dropping....
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OK -- so wouldn't the presence of CO2 burping through the air trap be an indicator? Or you are seeking more analytical precision?
 
Bad DNA said:
so wouldn't the presence of CO2 burping through the air trap be an indicator? Or you are seeking more analytical precision?
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it would if it was airtight, and yes. pretty sure it's dropping about 10 points a day now, so ~4 days more at that rate.... 🤞
 
@bracconiere finally it arrived after a long wait of almost 3 months. It's a triple scale hydrometer with a brix reading , gravity reading and abv percentage reading. With high gravity beer and wine markings. Came with a 250 ml flask. Tested it with water and it's showing a gravity of exactly 1.000. The glass is a bit thicker than I expected. Seems to be working fine.
 

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BrewingWisdom said:
The glass is a bit thicker than I expected.
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first of all! right on, just know all it will only ever show you is the BRIX & ABV scales....and that glass might be deceiving you, a slight bump against the counter will bust it, and if it took 3 months? might be a good idea to send for 'reinforcements' now!
 
bracconiere said:
first of all! right on, just know all it will only ever show you is the BRIX & ABV scales....and that glass might be deceiving you, a slight bump against the counter will bust it, and if it took 3 months? might be a good idea to send for 'reinforcements' now!
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If you had looked at the pics I attached in post no 96 , it also shows gravity readings.
Yeah maybe you are right about that glass part.
And I am lost at the "reinforcements" part.
 
BrewingWisdom said:
If you had looked at the pics I attached in post no 96 , it also shows gravity readings.
Yeah maybe you are right about that glass part.
And I am lost at the "reinforcements" part.
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🤣 a few things you'll learn as a proud owner of a triple scale hydro....it NEVER shows you the scale you want to see, and if you only have one, they tend to get lonely and commit suicide! ;) :mug:
 
here's just a few of mine...they never get broken! because they're never lonely.....and i have proof hydros, triple scale, plain form, salinity...none of them ever show me what i want to see!

1655235140477.png
 
BrewingWisdom said:
Then maybe he should get laid or get a GF so he doesn't feel lonely ;)
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maybe your luck will be better, go ahead put it in the water and give it a spin to get a reading see where it stops! ;)

i can almost guarentee it will either be ABV or BRIX.....and you'll learn to cuss at it! :mug:
 
BrewingWisdom said:
That puts both of us in the same club. Perfectly law abiding citizens 😂😂
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sovreign citizens that don't like bootlegers! :mug:

BrewingWisdom said:
So you are trying to say I wasted money on a triple scale hydro or should have ordered the plain one??
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well, here it's hard to find a plain one...not a waste of money, it does HAVE the SG scale, but a calculator will tell you the ABV better, and BRIX is some weird archaic scale nobody uses really?

i mean remember you have to remember the ABV when you pitch the yeast into your beer along with the OG, then subtract the ABV when it's done fermenting from the Original ABV reading anyway....i use software that does all that for me....
 
bracconiere said:
sovreign citizens that don't like bootlegers! :mug:



well, here it's hard to find a plain one...not a waste of money, it does HAVE the SG scale, but a calculator will tell you the ABV better, and BRIX is some weird archaic scale nobody uses really?

i mean remember you have to remember the ABV when you pitch the yeast into your beer along with the OG, then subtract the ABV when it's done fermenting from the Original ABV reading anyway....i use software that does all that for me....
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That's no brainer. I will just take the OG , after fermentation the FG.Subtract OG from FG *131.25 and here is your ABV.
 
BrewingWisdom said:
Just curious why they are hard to find in US?
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not sure but i have to spend about 3 times as much on a plain form one here....i'd imagine because the only reason anyone want a hydro here is to make ABV's so they want that ABV scale.....

where as where you're at they'd have a scale for years in prison or lashes from a cat of nine tails or something? i don't even want to know what the proof one would read!
 
bracconiere said:
not sure but i have to spend about 3 times as much on a plain form one here....i'd imagine because the only reason anyone want a hydro here is to make ABV's so they want that ABV scale.....

where as where you're at they'd have a scale for years in prison or lashes from a cat of nine tails or something? i don't even want to know what the proof one would read!
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No lashes here . We are not Saudi Arabia or Iran. It's just a little bit of bribe to police men or at worst spend few hours in jail.
We don't follow the strict implementation of Islam here. Majority of people here are moderate religious.
 

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