Hydrometer is off by 2 points

[Moltenink]

So I'm sure it's not news to anyone else but i just realized my hydrometer is a tiny bit off for calibration... I tested it in tapwater and it gave me -0002

So 5 days into my first brew and my readings are

OG 1045 (including the extra 2 points)
SG 1011 (also adjusted)

The top 2" of the brew in the pail is starting to clear. (hooray for the clear FV in the coopers DIY kit). No hints of off flavors despite the very slight yeast taste. Looking forward to hopefully bottling it in a week.

 

[bink00]

arent you supposed to test it in distilled water?

 

[mike20793]

Tap water doesn't just consist of water. It has other minerals and such added into it. If you really want to calibrate your hydrometer, you should do it in distilled water. I wouldn't worry too much about calibration. A few points here and there won't make a big difference (unless its 5 or more). I also wouldn't bottle until it has sat in the primary for three weeks minimum, but that is just my preference. Then condition for 3-4 weeks and you are good to go. The tough thing about the first brew is being patient. Let the yeasties do work and clean up after themselves. You will be much happier in the long run. Cheers and good luck.

 

[rawlus]

Tap water is not a good testing medium. Use distilled water. It is sort of unusual for a hydrometer to be off calibration. Dont forget temp of the water too.

 

[zeg]

I wouldn't sweat it.

(a) I would personally treat a hydro reading as no better than +/- 0.001 just based on readout errors

(b) if it's wrong, it's almost surely just an offset. There's nothing that requires that kind of absolute accuracy, and relative measurements (like OG-FG for computing ABV, or comparing measurements to determine whether fermentation is complete) won't be affected by any offset.