Hydrometer test jar hack?

[nuggets]

Does anyone know a good hack for a hydrometer test jar? Without having to blow a cylinder of glass ?

I imagine a PVC pipe that you then melt one end of to a flat surface could work, but not sure if anyone has tried. Melting PVC probably creates a whole bunch of derivative of petroleum so are likely to be long carbon chain organic compounds that could throw the reading offI think once the plastic cools it shouldn't get into the wort and affect the SG.

Just trying to see if there's anything I could hack together instead of ordering some stuff on Amazon. Probably not worth the trouble though.

 

[Daddyboul]

Does anyone know a good hack for a hydrometer test jar? Without having to blow a cylinder of glass ?

I imagine a PVC pipe that you then melt one end of to a flat surface could work, but not sure if anyone has tried. Melting PVC probably creates a whole bunch of derivative of petroleum so are likely to be long carbon chain organic compounds that could throw the reading offI think once the plastic cools it shouldn't get into the wort and affect the SG.

Just trying to see if there's anything I could hack together instead of ordering some stuff on Amazon. Probably not worth the trouble though.

PVC idea is really smart, some 1” piping will do the job. You could get a 1inch table flange for 3$ if you are worried about melting the pvc, but once the pvc cools I can’t possibly see it affecting readings

Keep in mind you won’t be able to see through the pvc though so every-time you take a reading you’ll have to add the enough wort or beer so that the level raises to the top of the pvc

 

[tracer bullet]

Any clear tubing that's not too big of a diameter (so as not to waste beer) can work. Plus a cap on the bottom so it doesn't leak out. Bonus to have a bottom that's more of a "stand" so you can let it sit, but it'd be OK to just hold it of course.

 

[Jag75]

Order two of the test tubes . 2 is 1 , 1 is none.

But yeah , pvc tubing would work.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

I say BAH to hydrometers, they roll around, they break, they require a cooled sample, and they make you waste beer!
Get yourself one of these: Amazon.com: 1.000-1.120 Brix Tester Gravity Sugar Juice Wine Beer, Brix Refractometer, for testing the sugar content to measure the Brix and the specific gravity : Industrial & Scientific

Write down all your brix readings, and make sure you use Refractometer Calculator - Brewer's Friend to get your gravity readings (and write those down next to your brix readings).

update: Oh, and they usually cost a bit MORE than that cheap little refractometer!

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Altho, if one already HAS a hydrometer, but not a test jar, some PVC pipe would be just fine -- doesn't need to be clear if you fill the tube to the top.

 

[RM-MN]

I just use the tub my hydrometer came in for a sample tube. I'll set it into a tumbler to keep it from tipping over while I wait for the bubbles to settle.

 

[mac_1103]

Just trying to see if there's anything I could hack together instead of ordering some stuff on Amazon. Probably not worth the trouble though.

Yes, not worth the trouble. You can get a plastic 100 mL graduated cylinder for $8 on Amazon, so why would you want to DIY something that will cost almost as much and won't work as well?

 

[hotbeer]

I just use the tub my hydrometer came in for a sample tube. I'll set it into a tumbler to keep it from tipping over while I wait for the bubbles to settle.

I do this too. Although my second hydrometer came in a tube that is too tight and I have to use the tube for my other hydrometer. And for very low SG's that tube isn't long enough.

So I probably should spend the financial threatening 11 bucks it'd cost me to get the hydrometer flask made by the company that made that particular hydrometer. (that's sarcasm if y'all aren't sure)

Also I feel that having a inexpensive hydrometer is a good check to help verify at times a refractometer might be giving the wrong reading. Which I think usually turns out to be that the wrong corrections are used.

The hydrometer measures actual specific gravity. And though there are corrections for temperature. It takes a wide range of temperature for it to even be a point off. And most of us probably a using hydrometer's that the scale is so wide ranging in SG that we can't reliably read them within even 2 points or more.

 

[Saunassa]

I just have a cheap plastic graduated cylinder, if it falls over no big deal, I also bought one of those shatterproof hydrometers so it no long breaks if I tap it. Glass is nice but like glass carboys it can be broken at the most inopportune time.

 

[camonick]

Less than $8 on Amazon with free shipping. Made specifically for the task at hand with no work.
Most take 4oz or less of liquid to float a hydrometer… I don’t understand the panic about losses.(calculate that into recipe formulation if it’s important)
https://www.amazon.com/Hydrometer-Test-jar-10-Plastic/dp/B08PD9F52X

 

[user 338926]

Get on ebay and buy glass one for $10/FS...

 

[Wolfbayte]

Less than $8 on Amazon with free shipping. Made specifically for the task at hand with no work.
Most take 4oz or less of liquid to float a hydrometer… I don’t understand the panic about losses.(calculate that into recipe formulation if it’s important)
https://www.amazon.com/Hydrometer-Test-jar-10-Plastic/dp/B08PD9F52X

Thanks for posting the link. I can spare $8 once, and 8-12 oz per batch (4oz on brew day, 4 oz on testing, and 4 oz on bottling day).

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

While it's understandable to want to find a DIY solution, it's important to note that a hydrometer test jar needs to be made of a material that is chemically inert and won't affect the accuracy of the reading. PVC is not a suitable material for this purpose as it can react with the wort and potentially affect the SG reading. It's recommended to use a glass hydrometer test jar as it's the most accurate and reliable option. You can find affordable options on online marketplaces like Amazon or at your local brewing supply store. It's not worth the risk of compromising the accuracy of your readings by trying to create a DIY solution with materials that may affect the wort or the hydrometer.

If you've made a wort that can eat it's way thru PVC, I would imagine that leached chemicals FROM that PVC would be the least of your worries...

 

[tracer bullet]

PVC is not a suitable material for this purpose as it can react with the wort and potentially affect the SG reading.

You may well be right. But what's happening between PVC and wort, and how long does it take?

There are "test jars" at Northern and other shops for like $6. Not sure what anyone could get at Home Depot anyhow to make it worth considering.

 

[user 338926]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Glass-Hydrometer-Test-Jar-10-With-Plastic-Base/153156570789
They have them in different heights from the same seller. I don't think you can buy PVC and some glue for this much. Not to mention, you can't see through PVC so I'm not sure how you would read the thing.. The acrylic ones simply shatter on their own. And I don't like any of the plastic ones with all the information printed all over the outside . I don't know what that's supposed to represent. I can draw one line with a Sharpie marker to tell me how full to make it . The rest of it should be clear.

 

[Daddyboul]

If you have 1-inch pvc lying around I would send it and report back. But if money is a concern, the shop I work for sells a 12-inch test tube for 6.99, and it has a screw on-base and is made of food-safe plastic so it's easier to store and clean and you can't break the jimmy jawn. I'm not going to plug it because idk if that is even allowed but regardless, if we sell it for 6.99 we surely aren't the only people selling it at that price

 

[beren]

I say BAH to hydrometers, they roll around, they break, they require a cooled sample, and they make you waste beer!
Get yourself one of these: Amazon.com: 1.000-1.120 Brix Tester Gravity Sugar Juice Wine Beer, Brix Refractometer, for testing the sugar content to measure the Brix and the specific gravity : Industrial & Scientific

Write down all your brix readings, and make sure you use Refractometer Calculator - Brewer's Friend to get your gravity readings (and write those down next to your brix readings).

update: Oh, and they usually cost a bit MORE than that cheap little refractometer!

Hate my Amazon refractometer, never gives a consistent reading and once the yeast start making ethanol you need a hydrometer to check the true gravity anyway. Sure you can correlate it with hydrometer readings and math but you still need a hydrometer…

 

[Sumisu3]

Check out AliExpress for usually cheaper versions of the exact same stuff you find on Amazon. This is where I’ve been buying a lot of my misc stuff including four hydrometers for a few bucks and some plastic test jars. Hydrometers all measured exactly the same in my SG test solutions, against my other hydrometer and my refractometer.

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

Hate my Amazon refractometer, never gives a consistent reading and once the yeast start making ethanol you need a hydrometer to check the true gravity anyway. Sure you can correlate it with hydrometer readings and math but you still need a hydrometer…

If you've recorded your starting brix, that Refractometer Calculator can be used to get gravity after the ferment is underway (or finished). I've tested it, and it comes out very close to what the hydrometer reads, like within .003 (+/-). Close enough for my needs, anyways.

 

[tracer bullet]

once the yeast start making ethanol

I use my refractometer to check wort concentration before and after boiling, which is to say pre-boil gravity and "OG". I find it to be a wonderful tool. I use it far more often than the hydrometer, that's only for post fermentation and is more just an interesting data point but one I can't do much about.

 

[InspectorJon]

Check out AliExpress for usually cheaper versions of the exact same stuff you find on Amazon.

Like this?
https://m.aliexpress.us/item/325680...id=rzghptcgsgcaukpl187fc6d2ac1125ec818817eaa5

 

[Sumisu3]

Like this?
https://m.aliexpress.us/item/325680...id=rzghptcgsgcaukpl187fc6d2ac1125ec818817eaa5

Yep.

I’m still always careful with glass of course but breaking one won’t ruin the brew day when you have a drawer full as backup.

 

[IslandLizard]

Any clear tubing that's not too big of a diameter (so as not to waste beer) can work. Plus a cap on the bottom so it doesn't leak out. Bonus to have a bottom that's more of a "stand" so you can let it sit, but it'd be OK to just hold it of course.

On a similar note, not sure this was mentioned already, the tube the hydrometer itself comes in, can be used as the jar.

Just make 100% sure the stopper on the bottom is taped down (blue tape or other good sticking tape) and won't drop out.

Also, don't let the tube stand up by itself. Without a wide and/or heavy footing it will tip over. So place it into a mason jar or some other heavy jar/jug/holder that won't tip over.

 

[hottpeper13]

I just slip the hydrometer into the clear wine thief ,read it and then drain into a glass for tasting. Why would anyone need a separate cylinder?

 

[IslandLizard]

I just slip the hydrometer into the clear wine thief ,read it and then drain into a glass for tasting. Why would anyone need a separate cylinder?

Beware! In my early brewing days I used a wine thief, just like that. Until one day, due to the low gravity (fermentation tends to do that), the hydrometer torpedoed to the bottom, crashing hard, leaving behind a bunch of glass shards and dozens of tiny steel pellets. Luckily they all remained inside the thief, for easy disposal. When using a wine thief, make sure it's filled adequately before lowering the hydrometer into it.

After exploring a few other sampling methods, I finally settled on doing "suck siphons" through the airlock grommet, using a skinny hose. It's far less intrusive to the fermentation system too. And yeah, using a hydrometer jar with a very wide footing.

 

[StayThirsty]

This picture is my test jar. It is a .75" ID plastic tube I glued to a plastic base. The tube is polycarbonate or acrylic purchased from TAP plastics. I don't remember how I glued it to the base but the internet says superglue and epoxy work well on those plastics.

It only takes 1oz of wort or beer to float the hydrometer in this tube. Obviously this wastes less beer than typical jars but I think a more important factor is that it is easier/faster to chill a 1oz sample of boiling wort than the 4 ounces typical sample jars will require.

If I had to do it over again (and I may!) I would probably choose a .875" ID tube because many hydrometers don't fit in a .75" ID tube. A larger .875" ID tube will only require an additional half ounce of beer (i.e. 1.5oz total) to float the hydrometer.

I disagree about the concern expressed above about PVC/plastics. PVC is food-grade, even for household hot-water pipes, so that tells me it is very non-reactive, even at high temperatures and long contact time. Polycarbonate and acrylic are also rated food-grade. Non-reactive means the plastic doesn't pollute the liquid inside them. If these plastics are so non-reactive that the liquid remains safe to drink, I don't see any way the specific gravity of the liquid could be affected in any measurable way by the plastic.

 

[mac_1103]

PVC is food-grade, even for household hot-water pipes, so that tells me it is very non-reactive, even at high temperatures and long contact time.

PVC is not all the same. If it says NSF-PW then it's "food grade" but you still might need to be careful about use at temperatures above about 130F.

 

[InspectorJon]

PVC is food-grade, even for household hot-water pipes

Standard PVC pipe sold in all the plumbing stores is rated for domestic water supply, but for cold water only. It is not rated or approved for hot water. CPVC is approved for hot water. Read the label on the pipe. So many psi at such and such a temperature. The temperature on the label is the pipe’s rating. Running hot water through standard PVC pipe will soften it. I don’t know what it does chemically.