Hydrometer

[sanfriz]

Do you have to use the test cylinder that they come with? I just finished a strong ale with 20.25lb of grain and my OG is showing as 1.064, should be closer to 1.092 with 70% efficiency. I broke my test cylinder that I always use with my hydrometer so I found a glass that was similar in height and used that instead, was much wider and used a lot more volume. Is that the issue or did I really only get a 49% efficiency? Just incase you ask 10lb of 2row, 5lb or munich 2, 4lb of Wheat, 1lb or flaked oats, .25lb of wheat chocolate. I use a 10gal rubbermaid cooler and I boiled it down to about 4.5 gal. It mashed for 90 min, start 153.4 end at 152.6

 

[Yooper]

Do you have to use the test cylinder that they come with? I just finished a strong ale with 20.25lb of grain and my OG is showing as 1.064, should be closer to 1.092 with 70% efficiency. I broke my test cylinder that I always use with my hydrometer so I found a glass that was similar in height and used that instead, was much wider and used a lot more volume. Is that the issue or did I really only get a 49% efficiency? Just incase you ask 10lb of 2row, 5lb or munich 2, 4lb of Wheat, 1lb or flaked oats, .25lb of wheat chocolate. I use a 10gal rubbermaid cooler and I boiled it down to about 4.5 gal. It mashed for 90 min, start 153.4 end at 152.6

The volume doesn't matter- as long as the hydrometer is floating, it's accurate. Well, it's only accurate if checked in water, too, by the way! So check it in plain water also. Sometimes that slip of paper inside slips down and gives inaccurate readings. So check it in the same container with plain water also. But if it's 1.ooo with water, it's accurate.

 

[Lost Pirate]

What was the temp. of your wort when you took your hydrometer reading?

 

[sanfriz]

70, I used a converter

 

[AKnewbrews]

I have used the protective plastic tube that the hydrometer comes in to test. It is just a little bigger in diameter than the bulb of the hydrometer and long enough to allow the hydrometer to float. I would actually prefer something like that so that you don't have to pull larger samples just to test and taste. Sometimes the removable caps on the ends will leak a little, so you have to be quick about it if it is leaking.

 

[ChshreCat]

I've never had a hydrometer that came with a sample container, just a plastic tube that it comes in. Pretty much every LHBS sells sample containers that work great.

 

[ayoungrad]

I use a wine thief but it shouldn't matter what you use.

A 0.028 difference is unlikely to be caused by anything to do with an uncalibrated hydrometer or the container in which it is read.