I transferred my wort to a secondary fermenter couldn't get a good gravity reading

[Squidmanoo7]

I recently put my wort into a secondary ferment bucket and tried to get a gravity reading and it wouldn't even register on the hydrometer.....what am I doing wrong??

 

[flars]

Did you have enough volume in the test jar to float the hydrometer? Was the hydrometer recently dropped and the card inside is way out of position?

 

[Yooper]

I recently put my wort into a secondary ferment bucket and tried to get a gravity reading and it wouldn't even register on the hydrometer.....what am I doing wrong??

I would not recommend using a bucket for a secondary- it's got way too much wide headspace.

I'd either use a carboy, or bottle the beer.

If it's in secondary, it's not "wort"- it's beer. Once the yeast is added to the wort, it becomes beer.

 

[Squidmanoo7]

I just bought the hydrometer so not sure I'll have to check the card and I was gonna let it clear up in the secondary bucket but I'll keep that in mind

 

[theseeker4]

I just bought the hydrometer so not sure I'll have to check the card and I was gonna let it clear up in the secondary bucket but I'll keep that in mind

Put your hydrometer in enough plain water at the calibration temperature for the hydrometer to freely float in the test tube, and it should read 1.000. If it doesn't read that, something is wrong.

 

[Squidmanoo7]

Water registers at 1......beer still didn't register......I bottled anyways.....

 

[flars]

Was the level of the beer above the top most line of the card inside the shaft of the hydrometer indicating a SG of less than 0.980?

 

[Squidmanoo7]

I'd say it's a safe bet am I screwed!?

 

[Squidmanoo7]

It's the fg

 

[Sammy86]

How about posting a picture to show us how it's not registering...this just sounds odd to me

 

[Gavin C]

What does "not register" mean to you?

are you using a hydrometer?

Just it just sink to the bottom of the vessel?

I'm genuinely curious.

 

[Squidmanoo7]

The liquid will not come up to the number portion of the hydrometer.....I don't know if spinning it is key for it to work or not.....just some beginner troubles...

 

[flars]

Are you using a wide scale finishing hydrometer that has a range of .980-1.020. If you are using this type of hydrometer your beers SG is over 1.020. This could be the reason the beer level does not reach the scale.

 

[GHBWNY]

Water registers at 1......beer still didn't register......I bottled anyways.....

If your water is 60-ish and the hydro registers 1.000, then it sounds like the hydro is working. I don't get that the beer won't come up to the numbers portion of the scale. The numbers start just above where the bulb begins to narrow to the neck of the hydro. If your beer isn't even getting that far, it sounds like you've brewed molasses.

 

[Squidmanoo7]

I'll take a picture of the hydrometer when I get home

 

[Squidmanoo7]

I brewed a porter also if that says anything

 

[Yooper]

The liquid will not come up to the number portion of the hydrometer.....I don't know if spinning it is key for it to work or not.....just some beginner troubles...

Did you fill the hydrometer test jar? Sometimes it overflows if it's overfilled when you put the hydrometer in it, but doing it over the sink takes care of that.

 

[ncbrewer]

Are you using a wide scale finishing hydrometer that has a range of .980-1.020. If you are using this type of hydrometer your beers SG is over 1.020. This could be the reason the beer level does not reach the scale.

This might mean there is a bottle bomb concern. If SG is over 1.020 and it hasn't been in the fermenter very long (say less than 2 weeks), the gravity might be high and fermentation not finished. What was the OG, and how long in the fermenter?

 

[EJay]

Is it a triple scale hyrdometer? Or proof/traile?

 

[Squidmanoo7]

Ejay proof traile.....

 

[didinho]

I brewed a porter also if that says anything

so you mean you can't see numbers on hydrometer because beer is black?

 

[Squidmanoo7]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1449786826.106513.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1449786843.715870.jpg
Probably wrong kind huh!?

 

[Squidmanoo7]

No I got one from the first hydrometer think I bought the wrong kind.....

 

[Squidmanoo7]

Broke the first one

 

[Yooper]

No I got one from the first hydrometer think I bought the wrong kind.....

Yes, it does look wrong but are there other numbers on the other side? Not that side, but turn it around and see if there are other scales.

It looks like a proof hydrometer, or a finishing hydrometer, and not a traditional triple scale hydrometer.

 

[Squidmanoo7]

Ok thanks!!!!