Spike etching is off

[h22lude]

Anyone with a Spike kettle, have you tested your volume etchings and were they correct? Without any element or false bottom in the kettle, my etchings were about 1/3 gallon off. Not a huge deal, just kind of annoying. I assume the markings are equidistant so each gallon will be off by the same amount but I'm going to test that just to make sure.

 

[quijiba]

I think mine were slightly off when I tested it by pouring in a bunch of 18.9L things of water, but to be honest it's not a super accurate test and wasn't very far off so I dunno

Anyone with a Spike kettle, have you tested your volume etchings and were they correct? Without any element or false bottom in the kettle, my etchings were about 1/3 gallon off. Not a huge deal, just kind of annoying. I assume the markings are equidistant so each gallon will be off by the same amount but I'm going to test that just to make sure.

 

[h22lude]

I think mine were slightly off when I tested it by pouring in a bunch of 18.9L things of water, but to be honest it's not a super accurate test and wasn't very far off so I dunno

I'm super OCD about taking really good readings so I measured my gallons by weight in grams. It isn't a huge deal, I can probably take how much it is off by and use that to figure volume out. I just didn't get a sight gauge figuring the etching would be good.

 

[Konadog]

What temp water are you measuring with? Remember that cold water will take up less space than hot water.

I would think that they (originally) calibrated the marking with 72/74 deg water.

 

[h22lude]

What temp water are you measuring with? Remember that cold water will take up less space than hot water.

I would think that they (originally) calibrated the marking with 72/74 deg water.

I took that into account too. I have equipment profiles on BS for room temp, mash temp and boil temp so I know how off I am at any given process.

For measuring I used room temp water. It was off a boiling temp too.

 

[Konadog]

Good deal, a lot of people forget that water expands and contracts too!

 

[user 246304]

Have you contacted them, h22? My vessels all have sight gauges, for a variety of reasons. I've always found the people at Spike to be really responsive.

 

[h22lude]

When I started taking good volume readings during the day I became to obsessed with getting the right reading. That's why I created the different BS profiles so I can easily see what the reading should be pre-boil at mash temp and then post-boil at boiling temp.

 

[h22lude]

Have you contacted them, h22? My vessels all have sight gauges, for a variety of reasons. I've always found the people at Spike to be really responsive.

I have emailed them a bunch lol not about this though. I wanted to see if anyone else had this issue. I may email them to let them know but I'm not sure there is much they can do to fix it. I'm not going to ship it back so they can fix it. It is annoying not having the right markers but I can figure something else out.

 

[user 246304]

OK. It would drive me nuts, but I hear you on the PITA. Like these guys alot.

 

[flars]

Would the volume the etchings are off be equal to the dead space when using the 2 Stage False Bottom? Spike says less than .3 gallons in the dead space.

 

[stella_tigre]

Our spike kettle appears to be off also, I wondered if it was the amount in the false bottom dead space. Which since we BIAB this is irritating, as we don't use a false bottom. We mainly use the markings once the calculated amount of water is in there to monitor boil off, and after adjusting the brewing calculator we find that we hit our expected numbers just fine. (Tell the calculator to expect to leave a half gallon in the kettle. Usually it's probably a bit less than that, and we have a bit more than 5.5 gal in the fermentor.)

 

[Murphys_Law]

My 10G Spike is pretty much dead-on.

 

[h22lude]

Would the volume the etchings are off be equal to the dead space when using the 2 Stage False Bottom? Spike says less than .3 gallons in the dead space.

It could be but I'd think they would etch the volumes based on what you order. I ordered just a kettle with 4 TC fittings. I would have assumed they would mark the volumes based on that.

Our spike kettle appears to be off also, I wondered if it was the amount in the false bottom dead space. Which since we BIAB this is irritating, as we don't use a false bottom. We mainly use the markings once the calculated amount of water is in there to monitor boil off, and after adjusting the brewing calculator we find that we hit our expected numbers just fine. (Tell the calculator to expect to leave a half gallon in the kettle. Usually it's probably a bit less than that, and we have a bit more than 5.5 gal in the fermentor.)

I biab too. I have a different false bottom I bought from Bobby. I'll have to check it again to see what it is off by.

My 10G Spike is pretty much dead-on.

Did you buy their false bottom or anything else? Or did you just buy the kettle?

 

[Sconnie12]

You weigh your water by gram before filling your tanks!? And you're complaining about a couple percent difference given the fact water expands/contracts based on temp!? haha I don't think the saying 'relax, have a homebrew' has ever been more relevant.

 

[Murphys_Law]

It could be but I'd think they would etch the volumes based on what you order. I ordered just a kettle with 4 TC fittings. I would have assumed they would mark the volumes based on that.



I biab too. I have a different false bottom I bought from Bobby. I'll have to check it again to see what it is off by.



Did you buy their false bottom or anything else? Or did you just buy the kettle?

Kettle only.

 

[h22lude]

You weigh your water by gram before filling your tanks!? And you're complaining about a couple percent difference given the fact water expands/contracts based on temp!? haha I don't think the saying 'relax, have a homebrew' has ever been more relevant.

I'm not sure what you are talking about at all. To check a sight gauge or etching, the best way to do it is measuring a gallon of water by weight (3785 grams). I checked it at room temp and boiling and both were off. Close to a half gallon off is not a small percentage.

I only weigh water when checking the etching or sight gauge when I first installed it in my last kettle. After that I used the sight gauge to get the volume I need. Since the etching is off, I know I can't use it to measure volume.

 

[h22lude]

I just double checked. At room temp using weight (3785 grams), I poured in 3 gallons. With nothing in the pot it measures a little over 3.25 gallons. So at room temp the etching is 1/4 gallon off and probably about 1/2 gallon off at boiling temp.

 

[triethylborane]

I'm not sure what you are talking about at all. To check a sight gauge or etching, the best way to do it is measuring a gallon of water by weight (3785 grams). I checked it at room temp and boiling and both were off. Close to a half gallon off is not a small percentage.

I only weigh water when checking the etching or sight gauge when I first installed it in my last kettle. After that I used the sight gauge to get the volume I need. Since the etching is off, I know I can't use it to measure volume.

Doubtful they know either. Relax and enjoy error.

+/- 25% is high. Most "non-precision" lab glassware is -/+5%.

 

[mashinary]

I have a 15 gallon MegaPot that is off by .25 of a gallon. It bugged me at first, but now it's just part of my system.

 

[h22lude]

Doubtful they know either. Relax and enjoy error.

+/- 25% is high. Most "non-precision" lab glassware is -/+5%.

Not a big fan of error, especially when I paid almost $400 for it. Granted, this is a small error in terms of a custom kettle but still an error. The kettle itself is awesome quality. Just a little annoyed about the etching. I like being able to see exactly where my volume is at different times during brewing so I know I'm on target. Just like measuring gravity.

I'd assume Spike would etch the volume measurement based on nothing in the kettle unless told otherwise by the customer. If I knew it would be off, I wouldn't have done it. I either would have gotten a sight gauge and marked that myself or etched it myself.

I have a 15 gallon MegaPot that is off by .25 of a gallon. It bugged me at first, but now it's just part of my system.

Yeah I'll figure out a way for it to work. Just wish I didn't have to do it that way. Not the end of the world.

 

[pumpkin02]

I just double checked. At room temp using weight (3785 grams), I poured in 3 gallons. With nothing in the pot it measures a little over 3.25 gallons. So at room temp the etching is 1/4 gallon off and probably about 1/2 gallon off at boiling temp.

Curious if you measured with more than 1 volume to see if the error was linear?

You already know it measures 3.25 with 3 gallons added. If you put 6 gallons in, is the water at 6.25 or 6.5 gallons?

I would imagine that's all you need to know to calibrate your system going forward.

 

[h22lude]

Curious if you measured with more than 1 volume to see if the error was linear?

You already know it measures 3.25 with 3 gallons added. If you put 6 gallons in, is the water at 6.25 or 6.5 gallons?

I would imagine that's all you need to know to calibrate your system going forward.

Yeah I was telling myself that is what I was going to do but after checking 3 gallons, I dumped the water. Completely forgot I wanted to check each mark. I would think it is linear and would be .25 gallons off all the way up.

 

[Konadog]

When you drain the kettle, is there any water left in the pot? Maybe your 1/2 gallon is in that.

 

[schematix]

If i just bought a $400 kettle and it was that far off i'd be sending it back. What's the point in paying extra to have a measurement system that can't do it's one simple purpose in life correctly?

 

[h22lude]

When you drain the kettle, is there any water left in the pot? Maybe your 1/2 gallon is in that.

There is a little but not much. I'd think the measurements would be how much water is in the pot, not how much you take out.

If i just bought a $400 kettle and it was that far off i'd be sending it back. What's the point in paying extra to have a measurement system that can't do it's one simple purpose in life correctly?

Well to be fair, I think the etching is free but I do think it is very odd they would have some of the best quality kettles but not correctly add the markings.

I did email them to see what they say.

 

[h22lude]

I received an email back. They said they shoot for +/- 2.5% error at full volume. I wish I knew this when I ordered it. I wouldn't have had them etch it and done it myself. I know a lot of people wouldn't care about .25 gallons but when I take measurements I like having it as close to the actual volume as possible. I guess that is the accountant in me coming out. This is something they should say on their website.

 

[FunkedOut]

I received an email back. They said they shoot for +/- 2.5% error at full volume. I wish I knew this when I ordered it. I wouldn't have had them etch it and done it myself. I know a lot of people wouldn't care about .25 gallons but when I take measurements I like having it as close to the actual volume as possible. I guess that is the accountant in me coming out. This is something they should say on their website.

They shoot for 2.5%? Or 25%?

 

[triethylborane]

They shoot for 2.5%? Or 25%?

At full volume it would be 2.5%. 10 gallon pot probably.

 

[FunkedOut]

makes sense. not that far off when you measure it that way.
still annoying none the less.
probably why so few pots have half gallon marks.