Tilt - Does it replace hydrometer?

[MrBJones]

So, for those of you have been using a Tilt for a period of time, is it an effective, accurate, and reliable replacement for taking samples?

 

[Sbe2]

Interested in the responses

 

[casualbrewer]

I just got one and haven't had a chance to use it but my first order of business will be to see how it compares to actual hydrometer

 

[Easycreeper]

I've been using one to monitor three batches now. Had to replace the first one because of a calibration issue, but the second has been pretty close so far. Customer service is excellent, btw.

The second one is usually only a few points off max and most times closer than that. You can adjust the OG reading within the app which should help with reading discrepancies.

I still double check with a hydrometer when gravity becomes stable according to the Tilt. It's really useful to monitor trends as you can use the app to update a Google spreadsheet which keeps track of gravity and temp, logging and graphing over the course of fermentation. It updates the sheet every 15 minutes.

I really like mine and am considering getting a second one.

 

[SlanginDueces]

I have had mine for a few years now and have found it very useful in satisfying my curiosity and keeping me from taking too many samples but it does not replace a hydrometer. It seems to be accurate until close to final gravity but then it is hit or miss. I always use a hydrometer to ensure I get the right final gravity reading.

 

[mabrungard]

I'm impressed with the range of the newest Tilt model. With the unit in my Blichmann SST conical, I can recieve the signal on my phone's bluetooth at about 30 ft. I do have to be within about 10 ft to establish the initial pairing. I was concerned that the stainless steel would significantly impair readings, but it seems to not be the case.

I'm only in the early stage of its first use, but I appreciate the ability to NOT take hydrometer samples.

 

[mongoose33]

I have had mine for a few years now and have found it very useful in satisfying my curiosity and keeping me from taking too many samples but it does not replace a hydrometer. It seems to be accurate until close to final gravity but then it is hit or miss. I always use a hydrometer to ensure I get the right final gravity reading.

I'm going to use a spunding valve to self-carbonate the beer; is this accurate such that a reading of, say, 1.020 will be within a point or so of the true gravity?

I hate the idea of having to take several samples just to get close.

 

[SlanginDueces]

I’m no rocket scientist so I’m not sure how/if the pressure will effect the readings but I find it common under normal conditions for the Tilt to be anywhere from right on to about 1.5 gravity points higher than my hydrometer (which I know to be accurate). All things considered I think it is very useful, I would just recommend taking a hydrometer sample for FG to be sure.

 

[SlanginDueces]

Anyone happen to know if there is a better way to view the current gravity and temp when away from home other than the complicated process of using a spreadsheet on a cloud?

 

[raysmithtx]

I'm going to use a spunding valve to self-carbonate the beer; is this accurate such that a reading of, say, 1.020 will be within a point or so of the true gravity?

I have this exact same question.

I use a spunding valve and ferment under pressure and have wondered if the carbonation affects the Tilt reading. Been too lazy to actually check it though. I may do some comparisons with my next brew. That said, it still works great to let me know when my fermentation is complete.

 

[Bilsch]

I wished it was so but just wasn't accurate especially for trying to time the spund. IMO simply an amusing toy with little utility.

 

[raysmithtx]

I wished it was so but just wasn't accurate especially for trying to time the spund. IMO simply an amusing toy with little utility.

I disagree about it having little utility. I think the Tilt is great for closed loop pressure fermenting with a spunding valve. It shows me exactly when the fermentation has started by showing the gravity beginning to drop (this is before the pressure begins to increase). It also shows me when the fermentation is done without me having to open the fermentor to take samples to check the gravity.

I bought two of the Tilts even before they were called Tilt. They do exactly what I want them to do but the battery life on the old ones isn't so great.

 

[mabrungard]

I bought two of the Tilts even before they were called Tilt. They do exactly what I want them to do but the battery life on the old ones isn't so great.

Regarding battery life, I heard one user mention a life of about 50 to 60 hours of actual use. Does that agree with your experience? I'm just trying to anticipate how frequently I'll need to replace the battery.

 

[Derp]

Anyone happen to know if there is a better way to view the current gravity and temp when away from home other than the complicated process of using a spreadsheet on a cloud?

I use https://www.brewstat.us/

 

[triethylborane]

+/- 0.002 accuracy? Get that thing calibrated and sounds sweet. Hell yeah Id be using the tilt 99% of the readings I took. Have to get one of these, hydrometer readings are tired af.

 

[raysmithtx]

Regarding battery life, I heard one user mention a life of about 50 to 60 hours of actual use. Does that agree with your experience? I'm just trying to anticipate how frequently I'll need to replace the battery.

I have two of the very first generation devices. In the beginning it was called Brewometer. As I understand it, the newer versions have a MUCH longer battery life. With the first generation devices I can get a lot more than 50-60 hours of use. 50 hours isn't enough for a single brew so I know that cannot be accurate. I can get multiple brews from a single battery. I'm guessing I get 3-4 brews, and that's with the older devices. Since the fist ones do not have a battery status indicator (I understand that the new version does have a battery status indicator) I just change out the battery every three brews. I do make sure to place them in a vertical position when not in use to turn off the power.

 

[Radboud]

Got one when I was over in the US this fall, I guess it's not the new model. Used it once, not having to open the fermenter for a reading is super cool. I used the iOS app which sucks, kept loosing my settings, including brewstat.us url so logging was a mess. Going to try to hook it up to a RPi next time, they offer a free disk image of Raspbian with the software to read the Tilt included. I also looked into feeding it into Brewpi but I use the legacy Arduino version which broke when I tried to install the 'brewpi-brewometer' patch.

 

[mabrungard]

Come to think of it, 50 to 60 hours is silly. That wouldn't last a single ferment. I should have recognized that earlier.

I've got a Raspberry Pi Zero and intend to get that set up. Has anyone worked through the process? I've downloaded the Tilt Pi software, but my SD card has been flashed with the NooBs software and its taking up all the space. Is the NooBs software needed? Should I reformat the card and burn the Tilt Pi onto that card?

 

[Radboud]

Yep, afaics it’s a Raspbian image with scripts that autoconfigure a webserver to display the readings:

https://tilthydrometer.com/blogs/ne...ge-download-for-your-raspberry-pi-3-or-zero-w

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

How strong is the signal? I ferment in a 15.5 gal Sanke fermenter, so thicker walls than a typical stainless conical as it's designed for pressure. And that goes into a fridge. Is there much likelihood this will still connect?

 

[Radboud]

I used a corny to ferment and had to place my phone right next to the keezer to get a reading. Mind that the range should be a lot better for the new version.

 

[pantherburn]

Man I really want one of these! How accurate is the thermometer in everyone’s experience?

 

[Derp]

Man I really want one of these! How accurate is the thermometer in everyone’s experience?

Mine seems to read 1 or 2 degrees above my thermowell sensor, but I don't know if it's because of temperature stratification. I trust the thermowell sensor and don't pay much attention to the Tilt temp.

 

[fusa]

Man I really want one of these! How accurate is the thermometer in everyone’s experience?

My BrewPi is reporting 66F and the Tilt says 65.86F.

Not sure how long the battery lasts. I have one in my RIS since January 11, 2018 and it is still reporting a slow decrease in gravity.

 

[pantherburn]

Thanks, that’s even more encouraging.

 

[WaltG]

Now this may or may not be interesting. I just got one. Literally pitched 2 hours ago. I noticed my thermowell and tilt were about 6 degrees diff. Now my setup is a thermowell in a bucket. If i measure the lead so it's about 6 inches into the wort it's really close. Otherwise it's close to the bottom. Is that mean fermentation is starting?

https://docs.google.com/a/baronbrew...b9-AdEIKy14KTBdI3p0s41vBpbw7hxPUPNJ7TfmE/edit

 

[pantherburn]

That’s interesting, so, do you think that’s truly reflecting a 6 degree difference in the wort temp from top to bottom? Did you happen to compare your temp probe and tilt in a say a glass of room temp water?

 

[WaltG]

That’s interesting, so, do you think that’s truly reflecting a 6 degree difference in the wort temp from top to bottom? Did you happen to compare your temp probe and tilt in a say a glass of room temp water?

Yes if i measure off the probe wire so it's 6 inches into wort it's much closer but if i push it to bottow of thermowell it's cooler.

 

[allanmorgan]

Regarding battery life, I heard one user mention a life of about 50 to 60 hours of actual use.

I've been using the Tilt for a little over a year now. I typically get 3 to 4 fermentation cycles out of 1 battery. However, this significantly decreases when the Tilt is not stored properly. Horizontally stored = on = low battery life. Vertically stored = off = excellent-ish battery life. Sometimes I forget to store it properly and the end result is low battery life. My bad.

 

[applescrap]

Quick questions

Could I buy a tilt, throw it in and just flat trust it? Or is there some bs to figure out? Or is it not accurate enough?