Tilt in ciders?
- Thread starter bmd2k1
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I just got one. Wonder if I should throw it in one of my batches that's almost done. Right now I have cider and mead.
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bmd2k1
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Post some feedback on it once you've had a chance to use it. Sure sounds like a great way to manage your fermentation w/o having to draw samples etc.
mirthfuldragon
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I have one. It's a fun toy. It is not completely accurate, but it is precise and will provide a solid indicator for when fermentation is complete. In my limited cider experience, it may be less useful than in beer, since the three or four ciders I have made always take a while to clear. With beer, especially beers that benefit from fresh transfer (hefeweizen, NEIPAs), knowing fermentation is finished on day 3 or 4 is useful. Also, generally, most fermentations are finished by day 4 or 7 in terms of SG changes.
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bmd2k1
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I spoke with Tilt support and this can be adjusted.....the 1.12 is just the default top end.
My first experience was not good. Fermentation chugging along over a few days everything seemed good, hit 1.010 and then the tilt died and stopped reporting any data. That was about where I wanted it so I crashed , racked to 2ndary and pasteurized @ 140f. Tasted too sweet so I took a hydro reading and it was actually 1.020.
Turns out it had gotten a good bit of cider inside the unit which killed it and threw off the readings.
Trying to get a warranty replacement now, the vendor is not very responsive so far so will see how that goes.
Mine was the 2 cap version, now they use 1 cap, so hopefully this issue has been fixed in the new ones.
Until it died it was working well. I had it paired with a raspberry pi zero w and publishing the readings to a google spreadsheet (both easy to set up) so it was fully automated.
Turns out it had gotten a good bit of cider inside the unit which killed it and threw off the readings.
Trying to get a warranty replacement now, the vendor is not very responsive so far so will see how that goes.
Mine was the 2 cap version, now they use 1 cap, so hopefully this issue has been fixed in the new ones.
Until it died it was working well. I had it paired with a raspberry pi zero w and publishing the readings to a google spreadsheet (both easy to set up) so it was fully automated.
mirthfuldragon
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I trust the precision on my to tell me when fermentation stops, but I verify the FG with a known-good hydrometer.
As for customer service, in my experience they have been great. I had some issues with my staying in tare mode after a battery change, and they replaced it without issue.
Did you go straight to the company? The warranty page says to go through the vendor so that was my first try.
mirthfuldragon
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It was a gift from my in-laws last year, so I went directly to Tilt.
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bmd2k1
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Gotta few pre-buy questions hoping you can answer:
1) how long after ya toss it in your fermentor does it take to start churning out #'s?
2) if you aren't collecting data real-time all the time - whenever you connect via the app does it then upload the latest and greatest?
3) can ya set any alerts for SG & temp?
thanks!
mirthfuldragon
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It will display real-time data on your phone or device.
It logs to the google sheet every 10 or 15 minutes.
Not directly, to my knowledge. I use a crappy old cell phone on a charger to log information to google sheets, so my setup is not the most advanced by a long shot. TiltPi or some of the other logging options can probably do a lot more, but I have no direct knowledge on that topic.
