# Broken Hydrometer



## manticle (28/9/08)

I apologise if this has been posted. I searched to no avail. 

Quite stupidly I stirred my finings with my hydrometer to avoid going back inside the house to fetch a spoon. Unbeknownst to me the hydrometer cracked the proverbial shits and as I poured the gelatinous mess into the fermenter I noticed some unexpected black stuff which turned out to be little metal balls. 

In other words I broke my hydrometer and threw it into the brew and now I want to know if I have to chuck it away and start again. I don't want to.

The hydrometer was a Brigalow but I can't find information online as to whether it is mercury (although I'm 100% certain it isn't) lead (could be) or steel. I fished out as much as I could find and am happy to strain each matured bottle as I pour/drink it. I just don't want to die of lead poisoning before my time.

Can anyone help.

Much appreciation if you can.

Thanks


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## trevc (28/9/08)

Unfortunately I have no useful advice for you.

However, if it makes you feel any better... I once decided to gently hold a hydrometer in my mouth as I was busy with other brew work. It cracked, and my mouth was instantly filled with plenty of very small shards of glass. There's was heaps of very light cuts, and lots of blood. Scared the shit out of my wife as I was bleeding all over the place. It took a while to wash all that stuff out of my mouth, while trying very hard not to swallow the whole time.


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## Carbonator (28/9/08)

I'm thinking I wouldn't want any possibly made in China, non-food grade metalic objects to contaminate my food or drink. The food stuff (has it got Melamine in it?) they make for babies that has been killing them lately is bad enough!

Your call and use some common sense and play it safe!


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## DKS (28/9/08)

Sorry mate,bad luck.Chuck it and start again. Homebrewing is for fun.For the $25 or so (if its K&K) its not worth the worry and angst every time you have a beer. It'll be a few weeks before drinking youll be thinking about it until its all gone and then the after effects for some time.Cut your losses and have another go.
Daz


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## yardy (28/9/08)

chuck it away, I can't believe you're considering drinking it.


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## Batz (28/9/08)

The little black balls are lead,you don't want lead poisioning....chuck it

Batz


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## the_fuzz (28/9/08)

Batz said:


> The little black balls are lead,you don't want lead poisioning....chuck it
> 
> Batz


^^^^^^^^^
What he said, I wouldn't be eating lead


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## QldKev (28/9/08)

Another one for chuck it. Lead balls and fine splinters of glass through it. 

QldKev


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## PostModern (28/9/08)

When you go to LHBS to buy your new hydrometer, splash out on a spoon as well


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## EK (28/9/08)

+1 for turfing the brew and not getting some form of lead poisoning.

EK


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## bradsbrew (28/9/08)

Unfortunatley you have to tip this out. Lead is not something to mess with. The money and time lost are nothing compared to the effects of lead.

Also apart from what youve done never try to shake dry a hydrometer with wet hands or leave sitting on the bench so it can roll off. I have broken 4 of them so far.  

Cheers


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## gros21 (28/9/08)

unless u got soem form of filter or havea still to distial it just throw it


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## trevc (28/9/08)

> or havea still to distial it


WTF?


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## datman510 (28/9/08)

listen to all you? its only lead isnt it? its not like its nuclear waste, is he pregnant? me thinks not.... if so your unborn baby might turn out like someone from doveton but other than that chin up mate a few weeks of ferm and it will be some good drinking..... :beer: 

but seriously... its lead. chuck it out. do it. now.


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## manticle (28/9/08)

Thanks for the advice everyone..

I did a little research on hydrometers prior to posting as previously I had no idea what the metal balls were made from. Seeing lead as a possible ingredient made me think goodbye brew but a few other articles online suggested it was unlikely there would be ill effects and that some hydrometers contained steel. Since I'm Australian and this forum is for me I thought I'd ask here. There's enough advice to convince me that my first idea (discarding) is the best.

Cheers.


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## PostModern (28/9/08)

manticle said:


> Thanks for the advice everyone..
> 
> I did a little research on hydrometers prior to posting as previously I had no idea what the metal balls were made from. Seeing lead as a possible ingredient made me think goodbye brew but a few other articles online suggested it was unlikely there would be ill effects and that some hydrometers contained steel. Since I'm Australian and this forum is for me I thought I'd ask here. There's enough advice to convince me that my first idea (discarding) is the best.
> 
> Cheers.



Are the balls attracted to a magnet? If they are, they're iron. If not, they're probably lead.


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## manticle (28/9/08)

Good point. I didn't think of ferro-magnetism (although I'm not sure if I have any magnets in the house). The brew (it was my first ginger beer) is now being enjoyed by the tomato plants.

I'm slightly annoyed as I was going to bottle it in a day or so but I have a pale ale and a cider kit waiting for attention so all is not lost.


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## bradsbrew (28/9/08)

manticle said:


> The brew (it was my first ginger beer) is now being enjoyed by the tomato plants.



I wouldnt be eating those tomatoes if yove contaminated them with lead.


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## manticle (28/9/08)

Just so no-one thinks I'm a complete spaz: after dropping the balls in the brew last night, I fished most of them out. Being lead (or some other heavy metal) the remainder had sunk to the bottom. Therefore I was able to tip the brew out onto the garden AND throw the balls in the bin where they belonged. I highly doubt my tomato plant will suffer major consequences from having 20 litres of ginger beer brew with six (possibly) lead balls soaking in it for several hours, poured on its head.


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## troydo (28/9/08)

i thoink id probably be more concernbed about the tiny tiny flakes of glass floating round in there.....

CHUCK IT


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## NickB (28/9/08)

LOL, catch up sunshine! It's gone on the Tomatoes already!

Cheers


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## KHB (28/9/08)

Dont feel bad SWAMBO has broken three of mine and one of BYB's


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## newguy (28/9/08)

Sorry to hear you lost a batch, but better safe than sorry.

If it happens again, you can do two quick tests on the metal balls. First the magnet test, as was mentioned earlier. If they stick, they're thankfully not lead. SS isn't magnetic, but I doubt that they'd go to the extra expense of using SS vs iron balls. For the second test, try to squish one of the balls. If you can easily deform/flatten/cut it, it's lead. By "easily" I mean that you can almost cut lead with your fingernail. If not, it's likely steel of some sort.

I also broke one into a batch of beer a long time ago. When I bought a replacement, the shop owner just smiled and said "steel" before I could ask. I guess he got asked that question a lot.


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## manticle (28/9/08)

Yeah I did actually try to squash one using a garden implement. However they're so small and while I know lead is one of the most malleable of metals I don't have enough experience of it to know if it should have been effected by what I was doing. I couldn't tell if I'd made anydifference to the surface so maybe they were steel.

Nonetheless it's gone on to better days. I think I have to somehow stuff up one of every variety I make just for learning (or at least I have so far). The next GB will be splendid.


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## Batz (28/9/08)

NickB said:


> LOL, catch up sunshine! It's gone on the Tomatoes already!
> 
> Cheers




:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## 0M39A (28/9/08)

Troydo said:


> i thoink id probably be more concernbed about the tiny tiny flakes of glass floating round in there.....
> 
> CHUCK IT



exactly.

they are made of such thin glass, when they break they shatter into tiny little splinters of glass youre never going to get rid of.

not something i would want inside me.


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## Darren (28/9/08)

Interesting story here about drinking and glass consumption :wacko: 

http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,228...701-921,00.html 

cheers

Darren


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## manticle (28/9/08)

> "they are made of such thin glass, when they break they shatter into tiny little splinters of glass youre never going to get rid of"



A matured bottle decanted trhough a mesh tea strainer would remove any glass particles. It's the lead possibility that had me concerned.


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## Barley Belly (28/9/08)

R U UFCKING FOR REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stop talking about it, man up and drink it!!!!!!!!!!

or 

Just shut up about it


There's no way I'd be drinking it, unless I was Jaws from James Bond


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## manticle (28/9/08)

Did you miss the bit where I said it got thrown away?

It got thrown away.


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## Barley Belly (28/9/08)

Aaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwww   

Trust me for not reading the whole post

I wanted to see the blood and guts :angry:


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