How Often Do You Break Your Hydrometers?

[argon]

i broke 1 hydro within the first month of trying out the hobby. Must confess i never take all that many readings during fermentation

2 years later got myself a refractometer, like the one in M^B's post. Super easy to read and quick to use. Every now and then i freak myself out when checking fermenting samples thinking nothing has happened, until i remember i have to adjust.

 

[MarkBastard]

How do you guys collect your samples for refractometres?

- Preboil
- Postboil
- Fermenter

 

[stux]

How do you clean your refractometers?

Do you clean between samples?

Ummm

 

[kymba]

Preboil - a couple of drops off the end of my mash paddle
Postboil - same
Fermenter - syringe with a length of beer line attached, sanatised & dried. before i part the gladwrap i squirt the outside of the line with starsan. i figure if there is any moisture in the line it will severely affect the reading

to clean it i give the prism a lick then wipe it on my shirt lol

 

[fraser_john]

How do you guys collect your samples for refractometres?

- Preboil
- Postboil
- Fermenter

Pre/Post boil - pipette
Fermenter - bit of vinyl tube, sanitised, just suck a little up the tube

 

[MarkBastard]

So you can't take samples from the tap of the fermenter due to yeast/trub I'm guessing?

What if you collect a bit and let it settle then draw some clearer stuff off the top?

 

[kymba]

So you can't take samples from the tap of the fermenter due to yeast/trub I'm guessing?

What if you collect a bit and let it settle then draw some clearer stuff off the top?

should work, you only need 2 drops

 

[argon]

Preboil - pipette a sample from surface 5mins into roiling boil, prior to first hop addition
Postboil - pipette a sample from surface at end of boil
Fermenter - I just tap out a little sample into a small glass. let it settle a few seconds then pipette onto refrac.

 

[MarkBastard]

Do you have to thoroughly clean the Pipette between use? I imagine any residual sugar or even water would throw it right off...

 

[Brad Churchill]

I just put some warm water in a glass and run that through a few times.
Only takes a few seconds and seems to work fine.

Cheers

 

[argon]

i just rinse mine out by pipetting up a bit of water. Then same starsan out of the spray bottle before putting away.

 

[Spork]

<snip>
Has anyone done any comparisons work between a glass hydrometer and the plastic ones.

Yes.
The plastic ones bounce much better,aan even if you manage to break them are easier to fix than the fragile glass ones.
My plastic one measures 0.000 in tap water. Good enough for me, although I have changed to refract, and love it.

 

[komodo]

Never seen a plastic one?

 

[drtomc]

I have made several unsuccessful attempts to prove that it is possible to bounce a hydrometer on a tiled floor.

I use it much less often these days. With temperature control, and enough beer in stock, I don't have to hurry my fermentations, and they rarely stick, so I usually do a single FG measurement/sample prior to bottling. All my brewday measurements are with a refractometer.

2c,
T.

 

[DUANNE]

I have actually just broken my refrac. it was in its bag on top of the washing machine and whaen the spin cycle kicked in it fell on the floor. now the cover flap bit is seperate from the main body, while being a bit more of a pain to use it is still accurate.

 

[djneli]

I'm on my third one. Broke two within a batch of each other about two years ago, but had a good run since. It was lucky that I started with three of them but I don't have a spare anymore either

 

[Charst]

on my 3rd I think, one by me one by the mrs.

 

[emnpaul]

I must confess that when I stumbled upon this thread after 2 years of brewing and no broken hydrometers I went "Ha. Clumsy *******". Little did I know that after breaking my first hydrometer after two and a half years, I would use my second hydrometer only once, yes once, before smashing it to bits on the kitchen floor. M&^$^&*%( *(&**()^$@K!!! :angry:

 

[alfadog]

I hope that replying to this thread does not jinx my clear run, 1.5 years brewing and no breaks (touch wood) plus now I also have a refractometer so I am hoping that my chances are halved

 

[fergi]

never broke one, ever, plenty of years brewing,
fergi