hydrometer

[philkasza]

How do you read a sap or syrup hydrometer? Do you read it at the highest point that the sap comes up on the hydro, or level with the sap in the whole bucket? Because of the surface tension in water it tends to mound up at the hydrometer so I was wondering. Thanks

[spencer11]

you read it at the highest point on the hydrometer when it is in a hydrometer cup. if you dont hve a cup you will need to get one.

spencer

[mapleack]

Level with the surface of the liquid, not the the point that the liquid draws up to. The drawn up portion is called a meniscus, created by the capillary action of the liquid drawing itself up the hydrometer.

[Jec]

In syrup, there isn't such a prominent meniscus, also.

[500592]

Level with the surface of the liquid, not the the point that the liquid draws up to. The drawn up portion is called a meniscus, created by the capillary action of the liquid drawing itself up the hydrometer. that is the way I do it

[jimsudz]

I was taught to read the hydrometers were the syrup or sap stops on the hydrometer. Now you got me thinking. The person who told me how to read it was a long time dealer and producer. Hopefully I am doing it correctly.

[Billy_the_Kid]

Is a cup an absolute necessity? Or can you place the hydrometer directly in a bucket of sap? It was my understanding that the cup was only necessary for depth, because most evaporator pans (even batch pans) don't have enough depth for the hydrometer to float vertically. Is this correct?

[wiam]

A bucket will work fine. It is the depth that matters. It will probably have cooled in a bucket so be sure to compensate for temperature.

[MapleME]

people, people, people...

I think we are talking apples and oranges here.

SYRUP hydrometer= use hydrometer cup. If you have enough syrup that you are using a bucket FULL of almost finished syrup, you should be at the point where you own a 50$ hydrometer cup.

As for a SAP hydrometer= yes, this is where your bucket of sap comes in to play. Use a bucket, your storage containers, etc to check the sugar content of you SAP using your SAP hydrometer.

Remember, Syrup and Sap hydrometers are very different....getting them confused or using one instead of the other could prove catastrophic IMO.

If you are thinking about investing in one, I think you will find that if anyone has just one of them, its the SYRUP hydrometer. There is no decent substitute to ensure syrup is finished besides this method. Frankly, I could care less what my sugar content is of my sap. As long as its syrup at the end of the day, thats all Im after!!!

Hope that helps clarify, and is helpful for a successful season!

MapleME

[wiam]

people, people, people...

I think we are talking apples and oranges here.

SYRUP hydrometer= use hydrometer cup. If you have enough syrup that you are using a bucket FULL of almost finished syrup, you should be at the point where you own a 50$ hydrometer cup.

As for a SAP hydrometer= yes, this is where your bucket of sap comes in to play. Use a bucket, your storage containers, etc to check the sugar content of you SAP using your SAP hydrometer.

Remember, Syrup and Sap hydrometers are very different....getting them confused or using one instead of the other could prove catastrophic IMO.

If you are thinking about investing in one, I think you will find that if anyone has just one of them, its the SYRUP hydrometer. There is no decent substitute to ensure syrup is finished besides this method. Frankly, I could care less what my sugar content is of my sap. As long as its syrup at the end of the day, thats all Im after!!!

Hope that helps clarify, and is helpful for a successful season!

MapleME

I do sometimes use a cup and when my drawoff tank/filterpress feed is full enough I do not waste time with a cup. I have never seen Glenn Goodrich use a hydrometer cup when drawing 100 gallons/hr, just floats it in the draw tank. I do not see what difference it makes.

[PerryW]

Yes, it wouldn't make a difference whether the syrup is in a cup or a bucket as long as the temperature is known, but I'd still wager Glen Goodrich owns a hydrometer cup.

I do agree that a syrup hydrometer is essential and a sap hydrometer is optional. I've been sugaring all my life and have never once measured the sugar content of my sap.

[MapleME]

I do sometimes use a cup and when my drawoff tank/filterpress feed is full enough I do not waste time with a cup. I have never seen Glenn Goodrich use a hydrometer cup when drawing 100 gallons/hr, just floats it in the draw tank. I do not see what difference it makes.

I was merely pointing out that this guy probably doesn't have enough syrup to fill a bucket with finished syrup to use a hydrometer in. He doesn't have a signature, but just based on the questions, that all. Agree, it doesn't matter what you float your hydrometer in as long as you have enough liquid to do it!