Reading a Syrup Hydrometer

[DonMcJr]

Ok I am seeing alot of questions about Syrup Hydrometers and reading them...

I made this picture hopefully describing how to read it right...so if I am wrong someone tell me so I can change it!

My Hydrometer is from "Tap My Trees" and the cold line is at 60 F... Hot line at 211 F

The cold line of 60 F is what you use if you use a conversion chat. ("Zeroed" at 60 F)

http://www.michiganoutdoorsman.com/MOPhoto/albums/userpics/10005/normal_hydrometerread.jpg


Mine gives me directions to read in Baume Scale:

211 F -------- 32 Baume
202+F ------- 32.25
193+F ------- 32.50
185 F -------- 32.75
176 F -------- 33
167 F -------- 33.25
158 F -------- 33.5
149 F -------- 33.75
140 F -------- 34
130 F -------- 34.35
120 F -------- 34.50
110 F -------- 34.75
100 F -------- 35
90 F --------- 35.25
80 F --------- 35.50
70 F --------- 35.75
60 F --------- 36
50 F --------- 36.25
40 F --------- 36.5

[PerryW]

everything is correct except the note on the right is confusing. If the syrup is COLD is has to be at the lower line (which would be below the upper line).

If you only use the upper line (hot test line) and test your syrup near the boiling point (say above 205 deg f) then everything is fine. If you test the syrup at any other temp other than HOT you must use the temperature vs. density chart.

[DonMcJr]

everything is correct except the note on the right. If the syrup is COLD is has to be at the lower line (which would be below the upper line).

If you only use the upper line (hot test line) and test your syrup near the boiling point (say above 205 deg f) then everything is fine. If you test the syrup at any other temp other than HOT you must use the chart.

That means that on a Hot or Cold test if the reading is below either line depending on which test you are doing it is too thin.

Basically the higher the Hydrometer floats the thicker the Syrup and the more it sinks the thinner...

Now I have another Question after reading my instructions again...

It Says, " This Hydrometer also contains a Brix Scale, which is used to measure the SUGAR CONTENT of a liguid"

What's up with that? I have read on here that everyone uses either Baume or Brix to measure Syrup Density...

If I Brix Scale is really used to read sugar content then what is the "Scale" cause these instructions don't say...

Now this site and my instructions are telling me 2 different things about a Brix Scale... :confused:

[DonMcJr]

Ok it appears Brix is for Sugar Content and Baume is for measuring density...


Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx) is the sugar content of an aqueous solution.

One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of solution and represents the strength of the solution as percentage by weight (% w/w) (strictly speaking, by mass). If the solution contains dissolved solids other than pure sucrose, then the °Bx is only approximate the dissolved solid content. The °Bx is traditionally used in the wine, sugar, fruit juice, and honey industries.

Comparable scales for indicating sucrose content are the degree Plato (°P), which is widely used by the brewing industry, and the degree Balling, which is the oldest of the three systems and therefore mostly found in older textbooks, but also still in use in some parts of the world.[1]

A sucrose solution with an apparent specific gravity (20°/20°C) of 1.040 would be 9.99325 °Bx or 9.99359 °P while the representative sugar body, the International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis (ICUMSA), in favor of mass fraction, would report the solution strength as 9.99249%. Because the differences between the systems are of little practical significance (the differences are less than the precision of the instruments) and wide historical use of the Brix unit, modern instruments calculate mass fraction using ICUMSA official formulas but report the result as °Bx.



The Baumé scale is a pair of hydrometer scales developed by French pharmacist Antoine Baumé in 1768 to measure density of various liquids. The unit of the Baumé scale has been notated variously as degrees Baumé, B°, Bé° and simply Baumé (the accent is not always present). One scale measures the density of liquids heavier than water and the other, liquids lighter than water. The Baumé of distilled water would be 0.

[PerryW]

I think the brix scale essentially reads percentage of solids directly i.e. 67 brix is 67% solids (solids are almost all sugar).

You really can forget about the numbers entirely and just use the upper read line as long as you hydro your syrup hot.

If you are reheating syrup and want to check it at a temp other than HOT, first read the approx. temp, then look up the proper density on the CHART. The charts are usually in Baume as you can more easily figure the amount of water to add to correct the syrup's density.

[buckeye gold]

Don I take my syrup to where the red line is setting just above the syrup line, I think this is best to be sure of legal density. also I would remind you to wash off syrup each time you check. Syrup will build up on the stem and make it float easier and thus give you a false reading. I have a tall jar of hot water (a thermos works well) by my finisher to swish the hydro in after each test, I also wipe it off after washing. To keep heat in my cup I fill it once with hot test syrup/near syrup hold it for maybe three seconds and dump it back then take another sample and test. I have a homemade copper cup I use and it heats up really fast and retains heat well. With each cup I'd try to check with a thermometer if possible. I'm not sure how well the stainless steel cups pick up and retain heat. I often leave my hydro in clean the hot water or sap then pull it and wipe it off just before testing. I do my best to keep the temps up for hot testing. Cold equipment leads to errors.

[DonMcJr]

So as I see it Baume isfor Density and Brix is for Sugar Content...

The more Sugar in it the closer it is to a solid thus the Hydrometer floats more...Brix reads Sugar but its how much sugar that makes it float.

Baume is Density, and the more sugar in it is what made it more dense thus making the Hydrometer Float too...

So they are relative and both can be used you just need to make sure you use the correct temp and scale number for what you are using...

LOL! Not sure if that made sense to everyone but I got it now!

I knew that at 211 F if it was at the red line it was good but I'm somewhat of a Geek and like to know why something works...not just "Do it and it will be right". :cool:

[longbeard]

Buckeye, I do basically what you are doing - but do you make any adjustment to the final reading due to the fact that the syrup is closer to 219 degrees than it is to 211 which the scale is calibrated for? Keeping everything clean and hot is important as you mentioned.

Cheers

[wiam]

Buckeye, I do basically what you are doing - but do you make any adjustment to the final reading due to the fact that the syrup is closer to 219 degrees than it is to 211 which the scale is calibrated for? Keeping everything clean and hot is important as you mentioned.

Cheers

I do not think syrup is close to 219 by the time you put it in a test cup and add a hydrometer.

[argohauler]

So how much will it cool down in 10 - 20 seconds and just above the top of the finishing pan? I'd say it's closer to 219.

[PerryW]

Unless you have preheated the test cup to 219, then just pouring the hot syrup in the much colder cup will lower the temp a few degrees. You can actually hold the cup for a couple minutes and watch the hydrometer slowly rise as it cools down. BUt whether the syrup only cools down to say 215 or 211 only make a very small difference in the hydrometer reading.

[DonMcJr]

I turned off my stove burner, dipped the cup in, set it on the stove and took a temp and it was 205 already! It was boiling at 219 before I turned off the stove...Im gonna keep the cup in the pot next time with the burner off and hope its 211 for a perfect read.

[Cake O' Maple]

Don, fill the cup, dump it back in the pot, fill it again and take your reading. That'll warm the cup...

[PerryW]

I turned off my stove burner, dipped the cup in, set it on the stove and took a temp and it was 205 already! It was boiling at 219 before I turned off the stove...Im gonna keep the cup in the pot next time with the burner off and hope its 211 for a perfect read.

Putting the cup in the syrup pot sounds messy. You could always practice your temperature compensation skills. Reading the thermometer at 205 instead of 211 just means the you need to see a little white under the red hot test line. (1/4 point baume, I believe)

[DonMcJr]

All good suggestions! Looks like I get to experiment a lot next boil to find the best way!