Sugar sand and density

[Tom59]

Could syrup with a lot of sand alter the reading of a hydrometer?

[325abn]

Good question, but I doubt it .

[Russell Lampron]

If it does it doesn't make a noticeable difference in the reading.

[DrTimPerkins]

Could syrup with a lot of sand alter the reading of a hydrometer?

Not appreciably. Niter is not dissolved, but instead is a particle. Unless you have a lot of particles sticking to your hydrometer, then the measurement isn't affected.

[mudr]

Think of it like a bathtub. If you put rocks in the bathtub, the water inside it does not change density. Niter is like those rocks. Now, if they were blocks of sugar and that sugar get dissolved in the bathtub then the density changes.

[Tom59]

This is why i asked
I do small batches on a barrel stove, finishing off only a gallon or so at a time. I filter just before its syrup thru a Tap My Trees filter cloth. Then finish and let it settle out in a mason jar. The last couple of batches I did had a lot more sand than my previous batches this year. Checked with a hydrometer hot, was at 60 brix. It just seemed much thinner than the previous batches. Maybe its just me??

[Russell Lampron]

This is why i asked
I do small batches on a barrel stove, finishing off only a gallon or so at a time. I filter just before its syrup thru a Tap My Trees filter cloth. Then finish and let it settle out in a mason jar. The last couple of batches I did had a lot more sand than my previous batches this year. Checked with a hydrometer hot, was at 60 brix. It just seemed much thinner than the previous batches. Maybe its just me??

How hot was the syrup when you got the 60* brix? Was it the same for all 3 batches?

[Tom59]

They were all around 219. 222 with the thermometer in the pan. When I check density the cup Is held up over the pan. By what I've read here and other books etc. the temp should drop to around 210/212 area by the time density is checked. A thermometer in the cup would be ideal but I don't have one yet.

[Russell Lampron]

Looks like you're doing it right. I don't know why one batch would seem thinner than the others.

As the season progresses there is more bacteria in the sap which creates more stuff to filter out.