Hydrometer basics

[eye8astonie]

Hey all, just finished our second batch, and it turned out nice and light, and very sweet, without the smoky flavor that we got in our first batch. Only problem is that it's not very "thick"... I cooked it to 217 degrees based on our candy thermometer, but it was steaming up inside and I think I may need to get a new one.

Or.... should we use a hydrometer instead?

We're new to this, and make a small volume of syrup, so we don't want to spend a ton of money, but we do want to do it right.

What would you guys recommend? I see a few different ones on mapleguys.com, but not sure what exactly we need. Do we need a sap hydrometer AND a syrup hydrometer? Do we also need a hydrometer cup? Looking for specifics on what you would buy if you were starting out.

Thanks for the help!!
Duane

[eye8astonie]

p.s..... I cooked it to 217 because according to that thermometer, water boiled at 210 degrees yesterday...

The syrup just seems too watery. I know I can boil it down some more, but I want to figure out how to get it just right the first time.

Thanks!
Duane

[HanginAround]

A candy thermometer is usually very hard to read. If you miss it by 1/2 degree, you can tell the difference in viscosity. A syrup hydrometer is a better choice, but not really necessary, a better thermometer might be almost as good. Sap hydrometer isn't really required at all except for your own curiosity. A few of the guys here were talking about making a hydrometer cup the last few days, did you read that thread?

[eye8astonie]

Thanks Pete, I did read that thread, but honestly, they lost me....

Sounds like even if I do purchase a syrup hydrometer, I'll still need an accurate thermometer so that I take the hyrdometer reading when the syrup is at the right temperature?

Thanks,
Duane

[HanginAround]

Usually, you read it hot or read it cold, not much reason for temp adjustments unless you are at some odd temp in between. Plus, you don't have to be as accurate for doing temp adjustment as you do with boiling.

[eye8astonie]

Okay, so sounds like I can get by with the thermometer that I have.

Now for a really dumb question.... do I need to buy a hydrometer cup as well as a hydrometer? What are the hydrometer cups for?

Thanks again!
Duane

[HanginAround]

The trouble with the hydrometer is that you need enough depth for it to float. Most people don't have a vessel that's deep enough around their home that isn't so big that you need a gallon or more to fill it. A hydrometer cup is tall and narrow, so you can get the depth without having a huge volume. You don't actually "need" it, but it's a very convenient tool. I think the basics of the homemade ones was a piece of copper pipe with a cap on one and, and something for a handle.

Personally, I think I'd rather have a decent syrup thermometer than a hydrometer if I had to make a choice. Something with good resolution so you can see the individual degrees easily. The 0-50 dial thermometers are good ($50), each degree is about a millimeter on the dial, and they have a calibration screw, so you adjust to 0 for boiling water each time before you start boiling. You can also get a low end digital with a long stem and pan clip for about $30.

[tstew]

If you go to this address http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10052&storeId=10001&langId=-1&division=FarmTek&productId=22416 they have a 12" stem digital thermometer for $18 plus shipping and handling. They are the same ones maple dealers sell for $30 and up. They read to the tenth of a degree and work well. hope this helps.

[eye8astonie]

tstew, thanks! I'm glad I ordered the hydrometer first and hesitated on the $50 thermometer!

Have you used this one yourself? I'm just wondering.... it says it's great for measuring the temperature of manure piles.... but is it food grade material that is suitable for placing in boiling syrup?

Thanks,
Duane

[tstew]

Yes I have used it. I have 2 thermometers one from the maple dealers and this one and they are identical in every way. Pretty sure they are made by the same manufacturer and just sold to different companies for resale.

[eye8astonie]

Thanks tstew. I checked with Farmtek and they said it is not made from food grade material. So I asked whether it could still be used in boiling syrup, he checked into it and said he couldn't find anything out because they are imported....

Found a nice little dial thermometer for now that is doing the trick nicely. Thanks for the help though!!

Duane

[chris]

Just wanted to clarify something about the thermometers - the ones sold by Farmtek are the same as the ones sold by some maple dealers (us included). The stem is food grade, as it is stainless steel, which is the only part that would come into contact with syrup anyway. Maple dealers' prices are considerably higher because they include a 1/4" stainless steel fitting (at least we do) so the thermometers can be screwed into a port on a bottler/evaporator.
Chris

[Pete S]

For what it's worth, we bought a Syrup Hydrometer from the Maple Guys for this year..............oh and thanks for the great service! (ya must'a really slapped that poney on the fanny hard.....wow)

Anyway, last year, our first year, we did the candy thermometer/looks like/tastes like.......and did OK.

This year with the hydrometer, on our first boil, it was like a different world!
When it started to "boil funny", we checked it and saw it was getting close. We closed the draft on the fire, to avoid a boil over, then re-checked.

We actually went just a bit too far but the hydrometer in the cup works sweet, and seemed to eliminate the guess work.

Pete