Help reading a hydrometer

[sawyer40]

Six years ago I was just helping a neighbor make syrup when he decided to get out of it. Thats when I got bit by the maple bug and bought everything. It took til now to get it all set up and running. I never really paid much attention how to read a hydrometer so here I sit looking at two one for sap one for syrup the one for syrup has a lable inside that says baume & brix has numbers on each side. One side starts at 45 and goes to 75 in increments of 5 the other side starts at 25 and goes to 40 in increments of 5. There is also 2 red lines in the middle. How should I start to read this thing? I have the stainless cup to read it in I just don't know how. Also the meter for sap starts at 0 and goes to 12. How is this read?

[HanginAround]

Your target for syrup is 66 Brix @68 F, so use the scale that goes from 45-75 Brix. Read the mark at the surface of the syrup (at the bottom of the meniscus, not where surface tension makes the syrup ride up the stem a bit):

http://www.stevenson-reeves.co.uk/images/howtoread.gif
(Not the right scale in the pic because it's from a wine making site)

Does it look like one red line is at 66 and one is at 59? The 59 reading is for hot syrup, as syrup is less dense when hot. If you test syrup at temps other than just under boiling or room temp, then you have to compensate for temp to figure out Brix.

The sap hydrometer is the same, but reads up to 12 Brix. Brix and percent sugar are virtually the same, since almost all the solids in sap/syrup are sugars.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[SapSuckers]

I was wondering myself, should you rinse the hyrdometer between readings?

Thanks,

[mapleman3]

I always rinse my hydrometer and start with it dry.... if it has syrup still caked on it it will be heavy!! which will make your density way too much in reality.

[maplehound]

I have always filled the cup with hot sap after each use and keep the hydrometer in it. This serves for 2 things first to keep the sugar from building up on thehydrometer and second to keep the hydrometer warm. If the hydrometer is too cold when put into the syrup it could ( and has ) break. I also always keep an extra hydormeter on hand in case one gets broke.

[oneoldsap]

The top red line is for syrup at 211 deg. F The Bottom is for syrup at 60 Deg. For any other temps you need a temp correction chart. Vermont Maple Producers manual has one in it, it may be available on VMSMA web site.

[sawyer40]

I have a finishing pan with a thermometer on it I heated it up til it read 7 degrees above boiling. Filled the test cup with syrup put the hydrometer in and it sunk till it hit the cup bottom. I suspect it was to hot to test.How should I be testing it. What am I doing wrong?

[HanginAround]

Might still be a bit thin, and just a bit hot. Make sure the cup is filled to the top, and set the hyrdometer in slowly, try not to get syrup on the stem above the float point. The hyrdometer should be hot too... so test a couple times to be sure it gets warmed up or prewarm it with boiling sap. It the top red line marked 59? It is in fact a syrup hydrometer with the right Brix range? Surely it should float by at least 8 degrees over boiling I think.

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

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[3% Solution]

Sawyer 40,
I will basicly repeat what the others have said;
When I start my boiling process and I get boiling sap in the flue pan I will take a temperature of that sap (pretty close to water, right), next I will take a temp reading in the syrup pan in the last section, what ever temp that is over the flue pan temp (this is the amount above the boiling point of water) I adjust my dial thermometer (which has a stem that extends into the last section and also has a movable background)to show that temp. Now when the dial reaches the "7" we are close to syrup and I check it with the hydrometer, when it gets to the "Top Red" line I have syrup!
Now that I have told you that, to hell with it, do this.
Crank that evaporator right up and keep your eye on the finish section, when you start to get quarter to half dollar size bubbles (it will happen fast) better check it it's real close to the end result.
Now when you get syrup the first time with this method, before you draw off set the thermometer on "7" and bingo you have your mark.
As "The Governor" said the boiling point will or may change during the day, I had it change 5times one day, just stay with it and adjust as needed.
My last 90 minutes of boiling yesterday (6 pm to 7:30 pm) was pretty funky, looked like syrup, acted like syrup, but nope not yet, then it came quick.
I have never used the adjustment charts, I don't do large amounts at one time as some of the others do.
Have fun and good luck.

Dave

[lharris1]

Does anyone use a refractometer for testing finished syrup? Is it more or less accurate than a hydrometer?

[HanginAround]

They are more accurate, but you have to be diligent about using it properly, cleaning etc. The biggest issue is not really being able to use them on hot syrup as compensating for temperature is a real pain at anything but room temperature. The trouble is, even if you know the temp of the syrup, as soon as you spread it on the glass, it changes unless the instrument is the same temp.

That's for an optical refractometer of course... you can get electronic digital ones that really interest me, but I don't know much about them. They are supposed to be accurate and are widely used in other industries. I think some/most/all? compensate for temp automatically.

[sawyer40]

Hey 3% the last time I boiled I had those 1/2" bubbles rolling over the sides of the channels in the syrup pan. I don't know how the rest of you knock the bubbles down but I was shown that a couple drops of Half & Half keeps them under control. I was told that if left bubbling over the sides it might catch fire. Don't know how much truth to that there is but I for one don't want to find out the hard way. Not long after those bubbles started rolling the temp hit the 7 mark. I have a scoop that I tryed to get the syrup to sheet off of. It would sheet off of the heel of the scoop but I couldn't get it to sheet off of the lip of the scoop. After I drew it off and put it in my finish pan and started that I dipped the test cup in to fill it and the syrup was sheeting off the bottom of the test cup. But my hydrometer sunk to the bottom of the test cup. I think I was trying to test it to hot.
The sap has stopped running here for the last few days. It hit 70 deg here two days ago. Now it's 20 and snowing so I'm hoping to get a run on Sunday. I had to bottle everything in my sap shack and get it out of there. I had 4 bears in the last week seen close to my sap shack. So it's move it or loose it.

[3% Solution]

Sawyer 40,
Get another hydrometer!
If your syrup is 20 degrees above the boiling point (now that's not good, it's candy time) of water that hydrometer should float high, no doubt below the bottom "Red Mark" or cold test.
Then again, as I said before the stuff acts funny at times.
However, I'd try another hydrometer.
If you can't get one soon and you need to boil, get a candy thermometer and bring it in close until you can get the hydrometer for the accurate measurement.
Bears ...... bears in New Jersey .......... no way!!!!
Yeah we had temps in the 60's Wednesday, now it's 19 and snowing like a mother!
Suppose to be cold for a few days.
Good luck!

Dave