Hydrometer problem

[Shorty]

I have two Hydrometers, one for use in the Sugar Shack and the other in the house for finishing and bottling. The other day I took it off at 31 and the next day in the house with it just after starting to boil I used the other Hydrometer and it read 33. So I put them side by side (both Baume's) and the lines do not line up, in fact from the bottom line on the to the top line, one of them is off 1/4 inch. Is there a way to see which one is correct? I f I buy a new one how will I know that one is correct?

[BCPP]

Never tried this but don't see why it would not work: Weigh out 90g of white sugar and dissolve it in 210g of water. The resulting solution should have a brix of 30. Make sure solution temperature matches whatever your hydrometer is calibrated to (usually 25C or 100C).

[buck3m]

My solution would be to buy a new one and float all three together. Almost certainly two will match almost perfectly. Those are your accurate ones.

[Russell Lampron]

Do you have a state inspector that will test your hydrometers? If so you can have them tested to see if either of them are accurate.

[sapman]

I've had similar issues. I randomly tried a CDL one i never use. The Leader one I always use read one degree brix lighter. CDL one agreed with an older Leader one, so I started using CDL when drawing. Just bought a new Leader, reads one degree light. Incidentally, my hydrotherm seemed to agree more with the CDL, though they are kinda hard to read. Doesn't seem like an exact science sometimes. If I remember, I'll take them all to bascoms for checking at open house, if they still do that.

[Russell Lampron]

I've had similar issues. I randomly tried a CDL one i never use. The Leader one I always use read one degree brix lighter. CDL one agreed with an older Leader one, so I started using CDL when drawing. Just bought a new Leader, reads one degree light. Incidentally, my hydrotherm seemed to agree more with the CDL, though they are kinda hard to read. Doesn't seem like an exact science sometimes. If I remember, I'll take them all to bascoms for checking at open house, if they still do that.

Your new Leader hydrometer is certified by the state of VT to be accurate. It should have a red line inside the glass at the top that will end at the top line so you can tell if the paper has slipped. I have a CDL hydrometer that I use at the draw off that reads light. That one has been banged off of the bottom of the test cup many times so I'm not surprised.

[wiam]

Your new Leader hydrometer is certified by the state of VT to be accurate. It should have a red line inside the glass at the top that will end at the top line so you can tell if the paper has slipped. I have a CDL hydrometer that I use at the draw off that reads light. That one has been banged off of the bottom of the test cup many times so I'm not surprised.

That red line must be a new thing, as I have 2 Leader hydrometers with no such line.

[maple flats]

I wonder if you let either hydrometer hit the bottom of the test cup too hard, that can slide the indicator paper. Never let it drop, lower it into the cup and if anything, let go at or just under a lower reading and then let it float and stabilize for your reading. You will need to get them tested.

[Cedar Eater]

Your new Leader hydrometer is certified by the state of VT to be accurate. It should have a red line inside the glass at the top that will end at the top line so you can tell if the paper has slipped. I have a CDL hydrometer that I use at the draw off that reads light. That one has been banged off of the bottom of the test cup many times so I'm not surprised.

I can't find anything in the Leader Evaporator Hydrometer info on their website about an index mark. Their instruction .pdf still says to mark the box it comes in. As far as I know, the only properly indexed hydrometer is the expensive Smoky Lakes model (Gold Series).

And people wonder why I think hydrometers are inherently untrustworthy. Dissolve a half pound of cane sugar in a half cup of water. You'll almost certainly need heat to do that. When that results in less than 3/4 lb. of cane syrup, top it up to 3/4 lb. with water. Drop the liquid temp to 60*F and your hydrometer should read very close to 66.7 Brix. If that isn't enough liquid to float your hydrometer in, get a smaller PITA cup or double the batch size.

[Shorty]

I was wondering if the indicator paper had slipped down too, but the lines on the two papers are still 1/4 farther apart when they should be equal. I suppose the pat answer is to blame it on the Printer who printed the indicator papers...... I've heard that hundreds of times from being a Printer for 43 years. I'm going to order another one from the same company and ask them to check it out with the ones they are using.

[Cedar Eater]

I was wondering if the indicator paper had slipped down too, but the lines on the two papers are still 1/4 farther apart when they should be equal. I suppose the pat answer is to blame it on the Printer who printed the indicator papers...... I've heard that hundreds of times from being a Printer for 43 years. I'm going to order another one from the same company and ask them to check it out with the ones they are using.

You might want to send them a photo of your two hydrometers and their discrepancy. They might send you a new one for free.

[johnallin]

That red line must be a new thing, as I have 2 Leader hydrometers with no such line.
I'm with Wiam...keep reading about the leader hydro with the etched line, but sure haven't seen one yet.


I can't find anything in the Leader Evaporator Hydrometer info on their website about an index mark. Their instruction .pdf still says to mark the box it comes in. As far as I know, the only properly indexed hydrometer is the expensive Smoky Lakes model (Gold Series).
Also agree with Cedar Eater here. It may be an expensive hydrometer, but the gold series still seams to be the only one with a built-in reference point.

[Russell Lampron]

I'm with Wiam...keep reading about the leader hydro with the etched line, but sure haven't seen one yet.


Also agree with Cedar Eater here. It may be an expensive hydrometer, but the gold series still seams to be the only one with a built-in reference point.

Pics of my new Leader hydrometer. Notice the red line inside the glass at the top that ends at the top line on the paper.

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[RIVERWINDS]

I have two SL golds...one I dropped in the cup and instantly knew it was off by the reference line. New hydro on left.

Nice to have a quick visual reference.


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[Cedar Eater]

Pics of my new Leader hydrometer. Notice the red line inside the glass at the top that ends at the top line on the paper.

Good to see that this wasn't a case of too many boiling sodas. Was this the more expensive 12" hydrometer? It's hard to gauge from the pic.

[berkshires]

It's the same as the one I posted in your thread CE. Here, the SKU is 61040. It's 9 3/8" long. Here's a link to the website: https://www.leaderevaporator.com/p-275-maple-syrup-hydrometers.aspx

Any other help you need?

GO

[Russell Lampron]

Good to see that this wasn't a case of too many boiling sodas. Was this the more expensive 12" hydrometer? It's hard to gauge from the pic.

I got the shorter one. The one that won't hit the draw off valve as easily if I use it there. I have an even shorter one that I use at the draw off.

[Russell Lampron]

It's the same as the one I posted in your thread CE. Here, the SKU is 61040. It's 9 3/8" long. Here's a link to the website: https://www.leaderevaporator.com/p-275-maple-syrup-hydrometers.aspx

Any other help you need?

GO

That's the one that I learned about because you showed us pictures in CE's other thread.

[Cedar Eater]

It's just really odd that their website doesn't mention it. Maybe it's just too new.

[FDA]

That's the one that I learned about because you showed us pictures in CE's other thread. Thanks! The nay sayers still wont believe you tho . Sometimes I wonder if this group thinks the Apollo moon landing was a hoax too.

[Clinkis]

All this hydrometer talk made me take a closer look at my own and I was surprised that both my sap and syrup hydrometers have those red lines too. I never noticed them before or knew what they were for. Learned something new today. I was pleased to see they were both where they should be. I got these ones from my Lapierre dealer 5-6 years ago.

[johnallin]

Pics of my new Leader hydrometer. Notice the red line inside the glass at the top that ends at the top line on the paper.

1624716248

That solves that. Thanks for sharing Russ. This is an informative thread.

[RustyBuckets]

Theres a few different ones that have been around a long time with reference marks. Kevin Sargent has a nice collection and at one point he had posted pics of the reference line on some real oldies. Theres a brand made in france that are quite common at dealers, AllA i think they are, that has a black reference line at the bottom of the paper that should be right at a ring thats part of the glass mold where the bottom half is joined with the stem. A decent hydro should take some abuse without causing the paper to move as well. However I have had a dealer tell me they gotten batched of certified hydros that all failed testing. Also have seen many new ones fail test that arent certified as well at maple associations. I suggest taking them to your associations or maple expos and getting them tested. Common thing most do is buy a few and use the two that match toss the one that doesnt. All that equates to is a guess, done that and guess which two failed and which one didnt when I had mine tested?