Testing a sap hydrometer at home

[blissville maples]

Besides using a refractometer, is there a way to check the accuracy of a sap hydrometer at home. I would think they can't really go bad so to speak. So could we say they either work or they dont? With no chance of being slightly off? I know at open houses they can check them so that leads me to believe that they can be off a bit......

[amaranth farm]

Radio Silence.

[Super Sapper]

You could check the 0 with water. It if reads 0 on water you should be good.

[SeanD]

Use distilled water and it will (or should) read at zero. That's how I double-check my sap refractometer.

[blissville maples]

I'm not a chemist, but I play one on television. Could you not take a known quantity of table sugar, titrate it into a known quantity of distilled water such that it was 2% sugar and put the hydrometer into that solution?

This is what I was wondering but I haven't any idea how much sugar to water to use, unless I had a second hydrometer I knew was accurate to check. I will check it with water, I guess that would probably work although no sugar in distilled water but if it we're off at 2percent than your right in that it would likely be off in pure water. Funny how when in deep thought you can overlook simple things by overthinking trying to find a more complicated answer

[maple flats]

a hydrometer certainly can be off. On some there is a ref. line to verify the paper is in the correct position (the Gold from Smoky Lake). On others it is suggested you mark or take a measurement of one of the red lines before the first use and keep that measurement for future reference. A hydrometer can get off if it is dropped into the test cup rather than gently lowered. As the hyd. hits the bottom, the paper can slide down a little.

[to100]

Mine came in plastic tube, mark that with sharpie.

[maple flats]

If you use a sharpie, make sure it is a super fine line, a blunt tip will not give an accurate enough line.

[Zucker Lager]

I'm not a chemist, but I play one on television. Could you not take a known quantity of table sugar, titrate it into a known quantity of distilled water such that it was 2% sugar and put the hydrometer into that solution?

I just got a Milwaukee MA 871 refractometer and in the owners manual is a "recipe" for making Brix test solution. My Son is a chemist seems the quality of the ingredients are critical and the accuracy of the measurements are also. Jay

17401

[amaranth farm]

Radio Silence.

[buckeye gold]

Hey guys, why all the fretting over solutions.....A sap hydrometer in pure distilled water or permeate at 38 degrees F should read 0 if I'm thinking right.

[amaranth farm]

Radio Silence.

[maple marc]

I ordered a sap hydrometer several years ago from a reliable company. I tested it using distilled water at the correct 38 degrees F. It did not float at zero. I sent it back, they sent me another--same outcome. I called them and they tried to explain to me why you can't test the unit with distilled water. I studied some physics in my day, but I could not understand what they were trying to explain to me. So I gave up trying to understand and just use it on faith!
Marc

[Super Sapper]

The hydrometer works on the density of all dissolved solids including the minerals that make up the niter when you boil. A refractometer only detects the sugar in the sample so a hydrometer may not 0 in distilled water as there are not any background minerals present but the refractometer should.

[Trapper2]

Why don't Hydrometer companies etch the glass instead of placing a paper inside of the tube?

[buckeye gold]

if you want to make a 2% sugar solution take 8.08 grams of sugar dissolve it in 200-300 Mls hot distilled water and then bring the total volume up to 400 mls. It won't be exact, but close enough.