219 degrees and still not syrup yet?

[Dave Lister]

This weekend I brought my syrup all the way up to 222 degrees in my finisher and its still about a quarter inch shy of syrup at room temperature on the hydrometer. Are others experiencing this as well this year? I always though that once you hit 219, you had syrup.

[Squaredeal]

Syrup is not necessarily made at 219, but rather at 7 degrees above the boiling point of water. This point changes with barometric pressure and is also different dependent on your elevation. For this reason, most folks use the hydrometer to determine at what point syrup is being made and adjust their thermometer accordingly.

[brookledge]

Also your thermometer could be off
Keith

[brookledge]

I've always been told you need 3 hydrometers to be sure you have one that is accurate. With only 2 you never know which one is off if they don't agree but with 3 two should agree.
T. Crowley you may want to check your thermometer and hydrometer against someone elses if you don't want to buy another your self.
Keith

[PerryW]

Stick you thermometer in boiling water and see what it reads. (My guess it it will read something above 215.) Add seven degrees and that us where syrup should boil, but sugarmakers usually trust the hydrometer more than the thermometer.

[Dave Lister]

When we boiled our previous batch we made it too thick, thinking we had to get the hydrometer to float to the top red line right off the finisher in order to have syrup. That batch will just be a little thick, though the pancakes and relatives won't mind. Before realizing that it was due to user error, we bought a second hydrometer and they both read the same.

As for thermometers, we have two. One has a range from 0 to 7, and I calibrated that at the beginning of the season in a pot of boiling water, adjusting it so that it read dead on at 0. I am pretty sure my dad did the same thing with the other thermometer that is on the finisher, which has a full range.

Do you calibrate your thermometers before every boil?

[RileySugarbush]

Tonight our syrup was syrup at 221F. Depends on the day.

We rely on our hydrometer and refractometer. With the big weather system coming into Minnesota tonight, the barometric pressure was probably changing between draws!

[sap seeker]

Last night I did the thermometer in the water thing, could only get it to 207. Took the "syrup" to 214-215 accordingly but seems awfully thin to me:confused:

[PerryW]

Cold syrup is much more viscous that hot syrup. I would try some cold and see if still seems thin.

[SBClorite]

T. Crowley, I calibrate my thermometer with boiling water before every boil. Air pressure changes all the time. There is also a chart that will tell you what water will boil at with a certain barametric pressure and at a certain elevation. I don't trust the chart, as most home barometers aren't that accurate and it's just easier to boil some water.
I only trust my thermometer to within a degree, or so, of syrup, then I start checking with the hydrometer. On the hydrometer it actually says what temperature the syrup should be to check it (212, I think?) so keep in mind that boiling syrup is a bit thinner and the hydrometer will sink a bit more. Also, I draw off just shy of syrup because I reheat to can later. I lose a bit more water with the reheat, and have perfect syrup while canning.
I've been around 220 for most of syrup this year too.

[Bucket Head]

I don't know who came up with the seven degree thing, but you can throw that idea out the window.

I have discussed this same thing here before. Seven degree's over here only gets us "almost syrup". Yes, a little on the thin side. VERY aggravating!

Here, 67 brix. equalls about 9-10 degree's over boiling.

You can still use your thermometer for drawing off, but you have to use your hydrometer first to determin what temperature actually gives you the correct density.

Once we figured this out we never had a density problem again. But before that, we were pulling our hair out.

Steve

[KenWP]

I am finding I have to go to 104C to get syrup according to the hydrometer. My first batch was thin as I used just a thermometer and went to 103 which is 7.5 degrees over boiling.

[Fred Henderson]

My syrup does not leave the evap until it has been tested with a hydrometer.

[tapper]

Another important factor. It has probably been discussed somewhere here before but I had to learn it for myself a few weeks ago.
I was getting ready to package 10 gallons of syrup and set the hydrometer in the canner and didnt like the reading so I put another hydrometer in. Two different readings. The papers compared to each other were spot on. Then I noticed sticky dried syrup on the top of the stem of the 1st hydrometer. I cleaned it off with hot water and the readings were identicle. So keep your hydrometers clean.
This probably goes without saying for many but in many cases I have to screw up for myself to learn anything. After 14 yrs of maple I am still screwing up and still learning. See if I remember this a year from now haha.