hydrometer

[stifflej]

I'm new to this, saw in some threads guys talking about using hydrometers, soooo...I understand it helps you determine sugar content, so can someone tell me if this would be a good buy? Don't want to spend a lot, will only be doing a little sap this year. Also, can you tell me if I would need anything to go with this?

Thanks.

http://www.mapleguys.com/index.php?item=20&ret=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mapleguys.com%2Findex.php%3Fp age%3D1%26category%3D9&PHPSESSID=qyvyidslxw

[mapleack]

IMHO as a small hobbyist, you'd be fine with just a candy thermometer. A hydrometer is a good thing to have and understand how to use though. You'll also need a hydrometer cup, the right height to go with the hydrometer. An explanation of how to use hydrometers is in the North American Maple Producers Manual. Online here: http://web.archive.org/web/20060629024657/ohioline.osu.edu/b856/b856_91.html Good luck!

[BryanEx]

stifflej... a thermometer will tell you when the sap "should be" syrup... a hydrometer will tell you for sure. For friends and family "should be" is usually good enough but if you're selling any you will need a hydrometer. Given their cost they are one of the easier pieces of equipment to acquire.

[KenWP]

And a tall SS thermos works okay for a cup. I also used a peice of PVC tube with a cap on the bottom. Works just fine. It's should be legally criminal the prices they charge for a SS hydrometer cup.

[TF Maple]

I didn't like guessing by temperature last year so I bought that same hydrometer for this year. I also skipped getting the expensive SS cup. I want to try a warmed up quart jar and see if that works. I could make a SS cup sometime since I have an old dairy barn with a SS pipeline in it.

[morningstarfarm]

I wouldn't boil without one..18 bucks from the maple guys..and $1.30 in 1" pcv pipe, a clamp, a cap, and wala a cup that holds heat..works pissa

[Groves]

What's the clamp for?

[morningstarfarm]

buy a little L bracket for a handle and clamp her on..saves burned fingers

[maple sapper]

If somehow you could intigrate a thermometer with a angled drill hole and some sort of way to seal around it (epoxy maybe) then you will have a way of correctly measuring the syrup. Density must only be measured as well as temperature. It changes as temperature changes. So free up the other hand of the thermometer. You also will need the conversion chart so you know. If you buy your hydrometer from the Maple guys, you will get the chart with it.

[stifflej]

Well, I ordered it, so now I just need some sap to get started, weather really does not want to cooperate with me...more snow on the way...

[innoxen]

I picked up a hydrometer and went to get the ss cup also but that killed the hobby budget... so just got hydrometer... picked up a long glass pouring cup and used it... It is a little longer then the hydrometer but looks to be about the same in diameter as the ss cup... For our test run it worked well and was only $2.99 at thrift store.... Off and running now..

[KenWP]

I was in the Fripperie in school today and noticed a SS thermos there somebody lost the top to. The price was right as its weird in there you trade for things instead of buy it. My freind had left a bunch of stuff there so I used one of her credits. It's got a nice handle and wide mouth so should work fine. Insulated to boot.

[johnallin]

If somehow you could intigrate a thermometer with a angled drill hole and some sort of way to seal around it (epoxy maybe) then you will have a way of correctly measuring the syrup. Density must only be measured as well as temperature. It changes as temperature changes. So free up the other hand of the thermometer. You also will need the conversion chart so you know. If you buy your hydrometer from the Maple guys, you will get the chart with it.

Maple guys invented what is called the AccuCup; exactly what you are looking for. Has built-in thermometer probe into the cup which gives accurate temp and you then use the conversion chart for degres brix at that given temp.

[Riley/MN]

I have only used a thermometer when finishing syrup. I do have a wine hydrometer. Is there any difference?

[BryanEx]

Riley... I'm not a wine maker (just a drinker :D ) but if I'm not mistaken a wine hydrometer is calibrated for a much lower brix level.

[morningstarfarm]

yes you definitely need a "syrup" hydrometer. order from the maple guys..18 bucks plus shipping

[BryanEx]

Any tips or tricks for a good storage solution for hydrometers? The cardboard box mine came is is too mangled to continue using. Where do you keep yours in season and how do you store it (them) off-season so they don't get damaged?

[Jim Brown]

Slide them inside a piece of 1 inch PVC pipe with a cap on the end

Jim

[TF Maple]

I was wondering if a wine hydrometer would work for reading the sugar level in sap? My son has one but i haven't seen it yet to find out what the brix numbers are like. He didn't make any wine for 2 years so he hasn't located it yet.

[BryanEx]

Wine hydrometers are usually calibrated for specific gravity rather than Brix so your readings would look something like from 0.990 to 1.120. I "think" that would convert to roughly 12 ~ 23 Brix. Too high for sap and too low for syrup. If the wine making hydrometer turns up, check it out but if not I would suggest it's not worth an extensive search process.

[BryanEx]

Slide them inside a piece of 1 inch PVC pipe with a cap on the end

Jim

Yes... kind of along the line I was thinking. Thanks Jim.

[The Dude]

Slide them inside a piece of 1 inch PVC pipe with a cap on the end

Jim

For some padding inside the PVC case, you could glue a piece of foam or something similar to the inside of the caps. This works well for my fly rods...same principle, larger scale.

[Groves]

For some padding inside the PVC case, you could glue a piece of foam or something similar to the inside of the caps. This works well for my fly rods...same principle, larger scale.

You're going to need to send those flyrods and cases here so I can get a fuller sense of what you're talking about. I'll return them in December.

[The Dude]

I would, but I've already sent all of them to several people who asked the same thing. I'm still trying to understand why people really need to see this to understand, and why they need so long.;)

[BoarsNest]

People probably want to see them now, but really they are to busy to look at them, so by the time they have time they are confused because they can't find out if they foodgrade fly rods and cases. It takes that long to send the cases to the Food and Drug Adm. They can't send the rods back to you without the cases so they figure they might as well use them for the summer.:lol:

[TF Maple]

Thanks for the idea Bryanex, I did a Google search and found a converter for Specific Gravity to brix. 1.00 is 00 brix, .99 is like minus 2 something brix. So if the range is like you think it is, it just might work for sap. I will post when I find out after I have some sap and the wine hydrometer.

[BryanEx]

Let us know TF. The question has come up several times in the past so it would be good to know for certain one way or the other.

[TF Maple]

OK, so if you have ever heard of Brix, Balling or Plato, below are where they are used. Only very small differences between the 3 so they are used interchangeably. Found on Wikipedia.
"The three scales are often used interchangeably since the differences are minor.

Brix is primarily used in fruit juice, wine making, starch and the sugar industry.
Plato is primarily used in brewing.
Balling appears on older saccharimeters, and is still used in the South African wine industry and in some breweries within the U.S. "

So, my son found his wine hydrometer and it has Specific Gravity and balling scales. Specific G. scale goes from .99 to 60 so it has a surprisingly huge range. Balling scale is -5 to 37. And 1.0 Specific Gravity does equal 0 balling or brix.
I have a low range refractometer so I will check that against his hydrometer. I NEED SOME SAP!