Refractometer or Hydrometer?

[DanE.]

If you had a choice between one or the other, which one would you get and why? I had an accident with my hydrometer and need to replace it with something quick.

Thanks

Dane.

[maplwrks]

Hydrometer---unless you are a gadget freak. I personally don't care for refractometers, I can get all the results I need with a hydrometer. You have less than a 100 taps---if you want to waste money on something, buy some filters, more taps, a few more buckets,...see what I mean?

[KenWP]

You can buy a lot of hydrometers for the price of a refrac and still have pocket change left. They probbably don't make any better syrup anyways. Buy a really good scale and you could weigh syrup to the correct weight also.

[Fred Henderson]

If you had a 100 barrels of syrup to check you would want a refrac and a temperature compensating one is pricey. The good old hydro don't care what the temp is and it don't lie.

[johnallin]

Hey Fred?
Am I mistaken here? I thought a hydrometer was very dependant on temp..please correct me if I'm wrong.

[mapleman3]

Hydrometer is dependent on temp but always correct (if you have not dropped it) even if you have a refractometer you should always back it up with a good hydrometer!

[DanE.]

Thanks for the comments so far,
Lets take cost out of the picture because I can get new atc refractometers that are +/-0.2 accurate, which is more accurate than any of the maple suppliers (+/- 0.5) are selling for and haft the price of the acc-u-cup. And there are plenty of stories with Hydrometers being incorrect as was my last one. Mine was off by 2%.

So I guess my question is for the people who have used both. Why do you like one over the other?

Thanks Dane.

[GregMVT]

I've used both, a refractometer is nice because you can get a reading very quickly but I wouldn't trust it enough to use it when canning syrup.

[peacemaker]

just bought a 0 to 80 refractometer i love it adjust for temp and is very easy to read

[802maple]

When it all boils down (excuse the pun) the refractrometer is not as accurate as the state approved hydrometers. They should be checked every year to see if the paper has moved. If the state checks your syrup for density they might use a refractrometer first to see if it sends any flags up, but if they see a potential problem with density they will then varify if it is right or wrong with a Hydrometer.

[Yellzee]

Digging up this old thread as I am considering buying a refractometer. I see the arguements in here that a hydrometer is supposed to be more accurate than the +- .2 % refractometer.

The engineer in me can't see how this can possibly be true by the time the average person (not 30 year veteran maple guy) tries to decide exactly where the reading is from the lip of syrup on the hydrometer and doesn't adjust for temperature. surely this error is more than .2 of a %?

Where the temp adjust refractometer will give you an exact number that is only out .2% at most?

Im thinking about the refract just for the ease of putting a couple drops on the machine and getting a reading vs. having a cup and hydrometer to clean when I'm done and the ladle to pour the sap into the cup, etc. .. but if it truly isn't accurate enough for some reason I'd love to hear it.

I've been using the quebec hydrotherm but never seem to be able to really get it to settle out to a constant reading and waiting is a pain.

[Yellzee]

now that a few more people have time to hit the website, any comments on this?

[Big_Eddy]

Yellzee - I use the hydrotherm too. A trick you might not know is that you can use it as a straight hydrometer too. Just get to know what graduation line on your hydrotherm represents syrup at 210 (straight off the evaporator) and when you want a quick test, drop it in and see what line it floats at.

If it is close, then let the thermometer catch up and get a precise reading.

If it sinks too far, pull it out and boil some more.

The hydrotherm will float at the same line in correct density syrup each time (at the same temperature). The thermometer just allows it to be used at other than the standard temperatures without having to adjust using a chart.

Best of both worlds.

[BryanEx]

The only disadvantage of the hydrotherm is it's slow to adjust to hot temperatures.

[Yellzee]

So, after switching over to a hydrometer for my last 6 or so batches I decided to bring them to work where we have a refractometer for another use to double check.


all batches tested low...a bout 63% sugar. so I go home and test thr same batches with the same hydrometer but at room temperature. And they are all low. So I boil the batch, and test hot and it reads low...... ARRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

so now I'm very ticked off at the thought of reboiling, filtering and using new bottles on about 60 litres of syrup..., plus I'm totally confused why it is reading different now than it was when I made it ........

Is it possibly because it cooled a bit too much when I was making it waiting for the hydrometer reading?

I'm really thinking about buying a temp compensating refract now.

[802maple]

Your hot test line is exactly that. it should have been tested a 211 degrees or thereabouts to get the exact reading.

[Yellzee]

that is what I was trying to do, normally heat the cup with a few scoops of boiling syrup, then put in fresh boiling stuff and drop in the hydrometer... however sometimes I wait a bit for the hydrometer to settle out... and possibly it cools quick enough that has messed up the reading?

[concord maple]

I was told that the "Hot" test on a hydrometer being 211 degrees F was because that was around the temperature of the syrup by the time the cup is filled to the hydrometer reading is taken. (all within 5-10 seconds). Anyone have additional info?

[Brent]

When I first got the Accu-Cup with the built in thermometer I was amazed at how fast the temperature drops.

Fill the cup once to pre-heat it, empty it and re-fill and then stick in the hydrometer and you still only have seconds before it's below 211.

With the Accu-Cup and the chart they give you with it, you can test from about 60 deg up to 220 and get the right number.

[John c]

I actually just started using a hydrometer after a year of going by temp and eye. I love the fact that the hydrometer is far more consistent than my eye, but I also think it is a major pain in the butt having the sticky cup, hydrometer and cleaning it between readings...especially when it is very close to being done. I am now considering an ATC refractometer because it is so easy and clean to use! I do use an ATC refractometer for checking my sap and it is just awesome! That's my two cents.