Hydrometer help

[eastcoasttapper]

Does the sap/syrup have to be at the 7 degree above boiling water temperature to test with the hydrometer? I'm trying to fill my container and I'm hoping my syrup doesn't bubble over or boil to high while I'm doing it.

Also, my syrup has been at the right temperature, and has made nice thick syrup, but my hydrotherm is still sinking.

Any ideas? It is brand new.
Thanks

[3rdgen.maple]

If you look on the stem it will tell you 211 degrees at the redline. Also make sure you are using a sap hydrometer for your sap and a syrup hydrometer for your syrup. There is a difference. Also if you have a reliable thermometer and you reaching 7 degrees obove the boiling temp of water for the day and your syrup hydrometer is sinking I think you should send it back and get one that works. When you say sinking is it bottoming out in the up or is it anywheres lose to the redline?

[PerryW]

Does the sap/syrup have to be at the 7 degree above boiling water temperature to test with the hydrometer?

No, but it should be above 205 degrees or so.

The hot test line is calibrated at 211 degrees because they figure if you draw off directly from the evaporator into the test cup, the syrup will cool down a few degrees. But as long as your syrup is between 205 and 215, the hydrometer reading will be close enough.

[Maplesedge]

If you're not selling syrup, just making it for yourself, and you like the way it is, it doesn't matter what the hydrotherm reads.

Maybe your thermometer is off just a bit?

I have 4 different thermometers and they never exactly agree, but I like the skinny glass one used for cheese and yogurt making the best.

This is my first year with a hydrometer and so far I think it gives me better syrup. This last boil, the temp read 225 before the hydrometer even started to float, but then, in a very short time, maybe 5 to 10 min., it started floating higher and higher without any change in temp. I just pull it off the stove when it floats at the hot test line. So far so good. The syrup looks thinner than what I made last year with just a thermometer, but when I compare it to commercial syrup it matchs viscosity pretty well, and cold tests with the hydrometer as syrup too, so I'm happy with it.

But I'm only making a gal. at a time on the stove, and can turn the heat off fast if I need to, or boil it another min. if I want, so maybe that wont work for you.

[eastcoasttapper]

I'm not sure if mine is a sap or syrup hydrotherm. I purchased it from the same man who sold me the evaporator and filters and things. Mine doesn't have any numbers recorded on it at all. It does have ruled measurement indicatiors but I don't know what temperature those are supposed to be.

Water boil temp. has been between 212.7 and 213.8 the past couple of days. I have tried my hydrotherm at points between 217 and 219. It will stand on it's own and not fall to the side, but it is definitely sitting on the bottom of my SS thermos.

My husband and I have had an ongoing *cough* good natured *cough* chiding about having the syrup thick enough. I purchased the hydrotherm this year hoping to end the issue :) I am using it at the stove during finishing. Maybe I'll take it down to the sugar shack next boil and experiment with it there a bit.

Thanks for the suggestions

[eastcoasttapper]

Double post sorry

[eastcoasttapper]

After reading your posts and searching online I have now discovered that I am talking about two different things :rolleyes: We have a hydrotherm and not a hydrometer.

From what I have read, it therefore should have a thermometer and a hydrometer together. I'm not sure about that as there are no numbers on this thing, just the line gradients.

[PerryW]

Just ignore my post on this thread; since I have no experience with a hydrotherm.

[BryanEx]

eastcoasttapper... I also use a hydrotherm so I can understand what you're experiencing. It took me a few tries before I got things figured. First, use a thermometer as a guide for when sap "should be" syrup and then start testing with your hydrotherm. If it sinks below the scale keep cooking. If it floats enough to show the scale leave it for a little while because the red temperature line takes a while to come all the way up. A way to speed the process up is to keep the hydro in hot water then dry it off just before use. If you still don't get three marks above the syrup level... keep cooking.

[eastcoasttapper]

Thanks BryanEx. At what point does syrup crystalize? I had a batch crystalize last year and I'm nervous about going up to high.

[BryanEx]

Ummm... I'd have to look that up again to get the exact brix level for crystallization. If someone doesn't post the answer tonight I will tomorrow. I will say that the hydrotherm is perfectly balanced between the float level and the red line at 65.8 brix with each small line being 2/10ths of a brix... hence the three (small) lines above for optimum syrup @ 66.5.

[BryanEx]

Here you go eastcoasttapper ....


Syrup having a density much higher than 67.5 ˚Brix can be too thick and may have problems with crystallization of solid sugars in the finished product.

[mapleman3]

But remember thata statement is syrup at room temp not boiling temps.. 2 different lines on the hydrometer.... bottom line is at room temp... top line at 211deg

[BryanEx]

.. 2 different lines on the hydrometer....
That's what was confusing... eastcoast has a hydrotherm... not a hydrometer so there are no hot & cold marks. ;)

EDIT: Perhaps a moderator could edit this thread title to reflect hydrotherm help to better clarify topic and because there are several other hydrometer threads already.

[eastcoasttapper]

I just can't seem to get it. I think I'm chickening out maybe. The sap was lovely coming out of the evaporator. I let it cool over night and finished it up this morning on the stove. I even took it up to 8 degrees above water's boil point but the hydrotherm still sank. I had it in hot water, I slowly lowered it. I'm just so worried it is going to crystalize that I'm scared to trust the hydrotherm. But as I look at the bottles from this morning, I think they look thinner than my best bottles of this season.

I've got another batch to boil in the morning so I guess I'll take a deep breath and try to trust the hydrotherm this time :mrgreen:

[BryanEx]

One degree can make the difference between the hydrotherm floating or not and at times I've had to go as high as 10 degrees above (according to the thermometer). If you do go too high all you need to do is add a little bit of sap or pure water back in to fix it.

As Yoda said... Trust the therm Luke... trust the therm. (or something like that :rolleyes: )

[BryanEx]

eastcoasttapper... another point I just thought of today... if you are using a hydrotherm for testing at hot temperatures it will read near the top of the scale so if you are a little thin... it will sink entirely. Try testing some of your previous batches at room temperature or below and allow 30~40 seconds for the thermometer to adjust. Betcha previous batches float but read thin. ;)

[eastcoasttapper]

My patience was put to the test and ..... it worked! I was bottling before at around 220.7 . Today I didn't bother boiling the water as I wanted to let the hydrotherm guide me. At between 222.8 and 223.0 the hydrotherm floated!!!! The second batch of the morning the thing actually stuck out of the syrup so thankfully in your previous post you mentioned adding water as I never would have thought to have done that and didn't have any fresh sap on hand. I boiled it a few minutes and retested and voila! I haven't taste tested it now that it has cooled, but it sure does look much thicker in the jars.

Thank you SO much! I was ready to toss the hydrotherm altogether :)

[BryanEx]

Thank you SO much! I was ready to toss the hydrotherm altogether :)
Glad you got it eastcoasttapper! Like you, I purchased a hydrotherm first thinking it would be way more convenient only to realize a few of it's drawbacks. Now I use a hydrometer for hot testing (is it done yet?) and the hydrotherm for double-checking / spot checks at room temperature. I found the disadvantages with the hydrotherm to be that 1) it's slow to compensate for temperature which is quickly changing 2) it's too close to the top of the scale at hot temperatures so it sinks unless it's correct and 3) it doesn't actually tell me what the brix is. Now I use a hydrometer for hot testing (which is half the price) and the hydrotherm for room temperature syrup.