How long do you wait?

[Mr_Detail]

This may seem like a dumb question but being a newbie and an engineer by trade, I want to ask it anyway.

Once you fill your primary and initially take your first specific gravity reading with your hydrometer, how long do you wait to take your reading?
In other words after the hydrometer makes contact with the must, is the reading instantaneous or do you wait say 30 seconds to take the reading.

 

[JohnT]

I take the reading once the hydrometer stops bobbing and is consistently at the same level. This normally only takes a minute.

 

[jamesngalveston]

What johnt said, works for me.

 

[bkisel]

Same here.

 

[kevinlfifer]

give it a spin to dislodge bubbles

 

[vernsgal]

I do like Kevin mentioned and give it a 1/4 turn 1st

 

[Mr_Detail]

So how far into the must do you submerge the hydrometer?
I was thinking about buying one of these to help the process:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/fermtech-wine-thief.html

 

[DoctorCAD]

So how far into the must do you submerge the hydrometer?
I was thinking about buying one of these to help the process:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/fermtech-wine-thief.html

Those do work.

When you drop the hydrometer into the must, it will float wherever it floats, based on the specific gravity of the liquid. If you were to put it into pure alcohol, it would sink WAAAAAY down, putting it in Mercury probably wouldnt even go in deep enough to hold itself upright.

 

[JohnT]

Like he said, the hydrometer will sink to different level based on the amount of sugar present. This is the whole point of a hydrometer.

 

[garymc]

You put enough wine in the wine thief to cause the hydrometer to float. Then in a couple of seconds when the movement stops and you're sure it's not clinging to the side, you start turning the wine thief to try to get the scale inside the hydrometer around to face you so you can read it. But it will stop before you can see it or keep turning until you can't see it anymore. Then you realize you really have to hold it upright so it isn't lodged diagonally in the wine thief. Now, by this time, enough wine has dribbled out of the wine thief that it's resting on the inside bottom of the wine thief. Start over.

 

[Runningwolf]

I do like Kevin mentioned and give it a 1/4 turn 1st

I do the same thing but I give it a twist counter clockwise to release all the negative bubbles. If it stays up for more than four hours I call my LHBS.

 

[rendezvous]

Dan your dreaming

Greg

 

[Pumpkinman]

LMFAO Dan!!!!! Now that's funny stuff!

 

[JohnT]

Dan,

You do not need to call anybody, all you have to do is stop adding those little blue pills to your wine.

 

[vernsgal]

i do the same thing but i give it a twist counter clockwise to release all the negative bubbles. If it stays up for more than four hours i call my lhbs.

 

[Mr_Detail]

garymc,
So am I reading into your post correctly in that you do not care for the use of a wine thief?

Now, by this time, enough wine has dribbled out of the wine thief that it's resting on the inside bottom of the wine thief. Start over.

 

[Deezil]

You need to make sure that the pin in the bottom of the wine thief is straight, and that you're not leaning it against the side of the carboy in any way... Weight / gravity, the wine in the thief, will keep it from leaking unless that pin is tilted, then you get a slow leak

 

[Runningwolf]

I also used to use that wine thief. It worked fine. Just don't put it in the carboy too fast like I always did and spill wine out of your carboy.