Hi all! Newbie making my second batch - a CC Red Mountain Cab. Today is day 11 and I spent the last hour or so getting everything ready to take a hydrometer measurement and probably rack to a carboy (directions say this should occur between days 10 and 12). However, I broke my hydrometer immediately as I was about to take the measurement. Question for you all - there fermentation *seems* to have been going well, should I go ahead and rack to secondary tonight or wait until I can pick up a new hydrometer tomorrow and do it tomorrow night? Is there any danger in spending a couple extra days in primary? Thanks!
Progressing to Secondary without hydrometer measurement?
- Thread starter keebler71
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Keebler welcome to the forum. You certainly are an example of what we always say. Keep a spare and you'll never break another one. You are correct in your thinking. Since you can pick up a new hydrometer tomorrow I would just wait. Good luck and keep us posted and feel free to ask any questions.
Airplanedoc
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Did you take any measurements along the way so you at least have a ball park measurement?
chachi44089
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Oh man..lol, Been there, done that
..I broke the tip off of mine, just the last 1/4 inch of it. It was on a saturday night. If its just the little bit of the tip on the skinny end, you might be able to do what I did. I carefully floated it in water as not to submerge the open end, took a reading, it was 1.002 in water "to determine the correction amount"..Then I used it in my wine in the test tube thing, very carefully..Then I just added .002 to my reading. Plenty close enough for determining when to transfer to secondary. Be carefull of glass in the sample "just toss it if its a concern"..I later put a little plug of hot glue in the open end, the reading went to .994 . I did buy a new hydrometer, but keep this as a backup. I just subtract the difference ".006 if I ever have to use it.
I plan on getting a refractometer to use from now on, and keep my one good hydrometer for backup..
I think now I will probably not take any more readings except the first and last."Luc's method" Unless I think I have a stuck fermentation.
I also like Wades method of just fermenting to dry in the primary.
..I broke the tip off of mine, just the last 1/4 inch of it. It was on a saturday night. If its just the little bit of the tip on the skinny end, you might be able to do what I did. I carefully floated it in water as not to submerge the open end, took a reading, it was 1.002 in water "to determine the correction amount"..Then I used it in my wine in the test tube thing, very carefully..Then I just added .002 to my reading. Plenty close enough for determining when to transfer to secondary. Be carefull of glass in the sample "just toss it if its a concern"..I later put a little plug of hot glue in the open end, the reading went to .994 . I did buy a new hydrometer, but keep this as a backup. I just subtract the difference ".006 if I ever have to use it. I plan on getting a refractometer to use from now on, and keep my one good hydrometer for backup..
I think now I will probably not take any more readings except the first and last."Luc's method" Unless I think I have a stuck fermentation.
I also like Wades method of just fermenting to dry in the primary.
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