Lockdown Turbo Cider and the mystery of the hydrometer

[JohnM]

Hi I really don't know what I am doing, I saw some treads about turbo cider and thought I'll have a go. So as usuall I jumped in and started, got a Demi John and added yeast and then found I should take a hydrometer reading, but I didn't have one at that point so ploughed ahead.

Actually the results seemed fine but I have no idea what the alcohol level was.

So starting anew I have a hydrometer and thought dropping a piece of plastic into a vile of liquid, spinning it to lose any bubbles, would not be beyond my skill set, seems I over estimated my abilities.

I try with just water and I get a reading below the scale (don't know how to add pics)

I then tried with my Waitrose juice and get a reading even further below the scale.

What am I doing wrong, please help and please be gentle

 

[Graz]

Hard to say what's going on without a picture (says a thousand words so the old saying goes!).

But it's not too difficult, you can just paste a picture in here now thanks to the fancy new forum software (which I did) or click the highlighted thingy shown below and you should be able to work it out.

 

[JohnM]

the water and the juice. Thanks for replying and the tip

 

[Paul Roberts]

View attachment 26943View attachment 26944the water and the juice. Thanks for replying and the tip

You need more juice In the pot so it floats

 

[Session]

Hi John,
Strange question, but can you post a picture of your hydrometer? I’m just wondering whether the one you have bought is meant for something other than beer/cider...
The ‘0’ on mine (or 1.000) is quite a long way up the hydrometer, with positive readings below the zero and negative above, as in the picture below.

As the sugar concentration in the liquid being measured increases, so does the density of the liquid, so the hydrometer is pushed up, giving a higher reading.

Yours looks different, and I wonder whether you may have bought the wrong thing by mistake?

 

[JohnM]

It is floating just a bad photo

Sorry about the post trying to do it on my phone

 

[Session]

It is floating just a bad photo

View attachment 26949View attachment 26950View attachment 26951View attachment 26952Sorry about the post trying to do it on my phone

Ah! Okay, you have bought an alcoholmeter, not a hydrometer. This is used to measure the amount of alcohol in spirits, as opposed to measuring the amount of sugar in beer/cider.

Unfortunately it won’t be much good to you for measuring specific gravity, you will need a hydrometer.

 

[JohnM]

Thanks, that would explain it

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I try with just water and I get a reading below the scale (don't know how to add pics)

More methods for any other member having problems - How to add a picture to a post.