Reading the Hydrometer

For more information about micriobiology please visit: www.uwyo.edu/virtual_edge

[@alejandrortorres]

Rachel, thanks for making this so clear and easy. Nobody else on KZbin has a better video for this that I've found.

[@rmimwatson]

Thanks Alejandro! I truly appreciate your time spent in posting ;)

[@bbarns6431]

You are awesome. Ty Ty Ty. I was reading it incorrectly and watched 10 videos that did not say a word about how to actually read the darn thing

[@Hazel-Hill]

Finally, I find a clear explanation of the graduations on the hydrometer. The way it's labeled was so confusing. A video on How to read it. Thank you!

[@rueben6881]

FINALLY! Someone who explains it correctly short and to the point. THANKS!! 🍷

[@AuroraMarija]

Wasn't using this for distilling, and temperature wasn't a factor so I don't care that it wasn't mentioned. My brother needed to use a hydrometer for a project, and this video broke it all down so perfectly. Watched many other videos before this, but this one was by far the best. Thank you for this!!

[@rmimwatson]

+AuroraMarija Thank you! Just in case you do need to correct for temperature, here is a temperature correction converter: www.brewersfriend.com/hydrometer-temp/

[@migsinthetrap]

So many videos go into how the hydrometer works, and the theories behind SG and calculating your ABV, but they don't actually tell you how to read the markings on the hydrometer itself! Thank you for you quick and to the point video.

[@rmimwatson]

You're very welcome!

[@wall2wallphotos]

This is the best explanation on reading the SG on my hydrometer. Thanks so much for breaking this down for me! I'm on my second batch of noble grape wine, and my first batch of mead and now I know what the heck I am looking at! (I'd been guessing, and fortunately guessing correctly, but it's good to know how to do this without guesswork!)

[@DavidThomasTimmer]

After all the mead videos I’ve watched about hydrometers I’ve finally found a teacher who explains this correctly according to the math we need to know.

[@AHollowVoiceSaysFool]

Thank you. Took going through six other videos to get one that finally explained how to read the scale.

[@jackpalek2978]

Exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you very much! Very well done.

[@jbbaxter2210]

Thank you so much, miss Rachel! I am new to brewing, and I have been baffled by this. I really appreciate the way that you broke it down in your clear, easy to understand explanation. You are a genius!

[@rmimwatson]

Thanks JB! So glad this was helpful!

[@pamelaolivetree]

Wow. My first video and I don't need to go anywhere else to understand it. You are a cool girl. Keep being you!

[@rmimwatson]

Thank you! So glad you found this to be helpful :)

[@smm19761]

Well done! I thought I was reading my hydrometer correctly, but I wasn't sure, as nobody seemed to have explained it as well as you. Thanks! Very well explained indeed :)

[@rmimwatson]

Thanks!

[@yogeshgupta3940]

Thank you Ma'am. You explained this in such lucid way. Please make a video on these topics too - - How does Brix scale work, and its connection to gravity scale - if hydrometer is used to measure alcohol content, how should it be used, and what will be its error % ?

[@wyattx008]

Thanks. You helped me today with a 6.5 gallon rack of merlot diy kit. Thanks.

[@julliana2ify]

Best explanation on KZbin to this day. Thank you

[@rmimwatson]

Thank you! I am so glad that it continues to be helpful.

[@gerginot]

Now I know why my home brew beer is reportedly 50% alcohol. I've been reading the hydrometer wrong! Thank you so much for the explanation.

[@rmimwatson]

You're very welcome! That would be some mighty strong beer.

[@Alicia_Grows]

Thank you! My professor rushed through the reading of the hydrometer so this is extremely helpful

[@kaylac.238]

Thank you so much for this clear explanation. I work in dialysis and we have to use the hydrometer to check the specific gravity of our acid batches; no one ever explained to me in detail how to read it precisely!

[@rmimwatson]

So glad this was helpful to you Kayla! Specific gravity readings pertain across so many disciplines and applications ;)

[@leesmith8420]

Thank you so much for explaining that I have gone through so many different videos on high dramas it's unreal enjoy the 1st person to explain it properly

[@cody1541]

Thank you so much. No one on youtube explains how to actually take the reading.. I went through three videos before seeing this one.

[@rmimwatson]

So glad it was hepful!

[@zerosoma33]

Lots of reverb and hard to understand BUT! She explained it well. Thank you, I now know how to read a hydrometer.

[@perfectgaming788]

Thanks so much! There's no other video with such a clear and concise explanation. You rock

[@rmimwatson]

Thank you ;) I am glad you found it useful.

[@Iwmunt]

Thanks, better than homebrew tutorial. A+

[@pawankumarmaddhesiya9272]

Does it the same hydrometer which is used for Soil texture test to know the proportion of Sand, Silt and clay.

[@tracymurphy4777]

Thank you for breaking this down and making it simple to understand!

[@rmimwatson]

You're very welcome!

[@lynnarmstrong9625]

Thank you so much. I've been so confused, couldn't find anything saying about my wine being 50! Now I know it's 1.5 🙂

[@Njennings42]

Thank you, made this very easy to understand, and I appreciate that. Many of the videos I watched did not clearly explain things.

[@rmimwatson]

I'm so glad that it was helpfu!

[@kenbedley5385]

I have a question I started some mash two weeks ago. Started with a couple big cans of peaches 2 pounds of brown sugar 2 tablespoons of yeast. And 2 gallons of water. Hydrometer was floating up out of the wash. So I ground some Corn and cook that up rinse that down with a couple gallons of water and 4 pounds of sugar it’s sprinkled a bunch of yeast on it again. Week later hydrometer still floating out the top of the Wash. Is that right?

[@rmimwatson]

It sounds like you have quite a lot of sugar/dissolved solutes. It may just take some time for the specific gravity to start going down.

[@MrLESHEATH]

Extremely well and clearly explained. Thank you.

[@rmimwatson]

You bet ;)

[@physhtaco7197]

Thank you so much for this. A very well presented and easy to understand explanation on how to read a hydrometer. Thanks again. Cheers 🍻

[@rmimwatson]

My pleasure! Thanks for taking time to message ;)

[@gabrielgarcia9965]

You are awesome! Thank you! This video helped out a lot

[@MrRobfriv]

Oh my dear God....This was a great and simple explanation! Thank you!

[@rmimwatson]

I'm so glad it was helpful to you :)

[@derrell57]

This is the best video showing the specific measurements and explanation

[@rmimwatson]

Thank you Derrell; so glad you found it helpful!

[@jetmedia10]

Hey Rachel Watson thank you for helping me understand this you rock girl

[@rmimwatson]

+jetmedia10 Thank you so much ;)))

[@rmimwatson]

Yes, some hydrometers have % potential alcohol readings on them. You can use this scale if desired.

[@rmimwatson]

My video is intended to educate on the use of a hydrometer to measure specific gravity. It is not intended to educate on conversions between % alcohol and proof. For that purpose, I suggest a conversion website such as that Cleave Books (you can search for this on your Google bar).

[@lbm4325]

Clear and concise thank you very much

[@rmimwatson]

Thanks ;) Hope you found the video helpful.

[@humaunmasud4144]

thank you Rachel for your nice explanation.

[@rmimwatson]

Glad you found it helpful

[@richardcheese7348]

Rachel, I like your safety glasses. Great explanation tho!

[@vinayaks9149]

Thankuuuu.... so much.This video help me a lot.😍😍😍

[@morrelebissa5573]

I still need some calculation methods for soil texture to determine the percentages of clay, silt, and sand.

[@craighunter3273]

Good job. Well explained.

[@rmimwatson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@safbtop3golfcommittee510]

Perfect! Thanks for the explanation.

[@rmimwatson]

You bet!

[@kbruin79]

Clear explanation, thank you!

[@rmimwatson]

You bet!

[@TimSheets]

Thanks for the clear explanation!

[@rmimwatson]

You bet!

[@SelfAweh]

Thanks for this. Exactly what i need to know.

[@rmimwatson]

Marvelous!

[@cdpope21]

Thank you! Now I get it.

[@drewsky9076]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

suppose my og is 1.060 and my fg is .997,does this mean i never had 60 pts potential alc but rather had 63pts that i could not possibly know about till fermentation was over?

[@rmimwatson]

This means that you began by having the potential to produce ~7.8% alcohol but then you "outproduced your potential". That is, your specific gravity dipped slightly below 1.000. Thus, you produced slightly more than 7.8%!

[@ARCSTREAMS]

yes precisely my point,,what good is a hydrometer if it wont tell you the full potential? i know there is not that much below 1.000 but who knows if it might be off the scale too if there is enough sugar that got converted

[@rmimwatson]

@@ARCSTREAMS Remember that hydrometers are simply objective instruments to measure relative densities of solutions ;)

[@ARCSTREAMS]

so they can give false readings then if your solution has starches ,glutten etc anything that raises viscosity levels aside from sugars

[@jameslewis6430]

massive massive help TY!!!!

[@rmimwatson]

You bet! So glad it was assistive ;)

[@lyrav2024]

Thanks. Very clear.

[@camillewilliford4951]

So if 1.000 as the density of water is at the top, why are the next measurements .010 then .020? They seem to be increasing, but from 1 to .01 is a decrease? Could you please help! I'm doing a lab next week, and we're using homemade hydrometers.

[@rmimwatson]

Good morning Camille, hydrometers are measuring the density of a solution relative to water. Thus, the more solute (sugar in this case) that is dissolved in the water, the higher the hydrometer 'bobs/floats'. So, the readings as you go down from 1 get bigger and bigger. They go from 1.000 to 1.002, 1.004, 1.006... These larger readings indicate more dissolved solute! Also, the larger the readings, the more potential a must has to produce alcohol. Sometimes, after a solution has produced alcohol, the hydrometer will sink. In some cases it will sink to readings below 1.

[@888beehappy]

Thanks for the video. I understand how to read the hydrometer now.

[@rmimwatson]

Magnificent!

[@sxavier9012]

THANK YOU so much!

[@rmimwatson]

You Bet!

[@philipvernejules9926]

......so what I'd like to know is how to translate the reading to tell us what the alcohol percentage is...I'm puzzled why one would want to measure the sugar content in water when it would be already known how much was added,, the taste test tells you if the sugar has all been consumed.

[@ARCSTREAMS]

can you explain how is it possible that you ever get a reading below 1.000 ? for example if you start with water at 1.000 reading and you add sugar and get 1.040 and on the final reading you get 0.995 where did this come from and how is this even possible? its as if alcohol was added or created out of nowhere in the liquid

[@rmimwatson]

Thank you for your great question. The scale is based on relative density of liquids (compared to pure water). Thus, pure water has a specific gravity of 1.000. If a solution contains a lot of ethanol, ethanol is less dense than water so the specific gravity may be less than 1.000. Thanks for asking great questions!

[@ARCSTREAMS]

@@rmimwatson i am still not sure i understand ,, it is one thing to start putting alc in the water and saturate it enough to make the hydrometer level drop below 1.000 but another to have a starting gravity that does not show this amount to begin with,, as i said in my example if we have a starting gravity of 1.040 this means we have a denser liquid because of sugar that will turn to alc after fermentation and the most you can produce will be 40 gravity points so you can reach 1.000 if it ferments all the way down but how is it possible to go below 1.000??? if you end up with .995 this looks like you porduced 5 extra gravity points from where???

[@ARCSTREAMS]

you never replied back to my last post? i am asking if my potential alc is 40gp but the final reading says .995 then would this not mean i made 45 gp of alc and if so where did they extra 5gp come form? 40gp fully converted would give me 5.25%abv with the fully converted sugar but 45gp would give me 5.9% so where did the extra 5gp worth of alc come from and is that what it actually means if i had to calculate? would i need to say 45gp or only 40gp? so do we or dont we count anything below 1.000?

[@rmimwatson]

My pleasure

[@amanda87ism]

gorgeous explanation only come from gorgeous girl. thank you gorgeous ❤️

[@lotsahooey]

Yep, you answered my questions. Thank you:)

[@jrrichardson7952]

Thanks Rachel for the good info. Don't worry about the idiots comments to the contrary.

[@chelca6184]

thanks a lotttt💕💕💕💕💕💕

[@mallet999]

thanks for that, all is clear now

[@rmimwatson]

Wonderful! Clear is fantastic unless you're trying to grow a nice turbid culture of yeast.

[@maiorano84]

You are freaking adorable.

[@Luviewines]

I am doing a DIY on how to make wine. I would like to refer viewers to your link in my description on how to read a hydrometer.

[@rmimwatson]

Absolutely! Please refer your DIY wine makers to my video ;)

[@Luviewines]

Rachel Watson All done! kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5-YpqmVpMeCnMk

[@kittiyasanjit2103]

Thank you

[@morrelebissa5573]

Hi， could you show us different Hydrometer with different scales and different calculation how to determine percentages of clay, silt and sand?

[@rmimwatson]

I bet you'll find a better expert video for this particular application. Try searching for Hydrometry for soils

[@amberconnolly235]

Very helpful thanks

[@rmimwatson]

Great! Thanks

[@harithaprathapan6886]

Thanku

[@prasannabhattarai804]

Thank you so much mam 😘😘

[@rmimwatson]

You are very welcome

[@skivvy9yo]

I think working with the brix scale is much easier.

[@nayrbsworld3048]

sample test pls. water then crudeoio

[@kenbedley5385]

What’s wrong with the hydrometer floats real high above the market

[@broken777B]

Yes you were right George to watch sugar. Thank you

[@russgalgiani2261]

so three scales. which one do i read. ?

[@rmimwatson]

You will want to read the scale labeled 'Specific Gravity'

[@brentg7429]

Seriously? Did you watch the video?

[@20chipndip20]

they must be very dangerous to use ?? i see your wearing safety glasses :)

[@BigMealsSmallPlaces]

Sound!

[@georgegeorgandas2798]

Thanks

[@rmimwatson]

You bet ;)

[@rmimwatson]

Thank you so much :0 I do try...

[@debkaufhold6610]

too much background noise!

[@eniotron4199]

thank you nerd

[@shinobiwarrior1990]

incredibly uninformative. this video says nothing at all that i did not already know and i know very little about how to use a hydrometer. someone needs to make a video explaining only the god damn alcahol by volume measurements and what all of the percentages equal from percent to proof. like 50% = 80 proof and so on and so forth, your video is exactly the same as every other hydrometer video ive ever seen

[@josephmyers1492]

You sound like your in a barrel. Move closer to the mic.

[@kmssaint4051]

She needs a pedicure. Quit biting your finger nails.