New Refractometer

[Cazamodo]

Hi,

I have just started using a new refractometer, at the moment alongside my hydroeters to see if it can help me be more accurate, and save time.

It is a HANNA HI96801. A quick google shows it as this one http://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Instruments ... B002NX0WHI

I say new, I just found it in a draw where it has sat in the box for two years. Any advice on using it, as initial attempts show it is waaaay off my hydro readings

I have calibrated it with distilled water, and understand that post-ferment the alcohol is going to throw the reading off. But even pre-ferment wort seems way off, at 20*C.

Anyone else have experience with this or similar model?

[wally]

Have you checked the hydrometer with distilled water at its calibration temperature?

[MTW]

Have you tried it with different styles (colours) of beer? The lighter, the more accurate (without compensation) as a true reading only comes from dissolved sugar in water IIRC. How many points off are you talking?

[ciderhead]

I am just about to pull the trigger on either the Hanna or Milwaukee as their prices have dropped, not great reports on the Milwaukee version online, anybody care to comment?

http://www.amazon.com/Milwaukee-Refract ... ractometer

http://www.amazon.com/Hanna-Instruments ... KQTSYV6FBR

I know Aleman mentioned previously he had the Hanna model and it works well.

[AnthonyUK]

I was bought one of the Chinese optical ones and it is very accurate.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/RSG-100ATC-Blac ... B00AJ72FP2

[Cazamodo]

I have checked both hydro and refractometer with distilled water. Saying that, I have one hydrometer for 0-30 and another for 30-60 so I will have to make up a solution to check the higher one.

The distilled water read 0 on the refractometer and 0 on hydrometer. It was a reasonably light beer. Hydrometer read 1.0415, Brix was 10.8, which is around 1.043.

Ive decided to make a spreadhseet, and I will take readings with both over the next dozen brews or so and see if the difference changes at all or if it stays the same, then make a correction factor for using the refractometer.

[orlando]

BeerSmith has a refractometer reading calculator built in, I suspect there will be resources on the web too.

[edonald774]

http://www.elidonald.co.uk/blog/wp-cont ... Range.xlsx

Don't know if this is any use to you?
I came across it when I first started using my refractometer (which I love)

[MTW]

The distilled water read 0 on the refractometer and 0 on hydrometer. It was a reasonably light beer. Hydrometer read 1.0415, Brix was 10.8, which is around 1.043

If you're calling 1.5 points 'waaaay off', then you're looking to get far more from your refractometer than me! That would do me, for the purposes of pre boil gravity and checking runnings. In fairness, that is a much more expensive piece of kit than my Chinese optical one.

[Cazamodo]

Ah ok not way off. But was hoping to use it rather than my hydrometer to save a bit of time and ease of use, just cant be 1.5 points off when HMRC come checking lol

[Aleman]

I know Aleman mentioned previously he had the Hanna model and it works well.

No Aleman has the Milwauke! ! I have had the opportunity to use it side by side with a Hanna one and mine was more accurate . . . But then the Hanna hadn't been calibrated in 6 years . . . Once that job was done they read identically.

Apart from the Hanna being white and the Milwauke green there is little to tell them apart. . . Both made in Romania . . . Probably the same factory.

Be prepared to continue to use your hydrometer until you get you correction factor zeroed in. That will give you a better more accurate result.

Sean Terril has a modified formula for fermenting wort correction that gives better results than a lot of the calculators.

You can make up a check solution using sucrose. I can't remember the exact weights and volumes but I have. posted it on here before.

[Cazamodo]

Ill have a search.

I have no problem laying with it until I get it figured out. One thing however. I was under the assumption it had ATC as it states it does. Auto temp correction. I just measured some wort at 11.1 Brix, went to clean up and out of curiosity half an hour later pressed 'read' again, and its 12.2!

[Aleman]

ATC compensates for the temperature of the instrument compared to its standard temperature AND NOT the temperature of the sample. Therefore the procedure with a digital one is to press read at 5 second intervals until you get 3 readings the same. . . You get the same effect with an optical one as well. . . I normally give mine 30 seconds or so to cool down before reading

[ciderhead]

I know Aleman mentioned previously he had the Hanna model and it works well.

No Aleman has the Milwauke! ! I have had the opportunity to use it side by side with a Hanna one and mine was more accurate . . . But then the Hanna hadn't been calibrated in 6 years . . . Once that job was done they read identically.

Apart from the Hanna being white and the Milwauke green there is little to tell them apart. . . Both made in Romania . . . Probably the same factory.

Be prepared to continue to use your hydrometer until you get you correction factor zeroed in. That will give you a better more accurate result.

Sean Terril has a modified formula for fermenting wort correction that gives better results than a lot of the calculators.

You can make up a check solution using sucrose. I can't remember the exact weights and volumes but I have. posted it on here before.

Thankyou for saving me a few bob

[Cazamodo]

ATC compensates for the temperature of the instrument compared to its standard temperature AND NOT the temperature of the sample. Therefore the procedure with a digital one is to press read at 5 second intervals until you get 3 readings the same. . . You get the same effect with an optical one as well. . . I normally give mine 30 seconds or so to cool down before reading

Makes much more sense. I did wonder why the temp reading on it was never the same as my sample temp!

I re-tested that sample when it was at 20* with my hydrometer and got 11.2 so that must of been it.

Thanks!