hydrometor question

[MARK123]

I have tried 2 hydrometor's from my local beer shop....first read water at 1.003....this one reads .997.....can I just assume a wort reading of 1.050 is really 1.053...Should it read 1.000 for plain water???..I'm right at 60 degrees.....Thanx for the input!!

[brewmonkey]

Is yours calibrated for 60F water? I know some are set to 20C (68F) and others are set for different temps. I would first confirm that your brand of hydrometer is calibrated for 60, if it is then your assumptions are correct.

[Bruno_78]

At 4 degrees cel. (39.2 f) water has a specific gravity of 1.000. Temperature is going to affect that as well as, I assume, the composition of your water, as it is surely not pure.

[MARK123]

It says specific gravity temp 60 degrees f...I use the same filtered water I brew with.Can I also assume sg of 1.050 is 1.053....and fg of 1.017 is 1.020...and alcohol content of 4.3%???Is this a common problem???

[Stodbrew]

Try it in some distilled water.

[paul84043]

Is there actually a problem? Gravity readings don't have to be that precise....it's a great source of info, but if your OG is 1.050 or 1.053, does it really matter that much?
You could probably pay more money for a high tolerance hydrometer from a scientific instrument store, but for 4$ from your HB store, what do you really expect?
I still use mine, but rarely give it more than a passing glance. It's enough to get an idea if your kit is in the ballpark, to tell if you're ready to bottle, and to guestimate an alcohol content.
I typically find myself concerned much more with the taste of my beer than ABV.
As long as you know that your hydrometer runs high or low, you're going to be just fine. I can't remember which side mine is on and can't remember the last time I worried about it.

[MARK123]

Your right!!!...Taste is everything. I have been brewing for 6 mos now and this is the first time I will be using one. Just thought it would be good to formulate recipes with. For some reason I thought maybe if it was off a little on the low side, It might be off alot at the higher side. Thanx again for the input!!

[paul84043]

Nah, it's going to be consistently off in whichever direction.
And you're quite right that it's a useful tool, just not worth stressing over a few thousandths of a point.
If you're formulation your own recipes, it will be invaluable in telling you how you're doing.

If it were off by a full decade or something like that, it could really cause you some problems, but the amount of variation you're seeing is perfectly normal.

[Fast_Eddy]

If you're interested - buried somewhere on this site in a thread is a link about how to calibrate your hydrometer. I personally wouldn't sweat it.

[Bruno_78]

here is the calibration link.

http://www.knology.net/~sprevost/beerwine/cal.htm