Bluetooth hydrometer

[subseageorge]

Hi guys,
Has anyone used a blutooth hydrometer. Put it in at the start of the ferment and leave it. Tracks your SG and temperature via an app.

No need to open and take samples .

 

[Boatboy24]

I've seen these. That's a lot of coin. When I'm frequently thinking about SG in my wine, it's during active fermentation, when I'm doing punchdowns 2 or 3 times a day. For me, just as easy to use the 'old fashioned' hydrometer when I'm already in the room. Good reviews on Amazon though.

 

[cmason1957]

If you are often fermenting with something in the must, as in grape skins, fruit, maybe oak, I would be concerned that it might get stuck on the floating thing or at least cause enough of an issue to cause a faulty reading. I believe I remember someone mentioning that happening on here within the last month or so. It is kinda neat, and I suppose it would be good to have a nearly continuous readout as to how the fermentation is going, but I'm not sure it wouldn't lead to unneccessary worry, if the sg didn't drop for 10 hours or something. I don't check the sg during the first several days of fermentation. If I have a cap forming and it takes some good stirring or punching to get rid of it, that's good enough for me. I think I'll stick with my relatively cheap old style hydrometer.

 

[ras2018]

I have one and love it. No need to fight the foam during the initial mixing and it’s so easy to just open the app and see where your wine is. Mine will read quite far away too, which is nice. The tilt also tracks temp, which is honestly super handy.

 

[Val-the-Brew-Gal]

Hi guys,
Has anyone used a blutooth hydrometer. Put it in at the start of the ferment and leave it. Tracks your SG and temperature via an app.

No need to open and take samples .View attachment 62749

That looks like a cool tool. Can I ask how expensive it is?

 

[Johnd]

That looks like a cool tool. Can I ask how expensive it is?

 

[joeswine]

I'm old and less is more. For me standard stick style only need to test once in the beginning and if you're aware of what to look for or hear no need until the wine tell you so. To retest it. toys are nice though

 

[JoP]

Hi guys,
Has anyone used a blutooth hydrometer. Put it in at the start of the ferment and leave it. Tracks your SG and temperature via an app.
No need to open and take samples .

I have one and used it for a couple of years.
The Tilt was made for beer brewing and it needs clear juice in order to float freely.
In white wine where you don’t have skins, there is no problem, in red wine it is a challenge.
I make red wine, so I came up with a solution
After I punch the cap, I lower a plastic pitcher with holes in the bottom into the must.
The holes will allow the must to fill the pitcher keeping the skins away, and the Tilt can float freely.
It works for me and it is very accurate.
View attachment 62749

 

[TheAbbot]

I have an iSpindle which is essentially the same thing but open source, much cheaper and works via wifi (which is better, IMHO, because it has longer range than Bluetooth and can be checked on from anywhere in the world [for what that's worth]). It's a great toy. It is not a necessity by any means -- but it is fun to play with. You can chart temperature and gravity and know precisely when your wine is fermented out. I paid about $20 CDN and assembled it. I would not have paid $185 CDN ($135USD) for a TIlt and been happy.

 

[DonnyDarko19]

I have a couple of the Tilt hydrometers and love them. They work prefect for wine kits, but as some have mentioned, the grape skins can cause false readings when making wine from grapes. That's where a pasta strainer comes in handy. Keeps the solids out and allows you to suspend the hydrometer in liquid only. I push this into the must down until 2-3 inches of the strainer is still sticking out of the must and tie it to the handle to keep it from sinking down. Works like a charm.

 

[joeswine]

Like that set-up

 

[rustbucket]

I have an iSpindle which is essentially the same thing but open source, much cheaper and works via wifi (which is better, IMHO, because it has longer range than Bluetooth and can be checked on from anywhere in the world [for what that's worth]). It's a great toy. It is not a necessity by any means -- but it is fun to play with. You can chart temperature and gravity and know precisely when your wine is fermented out. I paid about $20 CDN and assembled it. I would not have paid $185 CDN ($135USD) for a TIlt and been happy.

@TheAbbot where did you get the iSpindle PCB and parts from?

 

[TheAbbot]

@TheAbbot where did you get the iSpindle PCB and parts from?

I'm sorry, I can't tell you. I was a part of a group buy. One person who knew what they were doing bought everything in bulk and we split the costs. I was just a lucky hanger-on.

 

[winemaker81]

It's an interesting toy, but it's too pricey for me. Last fall I had 3 fermenters going at once -- forking out $400 for 3 of these puppies is far too much for me.

My hydrometers are 30+ years old -- I checked Amazon and was surprised at the price a plain 'ole triple scale hydrometer goes for these days. In contrast, refractometers are far cheaper than the last time I checked.

 

[roy-c-smith]

@TheAbbot where did you get the iSpindle PCB and parts from?

You can get the iSpindel kit on ebay for £29

 

[hounddawg]

View attachment 62798

shoot that's more than i give my dog to not bite me,,, lol
Dawg

 

[hounddawg]

It's an interesting toy, but it's too pricey for me. Last fall I had 3 fermenters going at once -- forking out $400 for 3 of these puppies is far too much for me.

My hydrometers are 30+ years old -- I checked Amazon and was surprised at the price a plain 'ole triple scale hydrometer goes for these days. In contrast, refractometers are far cheaper than the last time I checked.

shoot i keep 5 extra, with lines, carboys, crates, and one leg and 2/3rd a foot on the left side, i do snap them now and then,, hehe enough to keep 5 extras
Dawg