thermometer broke in end of run

[partonken]

I was just finishing up a run of cherry whiskey running into the final tails which i collected separately. I went back a few times to check the alcohol content and it kept going up and im thinking what the hell is going on and i swear i had nothing to drink. After investigated i noticed my glass thermometer had cracked and had distillate in it and it was giving me faulty reading in my parrot. My question is do these new thermometers have Mercury in them or other bad stuff in them? On the safe side im going to throw out all my tails. I think it cracked well into the tails.

[NormandieStill]

I think you mean hydrometer, not thermometer. If so, then it's very hard to know what they were using as the counterweight in the bulb. If it was a thermometer with a red line and you were measuring temperature, then (as far as I know) they are alcohol + a dye. Personally, I'd chuck the stuff that might be contaminated. I would hope that a hydrometer was made of at least food-safe materials, but that doesn't necessarily mean alcohol-safe.

[partonken]

yes your right , hydrometer. Ill play it safe and toss all the tails. thanks for the info

[Saltbush Bill]

Brandy is made from fruit, whiskey is made from grains.
Cherry Whiskey ?

[NZChris]

I'll add that to my list of excuses for why I've never gotten around to building a parrot.

[Yummyrum]

Some folk put a small wad of stainless scrubber in the bottom of their Parrot to cushion the Alcometer if it gets dropped in or bounces around too hard .

But I’ll go with NZChris .

[still_stirrin]

I'll add that to my list of excuses for why I've never gotten around to building a parrot.

ss

[NZChris]

It's not the first time it's happened.

https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3A ... s-wiz#ip=1

[bobpratl]

Some folk put a small wad of stainless scrubber in the bottom of their Parrot to cushion the Alcometer if it gets dropped in or bounces around too hard
But I’ll go with NZChris .

Thanks! Great idea.

[greggn]

My question is do these new thermometers have Mercury in them or other bad stuff in them?

If your hydrometer is like mine and has a weighted end with small metallic balls, and its from China, then I have to believe they're lead.

[OtisT]

I'll add that to my list of excuses for why I've never gotten around to building a parrot.

ss

Funny. The first thing I ever built for distilling was a parrot. I think I used it once, and it’s been sitting on a shelf ever since.

[8Ball]

… put a small wad of stainless scrubber in the bottom of their Parrot to cushion the Alcometer …

Now that is a good nugget of info to file away for future reference. I’ve dropped mine in the parrot a couple times without incident— yet.

[kennstminet]

If your hydrometer is like mine and has a weighted end with small metallic balls, and its from China, then I have to believe they're lead.

Take a magnet and hold it against the bottom of the hydrometer.
If its lead, then it is not magnetic.
All my hydrometers, including cheap China stuff are magnetic.