SG problem with tilt hydrometer

The following is speculation, as I don't own a Tilt:

The way a hydrometer works is that the denser the fluid it is in, the less fluid it must displace to float, so the higher it floats. So usually, higher gravity leads to the hydrometer floating higher.

But another thing that could cause the hydrometer to float higher is if carbonation bubbles adhere to it and effectively lift it higher than it would otherwise be. This would tend to make the beer appear denser than it really is, which would fit your observations. And it makes sense that there would be a lot of bubbles 24 hours into a fermentation.

If I'm right, I don't really see what you can do. You could try to dislodge the bubbles manually, but I wouldn't... that would needlessly expose the beer to microbes. I would just let it ride. At the end of the day, the SG doesn't matter all that much until later in the fermentation. But it's unfortunate not to be able to track the fermentation accurately all the way through.

Edit - this is from their FAQ:

https://tilthydrometer.com/pages/faqs

Q. How is the Tilt affected by foam?

A. There is no noticeable interference from foam. Foam plays a minimal role since it is significantly less dense than the beer and 95% of the device is submerged in the beer.

Q. How do bubbles from CO2 affect the Tilt?

A. We recommend putting the Tilt in your beer prior to pitching yeast, this will ensure any bubbles will not affect initial readings. Bubbles from dissolved CO2 may cause higher than expected readings for a short time if placed in an active fermenting brew. However, this can be sped up if washed with alcohol (i.e. Everclear).

 

Sorry about the non-answer but I have had this happen to me before, I don’t remember what the cause was or if I ever figured it out. I think either I gave the FV a gentle swirl and it fixed itself or the SG started to drop normally on its own. I ferment in stainless steel so I am not able to see the Tilt, are you fermenting in something that allows you see yours?

 

I've been using a tilt for about 18 months now and it can give some strange results sometimes (I use a stainless fermenter as well). Here a few things I've observed.

• It can get stuck on things in the fermenter; probes, dip tubes, screens, whatever you may have in there. If I see something funny I gently rock the fermenter to see if I can unstick it.
• Hop and yeast gunk can build up on the tilt. You see this when you pull it out at the end, that build up impacts the reading.
• Very active fermentations can move it around a lot and impact the reading.
• High gravity batches, mine seems to measure on the high side for very high gravities.
• Large batches (>10 gallon) seem to amplify some of these issues.

But with all that said, I still like it. I get a close enough SG reading and I use it mainly to watch the SG drop, to validate temperature and log the data. If I see it slowing down or stopping before expected then I will take a sample to see if anything needs to be done, ie warm it up, add yeast, etc.

 

I agree with most of this. I love my Tilt. It's finicky and it ain't perfect, but it's still pretty useful. personally I rock the fermenter at least once or twice a day, to keep off some of the schmutz to try to keep it more accurate, definitely seems to help.

 

I also love my Tilt but find the readings vary loads. I wondered if mine is defective but think maybe I need to treat it as a child doing chores - perfection is not realistic.

For example, my 30 minute OG logs might progress like this:

1.025
1.025
1.020
1.023
1.024
1.024

My limited knowledge of science says fermentation didn't go backwards. I suspect the right approach is to be content, not whine about details, and guestimate. Yeah?

 

A low battery can produce quirky behavior in some devices. Have you Tilt users found this to be an issue?

 

I also have a Tilt but haven't used it because I ferment in carboys and I worry about getting it out of the thin neck. I mostly got it for remotely measuring the temperature during the mash.

One other possibility in the readings might relate to changing temperatures of the wort as it heats during fermentation.

 

Or maybe yeast activity is causing churn/turnover of the wort/beer, delivering varying concentrations of sugars to the Tilt sensor/s during the 6 readings over 30 minutes (mentioned by @Kansas_Greg)? Just spitballing, here.

ETA: I don't own or use a Tilt

 

I've suspected that as well but haven't noticed it. I've been using mine for about 2 years now on the original battery. It's probably due to be replaced. I've noticed the blue tooth signal seems to be weaker, but it is still functioning the same.

 

I'll give it a tray next time.

 

Same here, but I haven't noticed any reduction in functionality. If anything, it seems to be working even better now than it used to. Makes no sense but whatever.