ispindle Problem

[Rotation]

Taken delivery of a new calibrated ispindle and I have been testing it for accuracy before using it. The calibration on it was surprisingly accurate and during the three day test, both temperature and SG have remained constant at SG 1.000 and 22.3c which my heater is set at.

On day three the battery level suddenly dropped drastically and then surprisingly went back up again. The battery reading fluctuation continued for a further three hours, up and down. When I removed the ispindle from the test environment I noticed a small amount of water in the bottom of the tube, just enough to make contact with the lower battery connector.

Now dried out it still works perfectly but I cant seem to trust it in a "Live" brew environment. Is there a way to seal these things that I don`t know about?

I would be grateful for any advice.

[Rotation]

Well I have taken the risk and thrown it in my latest brew and everything went well until I pressurised my FV. Within 20 mins SG dropped from 1.050 to 1.010? Temp remains stable and reasonably accurate and battery remains constant at 4.5v.

[Eric]

Sounds like a poor seal. Suggest you try a smear of petroleum jelly.

[drjim]

They don't seem to seal well even with vaseline on the threads, but if you are pressure fermenting there's no chance of it sealing properly.

[Cobnut]

No experience of the iSpindel, but I have been using a Tilt hydrometer for about 5 years now with no issues. I have replaced the battery at least once; it's a bit of a pig of a job to do, but the seal works well.

One the subject of seals. Most types of rubber do not fare well with substances like vaseline. The rubber tends to degrade and eventually fail.

This is why vaseline is a bad choice for lubrication when condoms are being used! KY Jelly is a better choice (for lubrication).