Calibrated hydrometer

I recently broke my hydrometer and replaced it with a new one ($7.00 one).
I tested it in tap water and came up with a reading of 1.002 at 60F (the calibration temp per the hydrometer).

How does this impact my recipes.

For simplicity sake.  Lets say I have a cider that should have an OG of 1.050 and a FG of 1.000. 

When I measure that with my hydrometer at 60F it would show an OG of 1.052 and a FG of 1.002?  (my hydrometer measures high .002

BYO has an article on calibration:  http://byo.com/departments/1464.html

The article states:

"For example, let’s say your hydrometer reads 0.998 in pure water at 60 °C (its calibration temperature). This means that it’s reading two “points” low and you should subtract two “points” from any reading you take in wort or beer. In other words, if your wort reads 1.050, your corrected reading would be 1.048."

The article confuses me as it suggests I should add .002 to all my readings yet if I did that in my above example wouldn't I have an OG reading of 1.054 and 1.004 when the measure with a correctly calibrated hydrometer shold be 1.050 and 1.000?

So for pratical purposes how do I use this hydrometer in conjunction with beersmith?  It seems to me that I would reduce all my measurements by .002 rathern than increase them by .002?

Sorry for beign so thickheaded I just can't seem to get my head around this issue. 

Thanks

I agree with you.

I think there is a mistake in the article.  If the reading of the Hydrometer is two points low for water, then you should add two points to get it back to 1.000.  So in their example, a reading of 1.050 should translate to a real SG of 1.052.  It is 0.052 above water which is a reading of 0.998.

I seem to recall that in the following issue of BYO there was a correction published stating exactly that.

If you have a hydrometer that reads 1.002 in tap water at 60 F then your hydrometer is high by 0.002. Thus, an OG rading of 1.050 by this hydrometer is really an OG of 1.048. If you have a hydrometer that reads 0.998 in water at 60 F you hydrometer is 0.002 low. Thus, an OG of 1.050 reading would be a 1.052 when corrected for the low reading hydrometer.

Dr Malt

Dr Malt,
Ha!  As soon as you mentioned it, I think I recalled that correction too.  I haven't really checked (or calibrated) my hydrometer in such a long time, I can't remember if it's off and by how much.  I should do that.

I usually only use it to check my mash efficiency and to get an idea of the alcohol level.  I usually sparge until I have the volume that I want and I judge the fermentation based on the bubble rate.

I know a my buddy will keep sparging until or stop sparging when he has the correct pre-boil gravity.  Sometimes he ends up with a lot of extra beer at the end of the boil and has to split it into two fermenters.  I guess I am not that hard-core about the consistency from batch to batch that I want the correct gravity... as long as it's close.

I know a lot of books and brewers say to measure the gravity to determine when fermentation is done, but I feel like I am going to contaminate my beer with the 'thief' and/or introduce more oxygen to the fermenter if I start checking it from day to day.  I usually do a two stage fermentation.  I know there is a chance for contamination there, but I can leave it in the secondary for a while to make sure the fermentation is complete.  No bottle bombs yet!  Plus, it opens up the primary for another batch.

This is probably more information then you needed or wanted... and I am getting off topic.

Happy brewing!