FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why am I not getting regular updates on my Google Sheet?

A. In order to post continuous data to the cloud you need to make sure your iOS/Android/Fire phone/tablet is always on (plugged in), with the Tilt app always open (and in the foreground), and always near your fermenter. 

Q. Can I buy a Tilt in my country locally (outside the USA)?

A. Yes. We have many dealers selling Tilts around the world. You can find a map of them here https://tilthydrometer.com/pages/dealer-locator 

Q. Does the Tilt work in stainless steel conical fermenters?

A. Yes. We have hundreds of customers using the Tilt in a variety of SS fermenters. You will have reduced Bluetooth range and will need to place your smartphone/tablet closer to your fermenter to receive data. You can also purchase a Tilt repeater specifically designed for stainless steel to extend range.

Q. How do I change the battery in my Tilt?

A. Here is a video tutorial to show you how to change the battery in your Tilt. http://tilthydrometer.com/blogs/news/118324548-how-to-change-the-battery-of-your-brewometer-tilt

Q What type of temperature range can this handle?  

A. The temperature range of the Tilt is 0°F to 185°F (-17.8°C to 85°C)

Q. What are the dimensions of the Tilt/?

A. The device is 3-5/8" (9.20 cm) long by 1-1/8" (2.86 cm) in diameter. It is designed to fit in a typical 5 gallon glass carboy.

Q. What is your warranty?

A. http://tilthydrometer.com/pages/warranty

Q. Does Tilt pay for international (non USA) customs fees/taxes/tariffs/duties.

A. No. Please read our official international shipping policy here. 

Q. What is the Tilt's Bluetooth range?

A. The Tilt will interact with your smartphone or tablet from up to 25 feet.

Q. Is the Tilt compatible with Apple/iOS smartphones and tablets?

A.Yes. Any iPhone 4S or newer (with Bluetooth 4.0) or any iPad Mini or iPad 3 or newer (with Bluetooth 4.0) should work. 

Q. Is the Tilt compatible with Android phones and tablets?

A. Yes, in general most Android phone or tablet with Bluetooth 4.0 and Android OS version 4.3+. See our list here: http://tilthydrometer.com/pages/compatible-android-device-list

Q. How often does the Tilt take measurement readings?

A. The Tilt will send updated measurement readings for temperature and specific gravity to your iOS or Android device every 5 seconds.

Q. How do I turn off the Tilt when I'm not using it?

A. The Tilt will go into sleep mode when you're not brewing to save battery life. Simply stand the Tilt up or lay it on its side and it will shut off automatically.

Q. How do I turn on the Tilt?

A. Simply drop the Tilt in your fermenting brew and the device will turn on and start taking readings automatically within a minute, typically 5-15 seconds. Tilt will stay on within an SG range of 0.990 - 1.200.

Q. How long will my battery last?

A. The lithium CR123A battery will last 3 months for our first generation models (blue-green circuit board) or 12 months for our second generation and later models (black circuit board). The second generation model will last 24 months in sleep mode.

Q. How accurate is the Tilt? 

A. The specific gravity is accurate +/- 0.002 within the Tilt's range of 0.990 to 1.120. The thermometer is accurate +/- 1°F (+/- 0.5°C). Depending on temperature change, it can take up to 15 minutes to get an accurate temperature due to the thermal mass and thermal conductivity of the Tilt itself (0.25 lbs/55 g air-filled with plastic enclosure).

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). 

Q. How precise is the Tilt?

A. The Tilt is as precise as a standard hydrometer. SG readings are in 0.001 increments and temperature readings are in 1°F (0.56°C) increments

Q. How does vigorous fermentation affect the Tilt?

A. You do see a lot of turbulence at peak moments of fermentation, however since data is being collected every few seconds the ability to get a smooth moving average allows for a highly accurate readings. That said, we've come to enjoy reading the non-averaged data because it also tells you how active the fermentation is. In some cases we'll chill the fermentor a little more to prevent blow off and overflow of beer. 

Q. Will I be able to chart the data from the Tilt?

A. Yes. You will be able to log data of your beer's fermentation progress (specific gravity and temperature) to the cloud for sharing, graphing, and archiving. See our apps section on how to set up Google Sheet logging for your Tilt.

Q. Does the SG reported by the Tilt compensate for the current temperature automatically?

A. Due to the polycarbonate housing of the the Tilt, no correction is needed from approximately 38°F to 98°F. Temperatures above 98°F result in an decrease of SG of about 1 point per 10°F. i.e. water at around 160°F will read 0.994.

Q. How do I sanitize and/or clean my Tilt?

A. The polycarbonate container and washers/o-rings are safe with StarSan, which is our recommended sanitizer. Use warm water and dish soap for cleaning. Do not use a scrubber or soak in PBW for more than a few hours, this can cause hairline cracks in the polycarbonate.

Q How often does the Tilt post data to the cloud/Google Sheets?  

A. The iOS/Android app will update gravity and temperature data every 15 minutes to Google Sheets. The Tilt Pi can update data every 5 minutes to 60 minutes depending on setting selected.

Q. Does the Tilt work with a Raspberry Pi?  

A. Yes! You can get a free SD card image download to our Tilt Pi here. 

Q. Can I develop my own app for the Tilt. Do you have any technical information available to do this on different systems?

A. Yes. The Tilt uses iBeacon to broadcast data. See the following link for detail on the data format: https://kvurd.com/blog/tilt-hydrometer-ibeacon-data-format/

 
A. Please make sure that you've removed the Tilt from its plastic shipping tube prior to using it.

Q. Can I use the Tilt under pressure?

A. Yes. The Tilt works great under pressure. Here's a blog post on that subject. https://tilthydrometer.com/blogs/news/controlling-fermentation-rate-with-pressure

Q. How do I know if my battery is still good (battery indicator)?

A. When waking your Tilt from a standing or laying down position you will see an LED on the circuit board blink green, indicating the battery is good. If you can't see the LED or it is very dim, you'll want to swap out your battery. It is recommended to double check that the LED did not flash by putting the Tilt to sleep again (letting it stand vertically or lay horizontally for 30 seconds or until you see the LED blink blue) and waking it up again in a glass of water. Changing the battery will require recalibration so it is best to be sure the battery is really dead before changing it.

Q. Time zone appears to be GMT. How do I change the time zone on the Tilt Pi?

A. After setting up a Tilt Pi using the SD card image download, you can access the Tilt Pi dashboard with a phone or computer connected on the same WiFi network by going to http://tiltpi.local:1880/ui (for Mac and iOS devices) or http://x.x.x.x:1880/ui where x.x.x.x is the local IP address of your Raspberry Pi (use your WiFi router settings page to determine this address by going to your connected device list and looking for "tiltpi" device). Once in the dashboard, go to the menu->system->Time Zone to select the correct time zone. Restart the Raspberry Pi and the system time zone should then be updated.

Q. I can't see my Tilt hydrometer in the Tilt 2 app. The screen is blank and my Tilt doesn't appear connected.

A. The Tilt 2 app for iOS and Android requires Bluetooth and location permissions to work. Make sure you have granted Bluetooth and location permissions when installing the app. You can re-install the app or to make changes, go to the iOS or Android settings for Tilt 2 and double check location permissions are granted. For iOS you may need to tap the setting for location permissions and ensure that the "Precise Location" setting is enabled.