original gravity not expected

[crupp]

How fine did you mill the grains? A poor crush tends to be the cause of most low OG problems.

I was thinking that's a mill problem, too. 3 lbs of extract in a 5 gallon patch works out to be about 1.024. did you look at your crush? I did a few batches where I had horrible efficiencies, and I realized that my mill was spaced out a bit too far, and most of my grain wasn't getting crushed. Once you mashed in, did you get it good and stirred up?

Also...I think I read everything here, but does your hydrometer read zero with plain old water?

[Alchemywunderkid]

Also...I think I read everything here, but does your hydrometer read zero with plain old water?

Let me get a hallelujah on this one!

One of the most important things I've learned was to calibrate everything... often. Knowing that your instruments are accurate will give you a better comfort level and aid in problem solving. I'm still working on it, but the better I calibrate, the better I know my system and the better I can adjust the results of my brews.