I see a decrease of weight over time during the brewing process, why?

From a professional balance maker‘s standpoint, there are several reasons that this type of reading will occur. The most common case under normal circumstances are these:

Temperature — Scale sensors are directly affected by temperature, and Acaia has a set of standards of what ranges of temperature effects are allowed. A temperature change unavoidably alters the sensor’s performance, but it can be greater avoided by using a heat insulation pad on the scale.

Evaporation— The responsiveness of the scale is also one of our key technologies. Since our Acaia scale is built to a higher resolution and sensitivity, it is able to detect the gradual evaporation of water into the air. Since coffee brewing uses water at temperatures just below boiling, the effects of the evaporation are quite noticeable.

A faulty scale — When the sensor has malfunctioned, the weight readings are not accurate and will sometimes decrease/increase rapidly without a pattern.

In order to determine whether your Acaia scale is faulty due to bad sensors, or if the abnormal reading is a result of evaporation, we suggest the following procedures.

  1. Put an open, heat-proof container on the scale (with aerial pad!)
  2. Add some hot water
  3. Observe if the displayed weight on the scale decreases
  4. Put a lid on the container
  5. Observe if the displayed weight stops decreasing and if there is water condensed on the lid

If you complete steps 4 and 5 without seeing the measured weight decrease over time, we can conclude that the weight decrease is mainly due to evaporation.

Evaporation is a significant factor during brewing!

Still noticing a difference?

Are you still seeing a large decrease with the lid on? If this is the case, please contact our customer support team directly and we will help to resolve the issue. Email us at support@acaia.co 

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