Wow, you guys. Thanks so much for all the info. Already I'm seeing where I've been going wrong.
1st, there is some wort left over. The screen tends to clog up, so I try a gentle swirl to loosen it up and get the flow going, and that which remains tends to be full of hops etc, so I don't send it into the primary
2nd, once I've added water, I've never stirred it (partly because the instructions don't tell me too), the light water ontop of the wort could be part of the problem.
Another thing, is the foam that accumulates ontop of the wort during the transfer to the primary, it hangs around over the entire surface, and makes it difficult to read. Any suggestions on what to do with that foam?
Once it was in the primary, there was a very active fermentation on the go, I mean it was bubbling like a kettle for a good 2 days, and only slowed toward the end of the 3rd. So I was more than supprised when 2 weeks later when I lifted some out to get a gravity reading that the hydrometer (it has an estimated APV scale) says it has an APV of about 3% which is ridiculous if it's true.
Ahhh well, what can one do
![Smiley :)](http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/Smileys/default/smiley.gif)
, except try again.
Thanks so much of all the advice thus far