gH and kH test kit useful at all for brewing water?

[cdunn1221]

Hello,

I a just did my first batch of BIAB last week. I am new to all grain, and still anxiously awaiting the results of my first batch of Irish Red Ale I made. I have well water that is very hard, but I do not have a reliable water report. I do have gH and kH test kit that I use for fish tanks. will this provide me any useful information for my brewing water??? I do have a RO DI system that I can use and add minerals if needed. I am trying to make this as easy as possible.

Any help would be appreciated. I know eventually I'll get a water report but in the meantime.....

 

[cdunn1221]

Anyone?

 

[ba-brewer]

the brewers friend advanced water tool has an option for a GH/KH input.
http://www.brewersfriend.com/mash-chemistry-and-brewing-water-calculator/

If you have RO water I would just building water from that.

 

[ajdelange]

Clearly the easiest is to use RO with salts. See the Primer. How much easier can be determined by using the kits to see how hard and alkaline the water you will be throwing away is. Once you determine to use RO the kits are of no value other than perhaps to check on how hard you are loading your RO system.

 

[cdunn1221]

I was hoping to maybe mix And dilute RODI water which is what I did with my first batch

 

[cdunn1221]

Would this help me figure out dilution ratio?

 

[cdunn1221]

my kH came in around 215ppm and gH about 285 though it's tough to read the color change from this kit. My pH was 7.2

 

[Brewski_59]

This guy talks about using that kit. http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=At_home_water_testing

 

[cdunn1221]

This guy talks about using that kit. http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=At_home_water_testing

Thanks

 

[ajdelange]

Would this help me figure out dilution ratio?

Yes, it would. If you measured alkalinity at 100 and wanted it less than 25 you would know that you would need a dilution of at least 3:1.