bierhaus15
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I've been brewing with RO water for years without issue, but my source of cheap RO water is no more and I've always wanted to try lime softening. As such, I recently treated 3 batches of my very hard well water and have seen a reduction in alkalinity, but I'm sure I could be doing things better. I am also using phosphoric acid to re-acidify and I have some concerns about the resulting phosphate content.
Here is my water report:
pH: 7.5
TDS: 348
Na: 11
Ca: 81
Mg: 26
Tot. Hard: 311
Sulfate: 5
Cl: 22
Bicarb: 360
Tot. Alk: 295
My process has been to add calcium hydroxide to 15 gallons of untreated well water until the pH reaches around 11.0 pH, measured via a HQ40d meter. Approximately 1 Tb. of chalk is added to help with calcium precipitation. Water sits overnight until all of the chalk precipitates out of solution. The clear water is siphoned into another stainless vessel and phosphoric acid (75%) is added to the water until the pH reaches 7 (about 3 ml). While adding the phosphoric acid I've noticed a milky-blue haze develop in the water. One time it congealed into a jelly-like mass that slowly sank to the bottom (apatite?) and two other times it started to form but eventually dissipated back into the water. I tested the resulting batches of water for total alkalinity (CaC03) and got 42, 57, and 69 ppm. I also tested for phosphate (total and reactive) but the results have been in the negatives (-0.98)? I'm using Hach TNT 870 and 844 kits.
I also tried bubbling C02 into the water with a 0.5 micron stone but the pH hardly dropped after 15 minutes.
Is there a better way to do this process, especially using phosphoric acid for acidification? I've read that apatite gel can form when adding phos acid, but it has not been consistent. Is it due to pH? That said, when I add calcium sulfate/chloride to the treated mash water there is a similar color change and the water goes opaque-blue/white. Lastly, I've seen references to adding untreated water as a means for reducing pH, but I am not sure what that does for the resulting calcium and alkalinity.
Suggestions or insight is appreciated.
Here is my water report:
pH: 7.5
TDS: 348
Na: 11
Ca: 81
Mg: 26
Tot. Hard: 311
Sulfate: 5
Cl: 22
Bicarb: 360
Tot. Alk: 295
My process has been to add calcium hydroxide to 15 gallons of untreated well water until the pH reaches around 11.0 pH, measured via a HQ40d meter. Approximately 1 Tb. of chalk is added to help with calcium precipitation. Water sits overnight until all of the chalk precipitates out of solution. The clear water is siphoned into another stainless vessel and phosphoric acid (75%) is added to the water until the pH reaches 7 (about 3 ml). While adding the phosphoric acid I've noticed a milky-blue haze develop in the water. One time it congealed into a jelly-like mass that slowly sank to the bottom (apatite?) and two other times it started to form but eventually dissipated back into the water. I tested the resulting batches of water for total alkalinity (CaC03) and got 42, 57, and 69 ppm. I also tested for phosphate (total and reactive) but the results have been in the negatives (-0.98)? I'm using Hach TNT 870 and 844 kits.
I also tried bubbling C02 into the water with a 0.5 micron stone but the pH hardly dropped after 15 minutes.
Is there a better way to do this process, especially using phosphoric acid for acidification? I've read that apatite gel can form when adding phos acid, but it has not been consistent. Is it due to pH? That said, when I add calcium sulfate/chloride to the treated mash water there is a similar color change and the water goes opaque-blue/white. Lastly, I've seen references to adding untreated water as a means for reducing pH, but I am not sure what that does for the resulting calcium and alkalinity.
Suggestions or insight is appreciated.