Water from Hot Water Heater

[smakudwn]

I had my water tested from my hot water heater to see if there was any difference than the water straight from my tap. I did this because if the water is ok to brew with, it would save me some time heating up strike water. Anyway here is my results from 2011 ward report.

pH 9.9
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est 287
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.48
Cations / Anions, me/L 4.9 / 5.3
ppm
Sodium, Na 50
Potassium, K 6
Calcium, Ca 20
Magnesium, Mg 20
Total Hardness, CaCO3 133
Nitrate, NO3-N 1.6 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 42
Chloride, Cl 33
Carbonate, CO3 27
Bicarbonate, HCO3 40
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 78
Fluoride, F 1.12
Total Iron, Fe < 0.01
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

And here are my results from 2013 out of my hot water heater.

pH 9.4
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 376
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.63
Cations / Anions, me/L 6.4 / 6.8
ppm
Sodium, Na 74
Potassium, K 7
Calcium, Ca 26
Magnesium, Mg 21
Total Hardness, CaCO3 153
Nitrate, NO3-N 2.7 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 71
Chloride, Cl 23
Carbonate, CO3 15
Bicarbonate, HCO3 60
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 75
Total Phosphorus, P 0.08
Total Iron, Fe < 0.01
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit


To me these 2 water reports are not that far off from each other.

 

[ajdelange]

Comparing a 2011 report to a 2013 report is not very meaningful. You should draw samples at the same time and send them off together. Before I noticed the different dates I wondered how the hot water heater was adding in 87 mg/L sulfate.

The reason most people don't use hot water heater water is for fear that hot water sitting for hours in contact with the metal components of heater and adjacent plumbing will dissolve ions of those metals. Because of this you should be checking copper in and out. But you can remove this potential problem simply by running the hot water on brew day long enough to flush the entire contents of the tank. You must, of course, wait the recovery time of the heater before you brew and will have wasted a tank full of hot water (or, more to the point, the cost of the energy used to heat it) but can be assured that the chemistry of the water coming out will be pretty close to the chemistry of the water going in. One more thing I recommend before using water from a heater is take some, cool it and taste it next to inlet water at the same temperature. If it has picked up anything in the heater that negatively effects the taste of the water, don't use it.

I close by noting that many a small/startup brewery gets its hot water from a hot water heater. As they brew every day they don't have to worry about long standing time at high temperature.

 

[mabrungard]

They are reasonably similar, but the sodium and sulfate in the last sample is a bit high. Since the hardness ions and alkalinity are similar, I'd say that they would brew similarly. However the sodium and sulfate changes would certainly change beer flavor. I attribute the change to your water source and not the water heater.

 

[smakudwn]

They are reasonably similar, but the sodium and sulfate in the last sample is a bit high. Since the hardness ions and alkalinity are similar, I'd say that they would brew similarly. However the sodium and sulfate changes would certainly change beer flavor. I attribute the change to your water source and not the water heater.

That's what I was thinking. I guess I assumed the water would have more calcium in it from the deposits in the tank itself.

And AJ I have 3 kids, Ill just brew after they all take there showers LOL. Thanks you 2 for looking at this report for me.

 

[smakudwn]

I did the taste test last night and I couldn't taste a difference between the 2 samples, I tried it again this morning and couldn't tell them apart again. I assume I am go to go to use this water.

 

[jhay_x7]

one other thing to add. Most water heaters are glass lined steel tanks so they do not build up mineral deposits on the tank walls. This means you should have very little contact with metal with your hot water. You can get some sediment at the bottom of your tank that might cause a difference in your water as compared to your tap; you can give your water heater a flush to ensure you do not.

IMO - there should be very little difference between the two, just dont fill up your HLT with hot water from your tank with a garden hose!

 

[smakudwn]

No I use RV hoses only used for brewing to move water into my HLT. So I was thinking of putting a t and a shut off valve and quick disconnect under the sink to run the hot water to the garage. This will shave an hour off my brew day I bet.

 

[jhay_x7]

Or buy a bucket heater!

 

[bdh]

I suppose it is also worth noting that if you have an older home that has lead in the plumbing the solubility of lead increases with temperature, so again flushing out the system before use would probably be a good idea if you're using hot water that's been sitting around for a while.