Water Treatment with tap water

[GrainDegenerate]

My water provider give the water analysis every quarter with minimum/average/maximum of every item needed for brewing.

I input the average into BrewFather but never added any salts.


Since RO filters are not an option as they have too much waste and distilled water is a lot of work (local stores only sell in 1L bottles). Is it worth to use those average measurements to adjust the water to a certain profile?

 

[NSMikeD]

I have an RODI system for my fish hobby and so I can start with a clean slate when I brew, however I use the midpoints from the water company with no issues. A factor is that my water is very consistent and on the soft side which makes is good for brewing (Blue Point has the same water supply)

fwiw, if you want to use distilled look to walmart I know that is an option for reef tank hobbyist who don't have an RODI system and need water by the gallons.

as fro RO waste , you use the waste. It's safe to drink, cook with, laundry, water your plants, garden, lawn etc.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Much depends on the spread. I get annual reports showing the min and max for each parameter. The difference in treating for the minimum vs the maximum is extremely wide. You've got quarterlies, maybe they're more predictable with narrower ranges?

 

[GrainDegenerate]

Much depends on the spread. I get annual reports showing the min and max for each parameter. The difference in treating for the minimum vs the maximum is extremely wide. You've got quarterlies, maybe they're more predictable with narrower ranges?

I am new in the water treatment for brewing. So not sure what would be narrow ranges, this are the values I have:

<min> - <avg> - <max>


Calcium: 38.27 - 40.55 - 43.8
Magnesium: 7.83 - 8.95 - 9.91
Sodium: 57.5 - 66.4 - 77.6

Chloride: 83 - 93 - 105
Sulfate: 40 - 46 - 52
Carbonate: 147 - 153 - 156

 

[GrainDegenerate]

I have an RODI system for my fish hobby and so I can start with a clean slate when I brew, however I use the midpoints from the water company with no issues. A factor is that my water is very consistent and on the soft side which makes is good for brewing (Blue Point has the same water supply)

fwiw, if you want to use distilled look to walmart I know that is an option for reef tank hobbyist who don't have an RODI system and need water by the gallons.

as fro RO waste , you use the waste. It's safe to drink, cook with, laundry, water your plants, garden, lawn etc.

I am not in the US, so no Walmart.

As for RO waste, I don't think I would be able to use it all, by my calculations for a 20L batch I would have 100L or more of waste water. That's simple too much, I don't have use for all that.

 

[DBhomebrew]

You can make great beer with that water. Your ranges are narrow enough that going to either extreme wouldn't change your salt additions all that much. I'd use the average figures along with your water calculator of choice.

 

[DBhomebrew]

You can make great beer with that water. Your ranges are narrow enough that going to either extreme wouldn't change your salt additions all that much. I'd use the average figures along with your water calculator of choice.

Your sodium is a bit high. You  may choose to cut your tap water with enough distilled/RO to bring it down to 30-40.

 

[cire]

As advised by @DBhomebrew, that water suitable for brewing. It does have a high sodium level that means most beers you brew with it will have a distinct character, but at less than 100ppm, that isn't as seriously limiting characteristic to worry about initially. You will need acid to reduce the alkalinity, by more than three quarters for pale beers and maybe by half for darker styles, but I'm sure you'll make some very nice beers.

 

[user 336039]

I found myself completely disgusted with the RO waste. A few months ago I bought a cheap carbon filter, mostly to get rid of the chlorine in my tap water. My TDS meter showed that the filter cut about half of the solids. I splurged 40 bucks and sent a sample of my filtered water off to Ward labs for a brew water report. They have an extremely easy process and the thing took less than a week to get the results.

 

[mabrungard]

I found myself completely disgusted with the RO waste. A few months ago I bought a cheap carbon filter, mostly to get rid of the chlorine in my tap water. My TDS meter showed that the filter cut about half of the solids. I splurged 40 bucks and sent a sample of my filtered water off to Ward labs for a brew water report. They have an extremely easy process and the thing took less than a week to get the results.

Interesting! You have the most amazing water since a carbon filter doesn’t have the ability to remove the typical inorganic molecules in potable water. If the result is factual, you have some potentially problematic organic molecules in your water.

To anyone not familiar with the chemistry and physics of activated carbon, those filters remove heavy metal and organic molecules. The TDS of good tap water should be unaffected by carbon filtration.

 

[user 336039]

Interesting! You have the most amazing water since a carbon filter doesn’t have the ability to remove the typical inorganic molecules in potable water. If the result is factual, you have some potentially problematic organic molecules in your water.

To anyone not familiar with the chemistry and physics of activated carbon, those filters remove heavy metal and organic molecules. The TDS of good tap water should be unaffected by carbon filtration.

I actually had two tests done, a few days apart. Tested the unfiltered water, and then the filtered water. The results are in the image. Relooking, the TDS isn't half - more like 20%. I guess there could be some other factors, since I didn't pull the samples at the same time. Same source though.