top up water

[scottab]

I have a 5 gallon and a 3 gallon pot. With the 5 i will typically boil my volume at 4 gallons which boils down to 3 so i have to top with 2 gallons. I usually boil my top up water the night before and chill in the fridge or if i'm pressed for time boil and cold water bath during my brew day session. Is boiling the top up necessary or could i just filter with a brita pitcher?

 

[uatuba]

My opinion is that boiling the top up makes you 99% certain that you won't introduce an infection into your wort, whereas not boiling makes you only 90% certain. I just don't think there is that much of a risk from municipal tap water in the US.

 

[mpcluever]

Agreed. Personally I would prefer to boil it, but my friends topped up when they first started and they didn't. I don't remember an infection.

 

[Yooper]

I never boil my top off water. If you have chlorine or chloramine in your water, you can treat for that without boiling.

My tap water doesn't have bacteria or anything in it, and I even drink it!

 

[E_Marquez]

I know I "should" boil my top off water, but in 10 batches I have not, just used filtered cold water from my fridge... So far no infections.

I hate to waste wort (beer) but will continue this way till I get a batch with an infection.. only then will I change to either full boils (I have the pot size to do 6.5 gal boils.. but it's a pain to cool, move, pour) or boiled water.. like you, probable a day before, put in a sanitized bucket and stick in the fermentation chamber to cool.

 

[E_Marquez]

If you have chlorine or chloramine in your water, you can treat for that without boiling.

Wait.. What?.......crap think I just learned I need to learn something

cuz I do have either chlorine or chloramine in my tap water depending on the cycle my water co op is on that quarter.

Off to do some research.....

 

[Yooper]

Wait.. What?.......crap think I just learned I need to learn something

cuz I do have either chlorine or chloramine in my tap water depending on the cycle my water co op is on that quarter.

Off to do some research.....

Chlorine will boil off- chloramine will not. Chlorine will also dissipate, just by sitting out overnight, but chloramines will not.

The easy fix is to use 1 campden tablet (potassium metabisulfite), crush it, and stir it into 20 gallons of tap water. Stir it up, and the chemical reaction means the chloramine will disappear. You can use 1/2 tablet for 10 gallons, 1/4 tablet for 5 gallons, so you can treat whatever brew water you have.

 

[E_Marquez]

Chlorine will boil off- chloramine will not. Chlorine will also dissipate, just by sitting out overnight, but chloramines will not.

The easy fix is to use 1 campden tablet (potassium metabisulfite), crush it, and stir it into 20 gallons of tap water. Stir it up, and the chemical reaction means the chloramine will disappear. You can use 1/2 tablet for 10 gallons, 1/4 tablet for 5 gallons, so you can treat whatever brew water you have.

Thanks...


I found another thread detailing the issue and posted there.

Love this place.... get smarter every time I sit down and read stuff here...

 

[dmashl]

I never boil my top off water, but I use bottled spring water. Never had anything go wrong with my batches.

 

[uatuba]

Or you can take about a 10th of a vitamin c tablet and add it for the same, easier to obtain, effect.

 

[scottab]

Chlorine will boil off- chloramine will not. Chlorine will also dissipate, just by sitting out overnight, but chloramines will not.

The easy fix is to use 1 campden tablet (potassium metabisulfite), crush it, and stir it into 20 gallons of tap water. Stir it up, and the chemical reaction means the chloramine will disappear. You can use 1/2 tablet for 10 gallons, 1/4 tablet for 5 gallons, so you can treat whatever brew water you have.

I have the potassium metabisulfite in powder form how much should i use? And will this kill any yeast when i pitch or does it become inactive after a period of time.

 

[E_Marquez]

I have the potassium metabisulfite in powder form how much should i use? And will this kill any yeast when i pitch or does it become inactive after a period of time.

What I have seen cited so far is 35 milligrams per gallon.
https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/

4.1.3 Metabisulfite (Campden Tablet) addition is effective for chlorine and chloramine removal. The tablets are either potassium metabisulfite or sodium metabisulfite. Both are effective in disinfectant removal. When sodium content in the brewing water is a concern, potassium metabisulfite may be preferred. Moderate potassium content in brewing water generally has less effect on brewing performance or taste. Adding these compounds at a rate of about 9 milligrams per liter (~35 milligrams per gallon or ~1 tablet per 20 gallons) or (~1 tablet per 75 liters) will dechlorinate typical municipal water and leave residual concentrations of about 3 ppm potassium or 2 ppm sodium (depending on the chemical used) and 8 ppm sulfate and 3 ppm chloride. These ion contributions are relatively insignificant and can be ignored in practice

Not read anything about a concern with killing yeast.

 

[Yooper]

I have the potassium metabisulfite in powder form how much should i use? And will this kill any yeast when i pitch or does it become inactive after a period of time.

The typical "dosage" for 6 campden tablets would be 1/4 teaspoon of the powder, so it might be easier to add water and then make a dilulted solution of it and add the solution by the teaspoonful since it'd be really hard to measure out the minute amount you'd need!

One campden tablet would be equal to 1/6 of 1/4 teaspoon of the powder.