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Changes in our local water: hardness up 250% from typical
June 28, 2009 - 3:03pm
I wasn't sure where to post this since we don't have an "Ingredients" section. Craig, feel free to move it to the appropriate location.
Anyway, as I'm sure you are all aware, we are in a drought right now. I just realized today how much that has affected our water. Traditionally, we've had "hard" water in the range of about 140 ppm, with seasonal fluctuations of about +/- 20% max. I haven't analyzed my water in some time, but had a feeling that it has been changing over the last 6 months. My mash pH has been climbing batch to batch and I've started to have a citrusy component in my Hefeweizen.
Well, I got out my testing equipment today and was shocked: our water hardness has gone up by almost 250% over the last 6 months and is now considered "extremely hard". FYI for anyone experiencing anomalies with their brewing lately.
June 28, 2009 - 4:19pm
#2
If you're not having any issues, then I suggest you don't do anything.
For homebrew size batches, dilution with distilled water is probably the answer. I'd get the $15 water analysis from www.wardlab.com and then dilute accordingly.
I don't have the dilution option right now on the scale I'm going to be brewing so I'm looking at chemical treatment such as precipitating the hardness out with phosphoric acid or something.
I don't have a clue where RCWD gets our supply.
June 28, 2009 - 4:37pm
#3
We can haul a lot of 1 gallon distilled water bottles in the back of my truck.
If it becomes a problem I'll have to get my water distiller working.
June 28, 2009 - 11:36pm
#4
Some info I found:
"Traditionally the water treatment market had one main solution to hard water. This solution was water softeners. However, in recent years alternative treatments have become increasingly popular, the most interesting of which is electromagnetic water conditioning.
Water Softeners work by ion exchange, so sodium replaces the calcium and/or magnesium in the water. Water Conditioners on the other hand create a magnetic field around your pipework which alters the ions in the water so that they loose their ability to cause scale. In tackling hard water, both methods will reduce limescale. Water Conditioners are significantly less expensive to start with and they have negligible running costs. Water Softeners cost a lot more but have the added effect that they will treat very small amounts of other metals such as Copper, Iron or Zinc."
Source: http://www.water-treatment.org.uk/hard_water.html
Also two links at the bottom of the page for Magnetic Conditioners and Mechanical Softeners.
Hope that's a little helpful.
June 29, 2009 - 5:25pm
#5
Good research, but those types of treatment don't work for brewing.
Magnetic conditioners (controversial technology) don't take the minerals out of the water; they just prevent the minerals from building up in the pipes, but leave it in the water.
Mechanical softeners just take out the calcium and magnesium and replace them with sodium, which is worse.
For brewing, you need to somehow physically lower the overall content of dissolved solids. Dilution with distilled (pure) or reverse osmosis (nearly pure) water is the best way, but expensive. Secondly, boiling while aerating the water will cause a reaction where the hardness changes its form and precipitates out of solution. Finally, the addition of certain acids will cause another reaction where the hardness changes its form and comes out of solution.
I'm leaning towards the latter right now.
June 29, 2009 - 6:45pm
#6
What about getting a charcoal filter to filter out the chlorine? Will it get the hardness out too?
June 29, 2009 - 7:04pm
#7
Nope. Charcoal only removes chlorine and will not effect mineral content at all.
June 29, 2009 - 8:30pm
#8
Learned something new. :-)
June 30, 2009 - 7:50am
#9
Eastern Municipal water report (2008). http://www.emwd.org/water_service/ccr_2008/emwd_ccr09_web.pdf
RCWD gets their water from multiple sources, including purchasing it from the Metropolitan water district. https://www.ranchowater.com/quality.aspx
You tell me this now that I have beer in the fermenter.
So considering this what would you recomend that would help? Aldo do you, or anyone else, know the break up of where everyones water comes from? I have heard that out here we get our water from the resevoirs(skinner and diamond valley) whereas most people in Temecula and Murrieta get water from the wells
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