Well water

[amartin]

Hey All,

Next month I'm moving into a new house. Whoo! So that's fun, with the packing and the moving and the cleaning and the no time to brew (although the 9 lb of hops in my freezer says I'm making IPA this weekend. Ooh, maybe double IPA. Ok, that's a different thought).

However, I'll no longer be on clean, soft city water. The water I'll be on is very low in most minerals, except for sodium at 100ppm thanks to the water softener, and a little more manganese than I'd want (I forget the number). Clearly this isn't ideal as is, so I'm looking for alternatives for at least some of the water. What do you guys do? Bottled spring water? Distilled? Reverse osmosis machine thing? If you're buying water, do you know of anyplace cheap to buy in bulk, or is the 4 and 10L jugs at the grocery store good?

Thanks,
Andrew

[jacinthebox]

I buy ro water from superstore and build up to whatever profile I'm aiming for.

I think it's $2.99 per 5gal. I just fill my brew buckets

[jmacdonald]

Lately I have been wondering the same thing, and I have been looking into adjusting brewing water.

Has anyone tried out one of these http://www.amazon.ca/Aquatic-Buddie-Rev ... ic+life+ro

Would it save in the long run, or is it more cost effective to just buy the RO water?

[Buccaneer]

I fill up the 5 gal blue jugs with RO water at Sobey's - $3 per jug.

[amartin]

$3 for 5 gallons doesn't sound too bad. I'm used to having to build up the water, since the tap water is so soft anyway, but what about trace elements? Does a lack of these cause you guys yeast health issues, or do you add additional nutrients? I suppose an alternative would be to throw in a portion of hard bottled spring water.

[the-mailman]

I've got an RO system for the ice maker and water dispenser in the fridge as well as a tap at the sink and it produces great tasting water. Although, I haven't used it for brewing yet or had it tested, is it is definitely better tasting than straight tap water and more convenient than lugging jugs. Picked it up on Kijiji for about $100, similar to this one, http://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-home-appli ... 1131753683" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, and installed myself.

If you go that route just make sure it's designed to produce water for human consumption. Some of the ones designed for aquariums are OK for fish but not certified to make potable water. Also, the ratings are gallons/day. Mine is rated for 50 gallons/day and will produce about 1.5 gallons from the reserve tank before it reduces to a trickle. It recovers fairly quickly just don't expect to get 5 or 10 gallons all at once.

[jmacdonald]

If you go that route just make sure it's designed to produce water for human consumption. Some of the ones designed for aquariums are OK for fish but not certified to make potable water.

Thanks, I had assumed RO water is RO water. Good to know to look for that.

[mcgster]

RO water if the unit is functioning is all the same but the fittings used in the outflow have to be rated for human consumption, that being said most brand name aquarium ones are. There are quite a few cheap ones out there.

I have had two different RO units and my current one has a built in booster pump which decreases the water loss dramatically and increases output speed. I'm on well water and have a TDS meter and it is routinely at 1PPM TDS, it also tastes great!

When i brew in NL i used RO water from the superstore as well, i'm only brewing small batches so the cost is insignificant.

[the-mailman]

OK thanks, that's good to know the difference. Does the TDS meter help you determine when to change filters? I was thinking of getting one.

RO water if the unit is functioning is all the same but the fittings used in the outflow have to be rated for human consumption, that being said most brand name aquarium ones are. There are quite a few cheap ones out there.

I have had two different RO units and my current one has a built in booster pump which decreases the water loss dramatically and increases output speed. I'm on well water and have a TDS meter and it is routinely at 1PPM TDS, it also tastes great!

When i brew in NL i used RO water from the superstore as well, i'm only brewing small batches so the cost is insignificant.

[mcgster]

Yah that's the idea, the TDS will remain stable for awhile after the filters go and the output will drop but eventually the TDS will reflect the need to change


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