SamuraiSquirrel

Recipes 

Aj, I've read a ton of your threads and really appreciate all of the posts you have throughout the water section (and the rest of the forum) here. I didn't mean to imply that any of your posts were misleading, in fact just the opposite.

I was just pointing out that I did a few experiments with water and they took me in the wrong direction for whatever reason. As a result I went back to the beginning for awhile.

More experiments will be in order in the future .... smaller steps this time I think rather than dramatic overhaul. That's again for all the info!

__________________
Up next: Kolsch, Alpha Squirrel, Tripel rebrew, Witbier

Currently Fermenting: Charlie Sheen (barleywine)

Kegged: Tiger Blood IPA, Irish Red, Strict Observance Tripel

Bottled: Dry Stout, Pliny the ..... Squirrel?, Cream Ale

ajdelange

Recipes 

I definitely did not interpret your post to mean that! There is no doubt that there is a lot of conflicting info out there. Some of it is right, some of it is wrong. It is a real minefield.

1971hemicuda

Recipes 

OK so I just did a water test...I didn't test for EVERYTHING but I did test KH and GH

KH - 72 (roughly)
GH - 143 (roughly)

So...now, now what do I do?! haha

ajdelange

Recipes 

KH is the carbonate "hardness" which is really the alkalinity. GH is the general "hardness" which is, in English, the total hardness i.e. the sum (in mEq/L times 50) of the magnesium and calcium hardnesses. The alkalinity isn't bad but you can't tell much about the hardness because you don't know how much is attributable to calcium and how much to magnesium. The GH test can be modified to determine the calcium and magnesium separately (one precipitates the magesium, measures GH with the magnesium out and subtracts for GH with the magnesium in to get calcium hardness.

1971hemicuda

Recipes 

How would one go about precipitating out the magnesium...

BTW...thanks for the great info!

ajdelange

Recipes 

There are a couple of ways to separate magnesium and calcium but precipitation of magnesium hydroxide by raising sample pH to 12 - 13 with NaOH or a suitable buffer is the common one. Indicators sensitive only to calcium such as Eriochrome Blue Black R or Murexide are used. The result of such a test is the calcium hardness. The total hardness is measured with the unmodified kit and the calcium hardness subtracted to give the magnesium hardness.

The easiest way to implement such a test is to buy a kit which includes two buffers and two indicators. Check http://www.hach.com/hc/search.product.details.invoker/PackagingCode=145701/NewLinkLabel=Hardness+%28Total+%26+Calcium%29+Test +Kit%2C+Model+HA-4P+MG-L%2C+Drop+Count+Titration%2C+20-400+mg%26frasl%3BL%2C+100+tests/SESSIONID|AURZeE1qUXhNams0TkRnbVozVmxjM1JTUTFkSldE RXpNQT09Qw==|