I live close to the city line in Baltimore County and was wondering if anyone else is on city water. I currently have a Brita filter on my faucet and it does the job, just takes forever to get any amount of water for brewing.

If anyone else is on city water, have you used it, and did you find any problems with it?

There is a slight chlorine odor right from the tap, but that smell goes away very fast. I know I can treat the water, but at that point, I would just continue using the Brita filter.

Thanks for the insight!

I've used White Marsh water for a year or so and it was great for brewing. Now I live just over the county line in Harford (right near the water filtration plant in Joppatowne) and my water is full of it.

I've since switched to a whole house filter which has (thus far) made ok beer.

I live in Towson. After using tap water for my first two batchs, I bought one of these RV water filters to get rid of the chlorine smell: Culligan RV-600A Level 1 Recreational Vehicle External Water Filter (Includes 12-Inch Hose and Fittings).

It's cheaper, quicker, and lasts much longer than the Brita. It fits on a standard hose. I started brewing outside on a propane burner at the same time.

Cheers!

Awesome, thanks for the info on the water filter. I am starting to brew outside now that the weather is changing for the better. I might look into the RV water filtration system.

I think I might try a small 2.5 gallon batch with city water just to see.

I'm near Baltimore, in Howard County; we use Baltimore city water. After a quick filtration for the chlorine (any of the filters mentioned should be good), the water here is quite good for brewing. You should be able to call your county water department and ask for the various specs you need--my experience is that they're happy to talk with people who a) have some clue what's in the water, and b) aren't calling to complain about water quality.

My $.02, YMMV, NAYYY. Hope this helps. Enjoy!

--Misha

Hi, sorry to barge in. I'll be brewing in SoMD (although my friend is brewing in Federal Hill now).

I'm curious about two things: the best place to find information about well water in St. Mary's County (underneath a farm, basically); and secondly whether any of you have concerns about using a multistage filter with brewing? A Pur or Brita filter, at least the 3-stage one's I've been using on my faucet, have a final stage that is supposed to add a mineral-ish flavor. I'm concerned that this would be bad for brewing.

Thanks.

I live in Fells Point in the City and have been brewing all grain with city water for a year. I don't filter the water at all and think its great. Straight out of Loch Raven!

To those that live in the city, how do you normally prepare your tap water for brewing?

I live in Hampden and have only done 2 batches so far. I used bottled because I wasn't sure on the water quality for brewing here, but I'd like to save the money if the water just needs to sit to let the chlorine evaporate out of the water.

I took Beerhaiku's advice and bought an RV water filter. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-Water-Filter-with-Hose/14504321
These things are cheap, filter a couple thousand gallons of water and are very easy to setup/breakdown in and out of the house. I am about to dive into AG brewing, and will still use this filter. I think the replacement filters are 2 for $24, but buying the hose attachment is a great investment the first time around, keeps the stress off of the filter.

I'm in the city about half a mile to the county line. I use bottled water my concern is not so much the water but the pipes it travels through. The RV filter is somenthing I'll be looking into for sure.