Is this enough info for me?

I've done a couple of AG brews, and now I've decided it's time to get my water under control, or at least know what's in it anyway. I've got the test bottle for ward labs sitting on the table looking at me right now, but my dog just got cancer and the vet isn't cheap. However, I discovered that I have a water hardness test kit in my fishtank stuff. It came out to 180 ppm according to the test I just did, but I have no idea if that's enough info for me to try and adjust my water. The pH is good, I tested that my first batch. Both mashes had decent efficiency, 75% on the first brew with one sparge and 60% on the second with one sparge. I blame the difference on trying my new (well, antique, but the first time I used it so new to me) barley crusher style grain mill. The first batch I crushed at my LHBS.

I'm pretty sure the aquarium kit isn't detailed enough, but if anybody has any ideas for me to get this under my control on the cheap, I'd appreciate it. I have well water, so I can't just call the town and ask them for the profile unfortunately. The well's about 200 feet down, I think, and all the rock around here is granite if that helps at all.

I'm planning on sending the test in to Ward Labs once I get some money back in the bank, but that's gong to be a few months. The first AG I did is tasty, so I can keep going without any more info, I'm just trying to get as much control I can over my finished product.

Unfortunately, your aquarium test isn't enough. Hardness is one factor, but you also need to know calcium, magnesium, sulfate, chloride, sodium and total alkalinity. Do you have any idea what the kit you have tests hardness as? Ward reports total hardness as CaCO3.

One thing you could do for the time being is buy distilled water and build your profile. I know its not a long term solution, but it will get you by until you can afford the water test.

Yeah, I figured it was way less then I needed. I'll just keep going with no changes to anything, then try the same recipes again later once I can build off my water. I'd guess the distilled water and the stuff to build it up to what would work would cost about the same as the test.Thanks anyway, though!

Funny thing, I came across this thread while I was reseaching common Ca/Mg ratios in water profiles that brewers posted here over time.

The reason why I’m doing that is to develop guidelines for using an aquarium GH&KH (total hardness and alkalinity) test kit to determine the residual alkalinity of the brewing water and with that the suitability for using that water for a particular beer or estimating the needed water treatment.

Sure chloride and sulfate are important as well, but only from a flavor point of view. They don’t affect how well your mash will work. Stay tuned.

Sorry to hear that about your dog. I hope he makes it.

Kai

Cool. I had given up on trying to do anything to my water and just accept what I got straight out of the ground and run with it. I wouldn't mind being able to tinker with it just a bit even.

I've got some pH test strips I'll check the pH with on my next brew. Hopefully tomorrow. I'll write down the numbers, so if you want them just ask.

The dog's fine now, we just had to get a couple of surgeries done. Caught it early enough.

Glad to hear that your dog is doing better now.

I finished the article that has instructions on how to use a GH&KH test kit for brewing water analysis. Here is the thread for that: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/home-water-testing-150600/

Kai