Sanitary Tap Water?

I am about to do my first extract batch but have a question about sanitation. I will be adding adding approximately 2 gallons of boiling wort to approx. 3 gallons of cold water in my primary. Do I need to boil the 3 gallons of tap water the night before? Is the water right out of the tap sanitary enough that any bacteria are negligible? Thanks all.

I did extract for years and never boiled the top of water. Some people do but I do not think it is really necessary.

I don't boil my tap water, but I do filter.

brett.melnikoff said:

I am about to do my first extract batch but have a question about sanitation. I will be adding adding approximately 2 gallons of boiling wort to approx. 3 gallons of cold water in my primary. Do I need to boil the 3 gallons of tap water the night before? Is the water right out of the tap sanitary enough that any bacteria are negligible? Thanks all.

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I just use tap water, no boiling. I would not add boiling wort to anything though! Wait for it to cool.

Boiling wouldn't hurt to be safe. While not sanitation related, you'll want to consider doing something about the chlorine/chloramines in the tap water. When I did extract brews I just used bottled spring water from the grocery...3 gallons runs you about $3.

I just use plain tap water and haven't had any issues.

It's a matter of choice...I personally don't bother....But some people swear by it...

I have suspected that it's fine. Boiling and cooling would sanitize and also strip more chlorine out.

Having said that: my last batch of Weizen was called Waterhose Weizen because I did everything with water straight from the garden hose. It worked out fine, so I got one of those potable-water RV hoses just to be lead-safe for my next batches.

I am pretty scrupulous with sanitization on everything else, so perhaps that protects me a bit from bugs introduced from the tap/hose.