At home water testing

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Kaiser

Kaiser

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I recently started playing around with water test kits that are available for aquariums. In particular the GH&KH tests are useful for brewers who want to get a beter understanding of their brewing water w/o having to send a sample to an lab like Ward Labs.

I took some pictures, updated my water spreadsheet and wrote an article for my web site about this.

Take a look and let me know what you think : http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=At_home_water_testing

Kai
 
I rely on the quarterly reports from my water treatment center but I often wonder what they actually are at the faucet. The water treatment center pumps from over 20 miles away so I question these reports at my home. This would be a great way to check their reports. Thanks for the tutorial Kaiser. Great work as always. Very clear and well thought out.
 
Kaiser said:
I recently started playing around with water test kits that are available for aquariums. In particular the GH&KH tests are useful for brewers who want to get a beter understanding of their brewing water w/o having to send a sample to an lab like Ward Labs.

I took some pictures, updated my water spreadsheet and wrote an article for my web site about this.

Take a look and let me know what you think : http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=At_home_water_testing

Kai
Click to expand...
Thanks Kai for all the work you do to help homebrewers out and for your dedication to the hobby.
 
That is a very useful introduction to the concept of home testing, Kaiser! I noticed a few typos, but the information is clear and well illustrated.
 
Thanks Kai,
I've been meaning to send in a sample of my water for testing but, just never seem to get around to it. I am, however, in pet store on a regular basis and for an estimated $6 I'll give this a go.

Beach
 
Thanks, Kai. Once again you've made brewing excellent beer easier for us all.

You could turn that website into a book and sell millions of copies, I'm sure.
 
You’re welcome.

beach said:
I am, however, in pet store on a regular basis and for an estimated $6 I'll give this a go.
Click to expand...
take a look around. But the 2 chains that I tend to go to (Petsmart and Petco) don’t have that test. They have larger and more expensive test kits that include GH&KH but those are more than $10. I had to order it on-line and paid $5 shipping L. Maybe home brew stores should carry it.

GrizlyGarou said:
You could turn that website into a book and sell millions of copies, I'm sure.
Click to expand...

I’m not sure about the millions, but looking at some of the home brewing books that have been published, it’s a possibility.

Kai
 
Kai,
Great idea. I'll pull out the test kits next time I brew.

If you want a bit more resolution on your KH and Ca tests, you could go with a Salifert kit. it comes with a measured syringe so you know exactly how much titrate you've added.

SF1123_1.jpg


B
 
bad coffee said:
If you want a bit more resolution on your KH and Ca tests, you could go with a Salifert kit. it comes with a measured syringe so you know exactly how much titrate you've added.
Click to expand...
bad coffee said:
Click to expand...


The syringe is a good idea. I was wondering how much variance there is in the volume of drops.

I have tested alkalinity before using diluted muriatic acid and a precise gram scale to weight the amount of acid that I needed to add to get the pH to 4.3. The resulting precision was higher but those aquarium test kits are a bit safer and easier to use.

Kai

 
Kia (or anybody) have you compared your numbers against a local water report?

I've tested my water 4 times this year. I get the same result with test strips, and the water test kits you can buy at Lowes or HD. My numbers are always drasically lower than the report. My water report has pH over 9 and I get 5.5 - 6 with the tests I've done.
 
The numers for my water match the report I have. I'll test the water I built for an Alt tonight and see if they match my expectation. I don't test pH since it is of no
importance if you can test alkalinity.

Kai
 
OK. I cannot get mineral content from water tests done by my community, they just dont do it. I bought a GH/KH test and here is what I got 80 mg/L GH and 70 mg/L Kh. I am no scientist just want to know if the water I have is sufficient for brewing or does it need treatment.
 
Kaiser> Thanks for all your work on this. I orderd a KH, Ca and Mg test (Saifert). I know from your page the former can be converted over from dH to CaCO3. As a EZ Water Calculator user, I'm wondering if I can take the numbers directly from these tests and plug them right into the spreadsheet?

I also have my water tested through Wards and I'll be interested to see how the numbers match up.
 

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