And yet another water report - Houston, TX

Finally got my water report from Wards.

pH 7.7
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 236
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm 0.39
Cations / Anions, me/L 4.0 / 4.0
ppm
Sodium, Na 34
Potassium, K 4
Calcium, Ca 41
Magnesium, Mg 4
Total Hardness, CaCO3 119
Nitrate, NO3-N 1.0 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 17
Chloride, Cl 41
Carbonate, CO3 < 1
Bicarbonate, HCO3 103
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3 85
"<" - Not Detected / Below Detection Limit

Any thoughts ?

It does not seem to be as bad as I thouhgt it might be, but still could use some understanding as to what kind of treatment to use for the various types of ales I make.

Whereabouts are you located in Houston? Did you filter the water first, or just let it run as per the instructions from Ward?

Not too bad. The main concern will be the alkalinity. That will require reduction in many mashes. Lactic or phosphoric acid addition will be effective for alkalinity reduction. Bru'n Water has the tools to help you plan the acid additions.

Located in the Copperfield area (290 and Hwy 6). Just straight from the tap. Let it run for a couple minutes and then filled up the bottle. Another quick question, since I batch sparge, it is necessary to treat the sparge water? I am still working my way through Bru'n Water. It is a powerful tool and for me takes some time to understand it. Thanks again and all comments are welcome

I'm jealous. I'm on the woodlands and my water has a very high ph And a ton of sodium. I use mostly ro water now.

captainL said:

I'm jealous. I'm on the woodlands and my water has a very high ph And a ton of sodium. I use mostly ro water now.

Click to expand...

I am somewhat surprised that the Woodlands water would be so much different. Where does the Woodlands get its water? Only bad thing about Houston water is that you never know where you are gettting it from. Sometimes its from surface, sometimes from well water and sometimes it blended from the two sources. I plan to resubmit a new sample in mid summer to see if the water is greatly different. You are always welcome to drive on down and I will fill you up with all the water you need