Campden and Chlorine

I was just reading the "Brewing Classic Styles", Zainasheff/Palmer book and they have a paragraph in there about using Campden tablets to clear your water of chlorine. I had never heard of this and wonder if any of you have heard of it and are doing it? If so, are you getting good results?

Thanks

Yep, works great. One tablet will treat about 20 gals of water. It removes both free chlorine and chloramine.

Just be sure to crush it up good and stir well to get it mixed in.

So you are actually using this, I think I'll give it a try on my next brew. Thanks.

I've never done it personally but know some great brewers who do with good results. I say go for it, I will if I have the need to this summer.

Our local water is high in chloramines. I've never tried this, but I did it for the first time on last night's brew. I'll let you know if I can tell a difference.

Our homebrew store doesn't sell Campden Tablets but it does sell something called "Sterilant" which is sodium metabisulfite powder. Same stuff as in a Campden Tab so if you can't find them, use this. less than a tsp will treat your brew water for the day.

Joe

Joe Camel said:

Our homebrew store doesn't sell Campden Tablets but it does sell something called "Sterilant" which is sodium metabisulfite powder. Same stuff as in a Campden Tab so if you can't find them, use this. less than a tsp will treat your brew water for the day.

Joe

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I have been using campton to treat my chlorimine water for years. Works a charm.

I would prefer to use potassium metabisulfite over sodium to reduce the amount of salt in my brew.

You can always order them on line if you can't get them locally.

Would a water filter (PUR) do the same thing? Will using water that has been filtered through a charcole filter affect the minnerals and salts needed for the mash?

If you can get the powder form, its easier to use for this purpose than the actual tablets, and potassium metabisulfite is a good alternative, depending on sodium levels in your water supply. Also, it's safe up to 8 times (or more) the necessary amount, and boils off.

Carbon filtration works, but Chloramine requires a lot more carbon/surface area/exposure time to remove, so reverse osmosis is good, and larger filter systems are good, but the smaller/quick and dirty ones may not suffice. SMS or PMS are the ticket in most situations.

I've only recently learned of my water supply's chloramine content, so my first three brews treated with campden/SMS are still fermenting.

I use potassium metabisulfate as well to remove chlorine/chloramines. I have a charcoal filter in line before but I can still smell the chlorine, I probably run it through the filter way too fast.

Generally the carbon filter is not going to have an affect on the ions in the water (minerals). it should remove chlorine if you run it through very slowly.

I use Campden tablets as well. I usually start with around 10 gallons of water, so I just use 1/2 tablet crushed. Just use a pill cutter/crusher you can find at a pharmacy.

conpewter said:

I use potassium metabisulfate as well to remove chlorine/chloramines. I have a charcoal filter in line before but I can still smell the chlorine, I probably run it through the filter way too fast.

Generally the carbon filter is not going to have an affect on the ions in the water (minerals). it should remove chlorine if you run it through very slowly.

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thank you thats what i was wondering.

Most 1 micron carbon block filters will remove 60-70% of the chloramine if you read their specs. >1 micron filters don't have enough contact area to effectively remove chloramine. I did plenty of research and bought a Chlorplus 10 filter from Pentek ($22). It is rated to remove 100% of chloramine up to 6ppm for 1,000 gallons. Key is you have to run it at 0.5 gpm. That is barely a trickle!

I still treat my RO water with Campden tablets since the RO water I use still has some traces chloramine in it. I crunch up a half tablet of Campden and toss it in the bottle before filling it up at the store, and when I bring it home I loosen the lid slightly so the SO2 and Cl2 can escape from the bottle until I use the water.

After having buildup of chlorine in my kegs from using a garden hose to wash them (dumb! ... at least I finally figured that out), I found adding a Campden tablet to the keg and giving it a half hour soak takes care of the residual chlorine.

I have a two stage filter, sediment then carbon but you really have to flow it slowly (so I read) in order for it to do the best job of removing chlorine and chloramine. I fill my MLT and HLT the night before I brew at a trickle. TIP! set a timer/alarm for an hour later so you remember to turn the water off. This is also when I crush a campden and split it between the MLT and HLT. The campden breaks the chloramine down to chlorine which will easily evaporate out of the water overnight and when heating. Of course, I'm not a chemist and I haven't had before and after testing done but I do know that my beer doesn't have any off flavors now and they did a while back. I can't be sure it's related but it's cheap insurance.

The water where I live is a stew of chlorine and chloramines. It actually smells like a swimming pool. I use campden tabs. 1/2 tab crushed in an old pharmacy morter & pestal setup I got at a flea market is good for about 10 gallons of water. I let it set in uncorked water bottles overnight. The water tastes pretty good once the chems are gone.
A lot cheaper than questionably sanitary bottled water.
AP

Interesting. Can anyone tell me if this is okay:

I Fill my hlt with 15 gallons of water (city). I crush 1 Campden tablet in a pill crusher bowl and add it to the water, and stir it in slightly.

Then I heat the water and go from there.

When my LHBS has it, I prefer Potassium MS but I will use the Campdens.

I forget the measures but, I weighed a tablet, marked my bottle and then ran all of the tablets through a dedicated coffee grinder ( I use it for Calcium tablets too). This way it's alway pre-crushed and I just use, IIRC, 1/8th tsp per 20 gallons (14 Gallons actually).

Easy Peasy. And no chlorophenols!

Additionally I was disappointed in my percieved bitterness and utilization. I (maybe erroneously) pegged it to over filtering.
I try to set everything up the night before a brew day. I always filtered for fear of chlorine and chloramine but now I just I fill my HLT and add a crushed up tablet. The next day I fire the HLT and brew as normal. My percieved bitterness has improved (Although I do still filter then add burton salts to some english styles).

I have some Potassium Metabisulphite. How would I measure out the powder to add to say 10 gallons.

Just figured it out.

1 Tablet crushed= 1/8 teaspoon for 20 gallons.

1/16 tsp for 10 gallons.

Saccharomyces said:

After having buildup of chlorine in my kegs from using a garden hose to wash them (dumb! ... at least I finally figured that out), I found adding a Campden tablet to the keg and giving it a half hour soak takes care of the residual chlorine.

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I have been using campden in my brew water (charcoal filtered water) with good results, however I rinse my BK, MLT and Corney kegs with tap water (my utility uses cloramines). My last batch of pale has a distinct medicinal bandaid taste.

My plans for a solution are to build a permanent 10 gallon reservoir (treated with campden) above my wash sink and use it for all final rinsing of equipment.

This seems simpler than than a soak that Sacc uses, but I'm not sure if a "final rinse" of non-cloramine water is sufficient.

What methods does everyone use for rinse-cleanup water?

I first learned about chloramine in a thread like this one, and after filling a ale pail with water I noticed the blue-greenish tint that the water had - GAH chloramine!

I resorted to buying R/O water in 19L jugs from my grocery store for a couple of brews, but walking 15 minutes up hill with a jug that has to be kept up right is a huge pain. Now I just treat the 19L of water with one well-crushed campden tablet to get rid of all the chlorine and chloramine. I haven't been able to do a side-by-side comparison between a beer made with de-chlorinated (boiled) tap water and campden-treated tap water but it gives me piece of mind for a couple dimes

Currently I just leave the jug under my desk, entirely open to the air in the room for 24 hours. Does the campden break down the chlorine/chloramine, meaning I can put a bung on it? Or do I have to leave it open to the air so the chlorine/chloramine can evapourate?

Yeah, No question about using campden for brewing water. Makes perfect sense with no downside.

The question is rinse water. Further search indicates rinse can be performed with tap water as long as kegs, equip are allowed to air dry and any Chlorine residual will gas off with enough time. Is there a common consensus here on HBT as to this technique?

SeamusMac said:

I first learned about chloramine in a thread like this one, and after filling a ale pail with water I noticed the blue-greenish tint that the water had - GAH chloramine!

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Hmm, I've never heard of using that method for detecting chloramine. Does the blue-green tint go away after using the campden?

After nuking the equipment with Campden I switched to an RV hose for my rinsing needs. Anything that will be used without drying overnight I give a rinse with dechlorinated water. Usually everything gets to dry overnight so no problems, the chloramine evaporates with the water.

hopvine said:

Hmm, I've never heard of using that method for detecting chloramine. Does the blue-green tint go away after using the campden?

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In a white bucket with a bright light,

chloramine = emerald green.
dechlorinated = bluish tint.

Saccharomyces said:

After nuking the equipment with Campden I switched to an RV hose for my rinsing needs. Anything that will be used without drying overnight I give a rinse with dechlorinated water. Usually everything gets to dry overnight so no problems, the chloramine evaporates with the water.

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Thank you Sacc - this makes sense.

Most sink mounted water filters will regulate the flow and clean it up just fine (unless you have really high amounts of Chloramine). If your local system uses gas infusion the chlorine boils out. I have a whole house 3 stage filter for drinking water that purifies. I use that for the mash and a Britta filter for the sparge water..

With my first AG brew I went ahead and filled 2 5gallon water bottles with PUR filtered water, then added 1/4 crushed campden tablet to each one and shook the hell out of them, then left the cap off over night before brewday. Call it overkill if you will, but campden tabs are inexpensive insurance against band-aid flavored beer.

Schnitzengiggle said:

With my first AG brew I went ahead and filled 2 5gallon water bottles with PUR filtered water, then added 1/4 crushed campden tablet to each one and shook the hell out of them, then left the cap off over night before brewday. Call it overkill if you will, but campden tabs are inexpensive insurance against band-aid flavored beer.

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+1 million on that. I had a lot of batches that were great early on EXCEPT I could barely choke them down with the band-aid flavor.

Seems to depend on where you are at

I know this is a PITA and not economical but boiling the water and letting it cool overnight before brewday should get rid of chloramines also, or so i've read. Also, and correct me if i'm wrong, just letting the tap water sit for an extended period of time without boiling or any additions should do the trick also.

Actually scratch that

"If the water smells bad, many odors (including chlorine) can be removed by boiling. Some city water supplies use a chemical called chloramine instead of chlorine to kill bacteria. Chloramine cannot be removed by boiling and will give a medicinal taste to beer."

-John Palmer "How to Brew"

So boiling can wipe out chlorine but not chloramine.

Boiling and cooling will get rid of the chlorine...not chloramine.

We can trust everything we find on the internet, right? If so, this doc: http://www.sfwater.org/Files/FAQs/removal.pdf gives a few methods for chloramine removal (no implication of suitability for brewing purposes):

1. Activated carbon filters - RO filters won't do it.
2. let it sit for some time (days)
3. boil for 20 minutes
4. cook with it (use it for food or coffee)
5. throw some fruit in it (1 peeled and sliced medium orange in 1 gallon) plus 30 minutes
6. aquarium dechlorinating agent (if it doesn't kill the fish, would it be bad for brewing?)
7. vitamin C / ascorbic acid (1 crushed 1000mg tablet will do a bathtub)

Apparently there are shower heads sold that have ascorbic acid inserts to neutralize the chlorine and chloramine. I'm sure ascorbic acid would have an effect on pH, although perhaps very minimal.

Most amusing was the statement (repeated) that those that felt the need to remove disinfectants from their water should consult with their physician. The brewing industry was listed as a legitimate reason to remove said disinfectants, though. We're not crazy. Well, not in this regard at least.

For rinsing just make up a batch in a keg and spray down whatever is needed.

I use filtered compressed air to push the solution instead of using up my c02.

A hand spray bottle will work also. I imagine you could make up a concentrated batch and spray some in your bucket or kegs when you add some rinse water to knock out the chlorine.

Where could I find Campden Tablets beside the LHBS, mine closes at 4 and I don't get off work before that, I have tried:

Big 5
Grocery store
RV seller
Walmart
OSH

All of them think I am talking about pool stuff and I have to explain myself every time. Getting kind of old.

Butcher shop that makes sausages? Food preservative.

Maybe old time drug store.


edit - Sodium metabisulfite is what you want to ask for!

samc said:

Butcher shop that makes sausages? Food preservative.

Maybe old time drug store.


edit - Sodium metabisulfite is what you want to ask for!

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I guess I will go without for another brew. I tried a few pharmacies, pool supply, more recreational stores, water suppliers with no luck. I am trying to get a hold of a local winery to see what they do.

In the mean time, I know if I leave the water out over night the chlorine with evaporate but what is the trick to see if you have cloramine? If the water has a yellow tint to it or something?

Grocery store solution:

A Vitamin C tablet crushed to powder will also completely neutralize Chlorine and Chloramine from water instantly.

Per reading on the internet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloramine

Its an anti-oxidant and breaks the bond down in a similar fashion as camden.

Seems 1000 mg treats 75 gallons of water.

BargainFittings said:

Grocery store solution:

A Vitamin C tablet crushed to powder will also completely neutralize Chlorine and Chloramine from water instantly.

Per reading on the internet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloramine

Its an anti-oxidant and breaks the bond down in a similar fashion as camden.

Seems 1000 mg treats 75 gallons of water.

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hmm... the more you know. Thanks I feel dumb for not goodling that now.