Anybody use an RV Water Filter for brewing beer and making cold brew coffee?

[TsunamiMike]

I have been using RO water from walmart, cost is about $6 per 5 gallons and i need 2. I have never messes with water chemistry outside of that. My question is would it be worth it to pick up a camco 40043 Taste Pure Water filter for $18 shipped plus $10 for a drinking water hose to use for brewing and steeping?

 

[odie]

All I use is a Camco inline filter (charcoal I think). I have never tested my water in 25+ years. I by pass the house water softener so that I get any minerals that's in the city water supply.

 

[TsunamiMike]

Love to know what model you use and how long you typically use it before replacing?

 

[moreb33rplz]

Doesn't directly answer your question, but most any Walmart or grocery store has a water refill machine that gives RO water for 25-40 cents a gallon

Using a filter works if you like your tap water. If you live in a place with extremely hard water, like me, you'll still need a source for distilled or ro water. If

 

[Beerstein]

If it's made from coconut activated charcoal, then that will work fine. I use a 10" filter for sparge water when I do large batches. I also purchased a drinking water safe hose just for this purpose/filter.

 

[Golddiggie]

I use a 10" charcoal filter that my well water runs through. It pulls out enough of the hardness, and such, to make the water profile almost spot on for all my brews. I'm going to tweak the water for a couple of coming batches, but normally I leave it alone.

I had my water first tested in January of 2016. Then again at the start of this month. Not a huge difference, but enough of one. Of course, the first was unfiltered and the second was through the carbon filter.

IMO, what filtering you need to do depends on the base water. Both source and contents. When I was on city water (at a different house) I ran the water through a much better filtering setup. It stripped everything bad out, and left enough good to brew with.

If you get your water tested (I used Ward Labs), get it tested once per season in the first year. Then pick a season to get it tested either each year, or as you determine. That's if you're minimally filtering. If you get an RO system, then you probably won't need to do much testing. Well, other than initially to make sure the system is doing it's job. IMO/IME, the data points the testing provides is very helpful.

 

[Brooothru]

I use a 10" charcoal filter that my well water runs through. It pulls out enough of the hardness, and such, to make the water profile almost spot on for all my brews. I'm going to tweak the water for a couple of coming batches, but normally I leave it alone.

I had my water first tested in January of 2016. Then again at the start of this month. Not a huge difference, but enough of one. Of course, the first was unfiltered and the second was through the carbon filter.

IMO, what filtering you need to do depends on the base water. Both source and contents. When I was on city water (at a different house) I ran the water through a much better filtering setup. It stripped everything bad out, and left enough good to brew with.

If you get your water tested (I used Ward Labs), get it tested once per season in the first year. Then pick a season to get it tested either each year, or as you determine. That's if you're minimally filtering. If you get an RO system, then you probably won't need to do much testing. Well, other than initially to make sure the system is doing it's job. IMO/IME, the data points the testing provides is very helpful.

I'm also on a well (very deep, about 400'). For years we had significant issues with sediment from very fine pulverized rock debris. I would change spun fiber cartridge filters once or twice a month when the filter housing clogged. Real PITA. Eventually we installed a filtration system that looks like a water softener filled with a permanent filtrate that automatically backflushes once per week. Problem solved.

The original whole house filter gets a carbon filter now that I replace once or twice a year, or whenever I remember to do it. The resulting tap water is quite good and the Ward Lab results showed little seasonal variation, even though we're in an agricultural water shed.

That said, when making many lagers or beers needing finicky profiles I'll use distilled or R.O. as a base and build from there. Otherwise my strikewater passes through an outdoor hose bib to an RV hose and a Camco KDF filter. Works fine and I have no worries about the quantity of water (the largest ingredient by far) that goes into my beers.

 

[Golddiggie]

I made a 'hose' to go from the cold water faucet in the utility room to the filter mounted to my brew stand (in the garage). Used a 25' length of reinforced tubing for that (1/2" ID) that goes to QD connections. Mounting to the stand makes it easy to use and service.

After every use, I take the housing and filter off to drain. I let the filter and housing air dry after that until I need to use it again.

The housing I have right now is opaque. I'm looking to replace it with one where the part that holds the filter is transparent. That way I can see the flow inside better. It's more so that I can do visual checks on it than anything else.

 

[day_trippr]

[...] I have never tested my water in 25+ years. I by pass the house water softener so that I get any minerals that's in the city water supply.

You should check this out then. Depending on where you are the mineral counts are all over the place...

 

[Buckeye_Hydro]

Those inline RV filters are typically just GAC - granular activated carbon.

The problem I often see in their use is excessive flow being pushed through. You can get about 5 gpm through a garden hose, and depending upon what you're trying to remove from your water, 5 gpm can be waaaaaay too fast.

Additionally, every time you change the filter you have to also replace the housing - a needless expense.

A better approach, IMO, is to go with a standard filter housing with a refillable filter cartridge. Limit your flow based upon the size of your cartridge, the media you're using, and the contaminant of interest.

Also - GAC doesn't remove hardness. GAC and CGAC is best at addressing chlorine; chloramine and organics (with very slow flows), and H2S. If your water is really wonky, it may not be suitable for use elsewhere in your house. In which case, if we know the contaminant and its concentration, we can also always spec a whole-house solution.

Russ

 

[jtgoral]

I use inline RV filter and 1 campden tablet/5 gallon batch. My BIAB beers are tasty.

 

[odie]

You should check this out then. Depending on where you are the mineral counts are all over the place...

Yes but as long as the tap water tastes fine, does not smell and is clear I got no problem drinking it straight nor using it for beer. Corpus has a history of over chlorinating (bacteria intrusion from broken water mains) so I figure a charcoal filter "might" be useful. Although likely most of that chlorine probably gets boiled off in the kettle.

 

[odie]

Those inline RV filters are typically just GAC - granular activated carbon.

The problem I often see in their use is excessive flow being pushed through. You can get about 5 gpm through a garden hose, and depending upon what you're trying to remove from your water, 5 gpm can be waaaaaay too fast.
/QUOTE]
My water runs at a trickle...takes up to an hour or two to fill to 6-7 gal to start my BIAB mash.

 

[crazyjake19]

I use a Camco RV water filter from Walmart for all my water for brewing and cold brew coffee. Our city water is decent, but I run through the filter at a slow speed to remove as much chlorine as possible, and use just a touch of metabisulfite as well.

Having cold brew coffee on tap has probably been the best thing to come from my brewing/kegging/draft investments, even more so than beer.