Will a garden hose hurt my beer?

[eschatz]

I've just moved into a new place with a detached garage. No running water. I'll be brewing in this garage. I'm thinking of a utility sink that is connected to a garden hose from the side of the house. I've heard about possible clorine leaks from the chemicals in the hose, not from the water itself. I'm just renting so running a dedicated line out to the garage is out of the question. Has anyone got any advice for this?

 

[chefchris]

There's a podcast where Jamil talks about using a different kind of hose if you're using garden hose. I think he said it was white. I'm drunk so I'm having a hard time reemembering.

 

[Nurmey]

Go to Walmart or the like and buy a potable water hose that way you know for sure that the water is beer safe.

 

[purechaos]

I use an rv water supply hose, its safe for drinking water, and I have a BYO DIY water filter on the end of it that uses a showerhead filter

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I also use a white RV hose, with one of these RV filters on the end. Cheap, and effective.

 

[eschatz]

Thanks guys. I'm having a party in about a month and a half so I need to get brewing. That's what I figured.

 

[lamarguy]

Ya, just make sure the hose is made from medical grade vinyl. A recycled plastic hose may leech some funky plastic flavors in your beer.

Lowes 5/8" x 50'

 

[wilserbrewer]

Never brewed w/ hose water myself, but if I did, I would probably use a potable water type, most of them are white and are widely available.

 

[eschatz]

Ok, I'll get whitey!

Now I'll have to look into costs for that filter...

 

[springer]

regular garden hose's have lead in them . And water left in a hose in the sun can be up to 100 times the safe level. Also where has that hose been ? Run around the yard in the dirt in dog/cat poop and piss fertilizer exposure. I use the Swan hose i bought it at Lowe's

 

[eschatz]

Ok, so I went to Lowes today and bought 100' of blue hose pictured in lamarguy's post above. I also bought a plastic spray because I couldn't find any metal ones that did not contain lead in the brass fittings.

Thanks guys. I think I'm set.

 

[thedigitale]

Guess I need to RDWHAHB... just used a garden hose for my last batch.

It's a pretty new hose, and I've been drinking hose water all my life (might explain things), so I just went for it.

Actually I'm not worried, so I don't really need to RDW... but I will HAHB when I get home.

 

[brewt00l]

I also use a white RV hose, with one of these RV filters on the end. Cheap, and effective.

Interesting....I like that filter setup and might have to research that a bit further.

 

[humann_brewing]

Whoops, I have been using a garden hose all this time. I will be switching to the garage sink now.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Interesting....I like that filter setup and might have to research that a bit further.

They are about $10 a pop. I get them from Amazon or Walmart.

 

[eschatz]

Lars, how often do you have to change them?

 

[EdWort]

I also use a white RV hose, with one of these RV filters on the end. Cheap, and effective.

+1 The RV hose can be found at Lowe's and Home Depot too. I change the filter every year in January.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Lars, how often do you have to change them?

I've been going about six months, but I could probably go longer. My water contains a fair amount of rust/sediment (aging galvanized pipes) so I don't push it. In between batches, I store it in a zip-lock bag in the fridge.

I do make a point of tasting the filtered water before I fill my HLT. If it tastes clean and free of chlorine aroma, I proceed.

The first time you use a new filter, it will emit a lot of tiny charcoal particles, making the water murky. Just flush a few gallons through, and it will clear right up.

 

[schweaty]

Hoses might not be bad for your beer but the lead they impart in the beer will be bad for you Get an RV hose that is safe to drink from.

 

[wilserbrewer]

OK guys, I can't take it anymore. Sure a garden hose left in the sun all day will leach some lead into the water entrapped w/in the hose. I really doubt anyone drinks the hot stinky hosewater.

Can anyone tell me what the results are for a hose that has been well flushed w/ water??

Not that I would advocate it...but drinking from a well flushed garden hose is probably no more dangerous than crossing a busy street, or for that matter taking your morning shower and having a slip and fall.

By all means, get a potable water hose for brewing, but at the same time have a realistic view of the real world application.

Oh, and I love the packaging pic on the hose, I guess you should always use a "medical grade" vinyl hose to wash the dog??

RDWHA(HW)HB
(HW) hosewater

 

[Bokonon]

There was a thread on this recently on the AHA techtalk mailing list, mostly just rehashing the same old things. One thing someone said (maybe Dave Houseman) was that you shouldn't leave your RV hose out in the sun. If it warms up to a certain point it also has the chance of leaching stuff into your water.

Personally I've always just used my garden hose. Before I use it I run a few gallons through it, then hook my filter up and run a few more gallons through that.

 

[springer]

There was a thread on this recently on the AHA techtalk mailing list, mostly just rehashing the same old things. One thing someone said (maybe Dave Houseman) was that you shouldn't leave your RV hose out in the sun. If it warms up to a certain point it also has the chance of leaching stuff into your water.

Personally I've always just used my garden hose. Before I use it I run a few gallons through it, then hook my filter up and run a few more gallons through that.

Not true the hose is intended to supply RV's at campgrounds where they may sit it the sun all day that is why its medical grade. Nothing in the plastic leaches or is unsafe.


Do you sanitize the hose at all? Just think where that hose has been ... My garden hose gets dragged around the yard where it contacts fertilizers - dog waste - Deer droppings -bird droppings . So all that crap comes into contact with your hands then you are handling items that contact your beer pre and post boil. Next time you go the store read the warning label on the hose it tells you wash your hands after handling the hose because lead is used to stabilize the PVC.

Is it worth it when 50 ft hose that is drinking water safe is under 30$. For me no its not.

 

[Bokonon]

Not true the hose is intended to supply RV's at campgrounds where they may sit it the sun all day that is why its medical grade. Nothing in the plastic leaches or is unsafe.

I was just reiterating what I had read on the recent AHA techtalk list. I don't know if its true or not. If your a member you can search the archives, but I'm not sure what the policy is on reposting content so I'm not going to repost it.

 

[tomwirsing]

I've got a 5 foot hose for utility sinks and such (fitting on one end, cut hose on the other). I crank up my hot water heater the night before and I put the hose right on the tank spigot.

Very little additional heating is required to get to mash temps.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

You garden hose guys...have you never drank water from your hose, perhaps while doing yard work? It tastes like a damn rubber hose!!

Health risk or not, I can't even imagine brewing with nasty hose water. Especially when my dedicated potable water hose was about $10.

 

[Catt22]

You garden hose guys...have you never drank water from your hose, perhaps while doing yard work? It tastes like a damn rubber hose!!

Health risk or not, I can't even imagine brewing with nasty hose water. Especially when my dedicated potable water hose was about $10.

+Seven Billion

It's insane to go to put all this effort in an attempt to make good homebrew and then use a garden hose for the water supply. Hose water usually tastes pretty bad. It's much better when the hose has been thoroughly flushed, but that's not a corner I want to cut. I can drink hose water if I'm thirsty enough. Did it all the time when we were kids, but if given a choice, I'll pass on it.

 

[Bokonon]

This is gearing up to get moved to the debate forum. I'm not going to try to convince anyone else, I'll stand by my record.

My last words on it:
I completely flush the water in the hose every time I use it as well as flushing my carbon filter before using it. I'll agree that the water that has been sitting in a hose tastes bad and is probably a health hazard. I wouldn't use water that has an aroma or tastes bad as my liquor.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I can drink hose water if I'm thirsty enough. Did it all the time when we were kids, but if given a choice, I'll pass on it.

Once in a while I'll take a sip, while washing the car or watering the garden...that hose taste takes me right back to when I was a little kid! Didn't mind it so much after a dusty game of baseball on a hot August day in 1975.