Beginning the process of understanding water.

[Surly]

I am a long time brewer in need of understanding water. I am planning to move my brewery to the country and using well water. I had the water tested and provide the results below.

OF NOTE: A friend of mine, when looking at the results told me I have very hard water. He also asked if I had any, "tummy" issues. Well, as it turns out I have found in the last month or so that I need to take an antacid every day or two. I had not made that relationship.

When using the EZ Water calculator I find even when substituting 50% of my water I still need 5.5ml of Lactic Acid. Am I figuring this correctly, or, have I made a mistake somewhere in my work? Even then, my PH remains at the higher level of the desired. Any assistance is appreciated. Thanks

Starting Water (ppm):
Ca: 65
Mg: 38
Na: 6
Cl: 3
SO4: 75
CaCO3: 259

Mash / Sparge Vol (gal): 7.5 / 8
RO or distilled %: 50% / 0%

Total Grain (lb): 20.0

Adjustments (grams) Mash / Boil Kettle:
CaSO4: 0 / 0
CaCl2: 0 / 0
MgSO4: 0 / 0
NaHCO3: 0 / 0
CaCO3: 0 / 0
Lactic Acid (ml): 5.5
Sauermalz (oz): 0

Mash Water / Total water (ppm):
Ca: 33 / 49
Mg: 19 / 29
Na: 3 / 5
Cl: 2 / 2
SO4: 38 / 57
Cl to SO4 Ratio: 0.04 / 0.04

Alkalinity (CaCO3): -98
RA: -132
Estimated pH: 5.55
(room temp)

 

[flabyboy]

It can be very confusing. I am still trying to figure out the role of residual alkalinity

 

[Malticulous]

With all the calcium carbonate you could drink the water instead of a taking a Tums. You need the acid to break it down. Boiling can help too.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/formula-bicarbonate-removal-boiling-125880/

 

[Surly]

With all the calcium carbonate you could drink the water instead of a taking a Tums. You need the acid to break it down. Boiling can help too.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/formula-bicarbonate-removal-boiling-125880/

So therefore, I can either dilute with 50% RO and add the 5.5ml of Lactic Acid, or, I could not dilute and recalculate the acid addition up. In either case, if my water now follows the desired levels, I should be able to brew a pale ale. Am I right?

 

[ajdelange]

Decarbonating water with acid is often not the best way to go. In your case you have 5 mEq/L alkalinity. You can get rid of all that by adding 5 mEq/L acid but at the completion of that process you will have instead of approximately equimolar amounts of calcium and magnesium bicarbonate approximately equimolar amounts of calcium and mangesium Lactate (or sufate or chloride or....). This can fit right into your plans in some cases but you need to understand a lot more than you do about water chemistry than you appear to to take advantage of this. It is far better for someone starting out to rid himself of alkalinity by dilution. With you 259 ppm alakalinity a dilution with 9 parts RO water would serve to get your alkalinity to a manageable 30 ppm as CaCO3. You would still need some acid to establish mash pH.