Chlorine removal

[jamnich314]

I'm looking at my city's water quality report and it looks like my tap water is very clean except for some sodium (21 mg/L) and chlorine (1.06 ppm). I want to start using my tap water to brew instead of going out and getting gallons upon gallons of spring/bottled water.

I've read I can either draw a bunch of water and let it sit overnight, boil the water or use a campden tablet (or half a tablet) to rid it of chlorine. Any thoughts on which process is better? Letting it sit would be "free" while campden would cost money but campden would be a lot easier. Are there any negatives to using campden? Would using an entire tablet of campden give any "bad" flavors for a 5-gallon batch as opposed to 1/4 or 1/2 tablet?

 

[z-bob]

You can also use vitamin C.

Letting it sit overnight won't do much if they use chloramine instead of regular chlorine. (I'm not sure about boiling.) Campden or Vitamin C will work on both chloramine and chlorine.

 

[IslandLizard]

For the price of 1/4 campden tablet per 5 gallons (1 penny), you simply cannot afford to omit it. It removes all chlorine and chloramines within minutes (dissolve and stir well). No need to use 1/2 or whole one, it won't do a better job, but it won't harm either.

Standing overnight is BS it won't remove it all. Boiling is expensive and may precipitate and remove Ca which is beneficial.

 

[stpauliboy]

Activated carbon filter will also work.

 

[jamnich314]

So it sounds like campden is the way to go. I know it's regular chlorine too, not chloramine. Should I cut the pill then crush it up before adding to the water or will the cut pill dissolve on it's own?

 

[xpops]

+1 for campden tablets. they crush easily - just use your thumb in a spoon and throw it in your pot before you start your boil.

 

[jamnich314]

What I need to use them in my mash and Sparge water as well?

 

[soupfist]

+1 for campden tablets. they crush easily - just use your thumb in a spoon and throw it in your pot before you start your boil.

I do it earlier than that...right after you draw the water, before mash and sparge start. I thought I read somewhere that the mash is where chloramines do their damage but I can't seem to find corroboration with that on The Goog, so maybe it doesn't matter.

All I know for sure is I once forgot to Campden my water and ended up adding it in mid-mash and I still ended up getting Band-Aid off-flavors.

 

[duboman]

What I need to use them in my mash and Sparge water as well?

Yes, all water going into your batch needs to be treated

 

[doug293cz]

What I need to use them in my mash and Sparge water as well?

Use them on all water that ends up in the beer. I sometimes treat all my water in the BK and then remove my sparge water to a smaller pot, since dose is so small.

Brew on

 

[ajdelange]

See https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/campden-tablets-sulfites-brewing-water-361073/