Just curious if anyone uses their city water for brewing or have gotten it tested? I contacted the city I live in about getting information for brewing. The guy said with city water it is harder to determine what is exactly in it constantly because they use a number of different wells so the numbers could fluctuate at times. Is it worth still getting these numbers and using them for brewing? I mean will the numbers for water ph or for brewing ever constant or is it just rough estimates to get you in a ball park for brewing? Thanks guys.
city water and testing
- Thread starter Pugs13
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk:
It is definately worth getting a report even if the water comes from multiple sources. the numbers should be fairly constant for water from within the same area i would think. if you can get multiple analysis reports you could determine if all - or any of them are out of spec for brewing a particular style. I am actually working on getting a report myself from my city. Have not called yet though.
moparx12 said:
We are also considering sending in a sample from a local artesian well...for the longest time many thought it was a natural spring but it turns out it has quite the historical story that may play a nice role in the process of opening up our brew pub one day...which will be in the area of the artesian well...at least with that it is all coming from one well and is tested regularly by the Minnesota Health Dept. So I may run over there and draw a sample and send it in while I wait to.hear about my city water...
Nah I was going to send it out to that ward labs. Seems to be the go to place for homebrews on here after doing research. It's like $16-27 depending on how in depth you want it. I guess now they actually have a test you can request designed does specifically for homebrewers and such.
![Craft A Brew - Safale S-04 Dry Yeast - Fermentis - English Ale Dry Yeast - For English and American Ales and Hard Apple Ciders - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [1 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41fVGNh6JfL._SL500_.jpg)
For some reason (probably $) people are reluctant to do their own testing. Hach sells a free and total (chlorine/chloramine) test kit for $55. An alkalinity test kit goes for $43 and hardness (total and calcium) for around $75. Add $150 for a digital titrator and you can be doing accurate alkalinity and hardness determinations. Other manufacturers make similar testing products and you can get all the above mentioned tests from aquarium supply stores. If your water supply is wildly variable (as some, especially those that draw from multiple sources, are) then either you must test frequently or stabilize the water by RO.
As AJ mentions, it is the $$ he mentions that deter brewers from testing. Fortunately, you can get test kits with modest accuracy for far less than AJ quotes. Those test kits from pool stores or aquarium shops are plenty accurate enough to provide some piece of mind (and knowledge) for brewing. As AJ mentions, if your local water supply can vary or has multiple sources, then you need to have Hardness and Alkalinity test kits at hand to validate your water supply's current mineralization.
Chlorine/chloramine testing is not needed for water testing. This is because all municipal water supplies in the US are required by law to have some sort of disinfectant residual in their water lines. You should count on having to remove chlorine/chloramine from your water prior to brewing if it comes from a public supply.
Chlorine/chloramine testing is not needed for water testing. This is because all municipal water supplies in the US are required by law to have some sort of disinfectant residual in their water lines. You should count on having to remove chlorine/chloramine from your water prior to brewing if it comes from a public supply.
