Filtered Water Question

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

I have a question about the water to use for brewing. I'm planning on my first brew day ever this coming Sunday, but I'm not sure whether to buy 6-7 gallons of filtered water from the store, or just take the water out of my GE fridge which has a built-in water filter. I'd like to not buy anything else, but I'm not sure about these fridge filters.

I looked on the GE website for the filters I buy and it says it will remove 96% of chlorine among other things: GE Filter. I am on city water which has a faint chlorine taste, so I want to get that out of my brew water. What do you think the best way to go would be, and what do you use?

 

[abracadabra]

If it were me I'd use the water from the fridge. And save the money I'd spend on bottled water to buy another filter.

Be sure and check what the MFG. says about their filter as all filters are not created equal. Something you seem to be doing aready. Just keep up the detective work when and if you buy
another filter.

I'd also recommend filters around 5 microns. And would not waste money on whole house filters or filters with very large gaps like 100 microns. Usually whole house filters have too large a gap in the particles so as to not slow the flow rate. But there are no hard and fast rules that's why you should look to see the mfg. spec. sheet.

Also check to be sure if your city uses Chloramine rather than chlorine and see what the mfg. says about chloramine removal. I don't know where Chico is but chloramine is currently in fashion big time in the Bay area as it's much cheaper than chlorine.

Chloramine is supposedly tasteless so you may in fact be on chlorine. But the job your fridge filter does is probably at least as good as most bottled water.

Read the Feb. 2008 Reader's Digest for a real eye opener.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I have a PUR filter attached to my faucet in my brew kitchen...it's much faster than a water-in-the-fridge-door filter.

 

[nl724]

If you are brewing with extracts I wouldn't worry too much about it...maybe add a tsp of gypsum to harden the water, but if you are doing all grain and are serious about brewing you might want to investigate your fridge water a little more. It seems like it would be fine, but who knows.

 

[splat]

I use the fridge filter also...Works great, but like they said above its slower...Not bad, but you have to make 6 or so trips to the fridge with a steralized kool aid pitcher....(I dont boil my top off water, some people do)

 

[TwoHeadsBrewing]

Great info, thank you all...and now that I think of it our city does use Chloramine rather than Chlorine. Anyone know if a standard GE fridge filter would work for that chemical as well?

BTW, Chico is north of Sacramento about 90 miles or so. It's also the home of the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

 

[abracadabra]

According to everything I've read any filter that removes chlorine will also remove some chloramine.

The effectiveness will vary and some filters are specifically designed to remove chloramine.

http://www.thefilterguys.biz/filter_arrays.htm

http://www.mudomaha.com/water/chloramines.html#filter

Camden ( I hope I spelled that right) tablets also remove chloramine

And yes it is slow going to use the fridge filter but slow is better as far as filtration goes.