Help Figuring Out Home Water Profile?

[Tyler.W]

I reached out to my city water department to see if they had any information on the mineral content of my home water. While I don't think I can use any of the information they provided, I have attached the city water report and a recent test they ran on my house's water. Could you help me determine an approximate makeup of minerals in my water, or does this not provide enough information?

Right now I have been getting a 5 gallon water jug (RO water; I brew 3 gallon batches) from the local Walmart which works just fine, but if I can use my home water that would be great. I don't particularly want to spend the extra money to send out a sample for analysis, so if this is lacking information I will keep going about my business the old way!

Thanks!

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

Problems I've run into with public/utility water are fluctuations over the year. How are we supposed to know where we stand from one brew to another when we are faced with a moving target? Also, the public utility reports are for the past (what's already happened).

I do believe this is why most use distilled or other types of water and then add the desired salts to achieve their desired brewing water.

 

[McKnuckle]

This report is mainly focused on contaminants, to prove that they are keeping you safe and to keep the lawyers at bay. The only specific brewing-related ion on the report is sodium (Na). No chloride, sulfate, calcium, or magnesium are listed. Alkalinity is moderately high so this would likely benefit from pH reduction in the mash. One of the water gurus may be able to infer calcium and magnesium from the hardness rating, but maybe not.

 

[Tyler.W]

One of the water gurus may be able to infer calcium and magnesium from the hardness rating, but maybe not.

That is what I was thinking, but it doesn’t seem too likely. I will probably just stick to RO water from Walmart so I know what I am getting each time. At only $2 a batch it’s hardly a concern.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Educated guess (but none the less merely a guess) is 42 ppm Ca++ and 10.9 ppm Mg++.

Total Hardness = 2.5(Ca) + 4.12(Mg)
2.5(42) + 4.14(10.9) = 150.126

Ca++ averages ballpark 70% of Total Hardness = 150 x 0.7 = 105
105/2.5 = 42 ppm

Mg++ averages ballpark 30% of Total Hardness = 150 x 0.3 = 45
45/4.12 = 10.9 ppm

 

[Tyler.W]

Awesome, thanks for the insight. Unfortunately I have no idea what the chloride and sulfite levels are, but that gives me an idea of the water profile for my seltzer!

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Awesome, thanks for the insight. Unfortunately I have no idea what the chloride and sulfite levels are, but that gives me an idea of the water profile for my seltzer!

Another set of educated guesses:

Chloride will be between zero and 18 ppm
Sulfate will be between zero and 24 ppm

Most wild educated guess is 6 ppm Cl- and 15 ppm SO4--.

You will need to treat whereby to knock out the chlorine (which is different from chloride). And ditto for the alkalinity, as per @McKnuckle above.

 

[Tyler.W]

Another set of educated guesses:

Chloride will be between zero and 18 ppm
Sulfate will be between zero and 24 ppm

Most wild educated guess is 6 ppm Cl- and 15 ppm SO4--.

You will need to treat whereby to knock out the chlorine (which is different from chloride). And ditto for the alkalinity, as per @McKnuckle above.

This sample was pulled from an outside spigot, but if I were to use this for brewing I would use my filtered water which should take care of the chlorine.

Is there any way to remove alkalinity from water aside from dilution?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

This sample was pulled from an outside spigot, but if I were to use this for brewing I would use my filtered water which should take care of the chlorine.

Is there any way to remove alkalinity from water aside from dilution?

4 mL of 88% Lactic Acid will sufficiently address the 134 ppm of Alkalinity that resides within each 5 gallons of your water.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Alternately, 42 mL of 10% Phosphoric Acid should knock out essentially the same amount of Alkalinity.