How is store bought H2O filtered?

[nasmeyer]

I have used store bought water and boiled my own water from home to use as top-off water, and feel that store bought water gives me a better brew. How is store bought bottled water cleaned/filtered? is it boiled and bottled, or just clorinated? I know I could buy a Brita filter system but am unsure if I can get the same result as the stuff off the shelf.

 

[HH60gunner]

I have used store bought water and boiled my own water from home to use as top-off water, and feel that store bought water gives me a better brew. How is store bought bottled water cleaned/filtered? is it boiled and bottled, or just clorinated? I know I could buy a Brita filter system but am unsure if I can get the same result as the stuff off the shelf.

Not sure, but I use the water from one of those filtration machines at my local store. It's nice and easy since I can just fill up a 5 gallon jug right there and it's nice and filtered.

 

[kwaidonjin]

the water I get from walmart says reverse osmosis. which is supposed to make it pretty pure... I was using steam distilled, but the guys said not to use that water and use the spring or drinking water.

 

[mrkeeg]

Really depends on the source (store) ... maybe read the label?

Sometimes it's reverse osmosis, sometimes it's just "spring" water... which usually means ground water or tap water that has been filtered physically and maybe with charcoal.

 

[Marsdude]

Most of the water you get from machines in a store is reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis is a very good filtering method. When you buy bottled water, if it doesn't say "filtered" it can just be spring water.

You can filter your own water just fine, I do. Go to HD and take some time looking at the various filters they have. Some will just filter sediment, others (that contain charcoal) will filter out chlorine, etc.

I have an under-counter two cartridge filter that works very well. Not to hard to install either.

 

[DavidHawman]

Reverse osmosis sometimes with distiliation is the filtering method of choice for bottled municipal water. My grocery store sells "Filtered drinking water" and "Spring Water". The former is filtered by RO:/DI with minerals added back.

I use the spring water from the grocery store and it works perfectly for all grain.

 

[Beernik]

My guess would be activated carbon unless it says otherwise. R/O filtered water tends to make a big deal about being R/O because they are trying to imply some health benifit. Same goes for distilled water.

 

[snipper_cr]

I was under the impression you DONT want to use steam distilled water - at least if you will be mashing. Something about the minerals, pH and so forth that doesnt make it good.

For topping off though, I think distilled water might work.

 

[nasmeyer]

Adding a second question related to the original... Is either the "spring water" or R-O water considered safe to add as top-off water or should all store bought H2O be boiled and cooled first? I have done both without any noticable problem, but would like some other opinions.

 

[Airborneguy]

Unless you have sub-par water coming out of your tap, you are wasting money buying water to brew with, then wasting even more money boiling it or treating it further. I brew every batch with untreated tap water, and only add minerals to my brewing liquor for certain beers.

Get a local report on your tap water and more than likely you will find you have been wasting money.

 

[torque2k]

+1 on water reports. Why guess if you're water's to blame for a weird taste in your beers?

My water is hard well water, and the first five batches I did I used it straight, and the beers were all coming out sweet. Now I use Culligan RO water from the machine at the supermarket (just bring a few 2.5G jugs from the first time you buy water, and reuse), and I only pay $0.29/gallon. My hard water works well in beers which need to be sweet (half RO, half hard), but for lighter, more bitter beers like IPAs, RO takes the cake.

 

[nasmeyer]

+1 on water reports. Why guess if you're water's to blame for a weird taste in your beers?

My water is probably the culprit. I seem to have better tasting batches with store bought water, even though I boil my city water I still seem to get some mild off flavors to my beer, usually a slightly bitter after taste that I just don't seem to get with store bought. Strange though that I have the problem since I use an under-the-sink Omni charcoal and sediment filter, must be time to change the filters.

 

[torque2k]

Those under-counter ones are the big hanging canisters, right? I was told by my bro-in-law (works for the NSF doing water testing) that those are great, but have to be changed out every three months in country for sediment cleaning (or if you live in the city in an old home with old pipes), but the charcoal ones can go for four to six months depending on the quality of the muni water. Most cities really do a good job with the cleaning, but the smell gets to people. Very safe, though.

Do you have dual canisters?

 

[TheHopRanger]

I've used both store bought filtered water and tap water. I didn't find the store bought water to be superior so since then I've just used tap water. If your going to buy water look for one that is filtered by reverse osmosis thought. At any rate have fun!!!!

 

[SenorD]

Boiling your tap water won't get rid of the chloramine, if that's what your city uses. Supposedly Campden tablets remove chloramine.

Incidentally, does anyone know what range of chloramine is acceptable in brewing water? Houston says my water has 2.5 ppm chloramine and 1.4 ppm free chlorine. Also, if anyone knows how to use Campden tablets to dechloraminate my water such that I don't wind up killing my yeast once I add them, I'd appreciate some advice...

 

[fatmoose]

Google gave me this:

http://www.picobrewery.com/askarchive/chloramine.htm

It sounds like you can use vitamin C as an alternative to remove the chloramine and pose a lesser risk to your yeast. That sounds kind of cool!