Water adjustment calculator

[WaltG]

Is there a calculator where i can feed in my source water and target and it just tells me what to add?

 

[Big Monk]

Is there a calculator where i can feed in my source water and target and it just tells me what to add?

I don’t think so but I could whip you up one on Monday.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

This is one:

https://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/water.html

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I don’t think so but I could whip you up one on Monday.

It's a very tall order. If you can whip one up in a single day a thousand virtual handshakes to you!!!

 

[brewbama]

BeerSmith has one as well

 

[Big Monk]

It’s not a very difficult calc. If you know how to calculate ppm of any given ion from a specific mineral, you merely reverse that to receive ppm as an input.

You’ll just have to have the user input a “split percentage” for Calcium ions and to select the type of Calcium Chloride but a simple excel sheet should take 30 minutes or less to make.

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

To be truly useful for predicting mash pH you would need provide the beer style and grain bill too.

 

[Big Monk]

To be truly useful for predicting mash pH you would need provide the beer style and grain bill too.

I don’t think he’s after that.

Just looking for input x ppm of ions to get y gram of minerals.

We have to remember that not everyone is looking to know about the molecular structure of grains!

 

[ScrewyBrewer]

We have to remember that not everyone is looking to know about the molecular structure of grains!

@RPIScotty you are correct. I do tend to have a one track mind these days. Although @WaltG would have to provide a specific end result too before one could say 'how much to add', no?

 

[Big Monk]

@RPIScotty you are correct. I do tend to have a one track mind these days. Although @WaltG would have to provide a specific end result too before one could say 'how much to add', no?

From a profile standpoint? Absolutely. From a pH standpoint? Nope. Minerals don't have a dramatic effect on pH unless you are going crazy.

 

[ajdelange]

It's actually a pretty simple problem if you ask for a reasonable output. The problem is that ions are in fixed proportions in the salts you can add to water so that it is very easy to ask for a profile that is not possible. Thus the problem becomes a "linear programming" problem in which a solution that is as close as possible to what you want is found.

It is fairly easy to put together a spreadsheet in which you enter the amounts of common salts (CaCl2, CaSO4, NaCl, MgSO4, MgCl, NaHC03...) acids and bases, specify the pH you want the formulation to be at and from that calculate what the concentrations of Ca++, HCO3-, SO4--, Cl-, CO3-- are. You take a stab at what you think the salt additions might be, have the spreadsheet calculate what the ion concentrations are, compare to the targets and then ask the Excel Solver to find the salt and acid amounts that minimize the error (definable in various ways). Voila - you have a fomulation.

This is easy enough to talk about but very difficult to do as the chemistry involved is very difficult to understand. There are, perhaps, 3 people on this forum who understand it. Many have tried to do what you want and wind up frustrated. Yes, it is possible. I have a spreadsheet which does this but it is, unfortunately, too complicated to be useful to anyone but its author.