Water Filter Setup

[bendavanza]

ClaudiusB
I have to say, the pics I have seen you post, have a certain mad scientist feel about them. I love it.
I'm using a simple RV filter inline, feeding directly into the ball valve on my HLT, which is much lower than the top of the HLT on a 3 tier stand. I started using campden tablets for the chloramine removal. So far so good, I used to use straight tap.
-Ben

 

[JVD_X]

You spend $3 on every batch on a spun filter for break material? I have to say, that's rather wasteful and I don't think it's worth the money or trouble. You'd be better off using hop bags and letting the cold break get into the fermenter.

It didn't bother me since I don't brew to save money but I do see your point. I did end up modifying a filter that I ripped the material out of, just leaving the cage, and wrapped window screen around it.. it's now reusable and I can use it as a hop-back as well..

 

[Saccharomyces]

After doing some research I settled on these filters:

ChlorPlus 10 Advanced Carbon Block Filter Only $17.65

At 0.5 GPM they are rated to remove nearly all chloramine for 1,000 gallons. That works out to 50-100 batches. They fit in the Omnifilter housing which is $28 at Walmart. Add an RV hose and some hose QDs and you are good to go.

 

[Catt22]

I've been using a cannister filter like this for several years with good results. I have it mounted on my brew tower. Here's a pic:

The plumbing is arranged so that I can bypass the filter easily if desired. It's best to filter water slowly. How slowly, I'm not sure, but I keep it down to one gpm or a little more maybe. The bypass permits a higher flow rate for the chiller, cleanup etc.

When shopping for cartridges I came across this extruded carbon block filter. The carbon used for the filter is made from coconut shells. This is supposed to produce a better tasting water. The carbon block has a spun polyester cover that acts as a pre-filter:

KX Industries MATRIKX® +5 10"×2½" Extruded Activated Carbon Block Filter with Chlorine and 5 µ Particle Reduction - H2ODISTRIBUTORS.COM

These are a little pricey, but should last for years considering the small quantities of water that we are filtering for our beer.

One other handy accessory I use is a pressure reducer which has garden hose threads. It attaches to the faucet and limits the pressure to 50 psi max. The idea is to reduce the strain on the hoses, filter housing and fittings. You can shut the water off at the nozzle without worrying about bursting a hose or blowing a connector off which can sometimes happen. These are made for use on RV's and can be purchased at most hardware stores for under $10.

I only have a 1/2" ID hose exiting the filter. This is more than sufficient for filtering slowly like I do. The bypass is connected to a 25 ft dinking water grade hose with standard garden hose ends.

I only filter water destined for my beer (strike and sparge water). I bypass the filter for everything else.

I also remove the filter from the housing and rinse it thoroughly with cold water after use. I then let the filter air dry. Except I don't think they ever do dry completely no matter how long they sit unused. I at least feel better storing it separate from the filter housing. I only use the filtered water pre-boil, so I am not overly concerned about contamination. I would not trust it to put directly into a fermenter without boiling.

 

[ClaudiusB]

catt2 wrote:
One other handy accessory I use is a pressure reducer which has garden hose threads.

Please post a picture.
My setup is equipped with a commercial pressure reducer from Grainger.
No pressure reducer with garden hose threads was available a few years ago.


Cheers,
ClaudiusB

 

[Catt22]

Here ya go. It says Valterra RV Water Regulator on the label (40-50 psi):

and a closer shot of the filter setup. I bought the regulator at Ace hardware for about $8.00 or so.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

I don't think you really need to go slow with those. They are designed for house pressures. I have one on the entire house (including hot water) water line and it takes a month or more before I have to change it due to chlorine.

I even tested the water with one of those swimming pool kits and it says 0 ppm.

 

[Catt22]

I even tested the water with one of those swimming pool kits and it says 0 ppm.

Have you tested the unfiltered tap water? There might not be a detectable level of chlorine in your water to begin with.

Regarding the filtering rate, it was only something I read, but the filter itself is rather restrictive and will reduce the flow rate considerably. I prefer to give the filter time to do its job. I can't visualize it absorbing all it could absorb at a high flow rate. I'm seldom in that much of a hurry anyway. I filter the water while I am doing other tasks such as milling the grain and such. Waiting five or ten minutes isn't a big deal and I am heating the water while filtering it into the kettles.

 

[Aspera]

A bucket of clean sand and milligram quantities of lime will remove cloramine, precipitate and then filter bicarbonates as well as removing organics and many heavy metals. No expensive plastic landfill generated.

 

[Catt22]

Sounds like a lot of trouble to go through to me. What expensive plastic landfill? You mean the filter cartridge? The cartridge uses only a small amount of plastic and I've been using the same one for several years now. I would say that if one wanted to walk the talk, it might be better to refrain from brewing altogether. Think of all that CO2 that won't be released into the atmosphere contributing to the carbon load and global warming. There's some heat generated in the process too. Not to mention many of us are burning up gobs of non-renewable dinosaur gas. This is not a very green sport!

 

[mr_goodwrench]

I like your all of your setups. I have been using an ice maker filter to remove the cholrine from my tap water. My brewing water has been coming from my kitchen tap and being transported outside to the deck where my HLT is set up. I have taken a bit of a hiatus from brewing since November and will be getting back in the swing of things very soon. I will be moving my entire operation to the garage where it will have a dedicated setup. I plan on changing to a whole house filter mounted to my brew cart to feed my electric HLT.

 

[Denny's Evil Concoctions]

Yes, unfiltered was very chloriney. Can't remember what the test said but there is a huge taste diff.

 

[Spine]

Just a heads up - I just built a brew stand and mounted an activated carbon filter to help remove the chlorine from my city supply. I fed the whole brew stand with a vinyl garden hose for portability. It turns out the garden hose was adding an awful garden hose taste (when comparing side by side with tap water) that the filter wouldn't remove and didn't seem to ever go away. I have since converted the feed to my brew stand to PEX water piping and it has made a world of difference.

 

[mr_goodwrench]

I plan to use RV water hose to supply the filter. Regular vinyl garden hose is not meant for drinking water.

 

[Catt22]

Just a heads up - I just built a brew stand and mounted an activated carbon filter to help remove the chlorine from my city supply. I fed the whole brew stand with a vinyl garden hose for portability. It turns out the garden hose was adding an awful garden hose taste (when comparing side by side with tap water) that the filter wouldn't remove and didn't seem to ever go away. I have since converted the feed to my brew stand to PEX water piping and it has made a world of difference.

Oh man that sucks. Avoiding garden hoses is something most of us learned early on. I use the white Swan brand marine/RV hoses approved for use with drinking water. Never a problem with them.

 

[trefoyl]

**Prints shopping list**
Going to Lowes!

 

[SouthernYankee]

**Prints shopping list**
Going to Lowes!

Same!

 

[Jewrican]

i used this the other day and built mine before my Terrapin Rye Pale Ale Clone.

Thanks for the detail in this post. Made it so easy to do.

 

[Zaphod42]

The Kansas City water department does not list Chloramine as a compound present in the water supply. I guess that means that there is none ?? Is chloramine a compound that must be reported if there is any or are there certain things that can be left out of reports such as this ? Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[shenny]

Hello,
I am new to this forum, i like your water set up i have collect it.
Thanks.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Hello,
I am new to this forum, i like your water set up i have collect it.
Thanks.

Um what..... I guess that's good.

 

[Catt22]

Um what..... I guess that's good.

Yes, that was intended to be a compliment I am sure. I think that shenny may be from elsewhere. His/her English is not perfect, but so what. It's probably quite a challenge for him/her to figure out some of the brewing stuff we discuss here.

 

[johnodon]

If a hose has "drinking water safe" in the description, is that good enough for this purpose? Does that necessarily mean that it won't contribute any weird
tatstes (i.e. plastic)?

TIA,

John

 

[Catt22]

If a hose has "drinking water safe" in the description, is that good enough for this purpose? Does that necessarily mean that it won't contribute any weird
tatstes (i.e. plastic)?

TIA,

John

IMO, Yes!

 

[johnodon]

Thx Cat.

I think I'll grab this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-10-Fresh-Water-Hose/14504300

I don't want 25' for hose laying around. This should suit my needs just fine.

John

 

[Catt22]

Thx Cat.

I think I'll grab this one: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-10-Fresh-Water-Hose/14504300

I don't want 25' for hose laying around. This should suit my needs just fine.

John

That hose should be just fine. While you are there, pick up one of these:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-Brass-Water-Regulator/14504323?findingMethod=rr

It's a pressure reducer and allows you to shut the water off with a nozzle without fear of blowing the fittings off the end of the hose as can often happen.

 

[johnodon]

That hose should be just fine. While you are there, pick up one of these:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-Brass-Water-Regulator/14504323?findingMethod=rr

It's a pressure reducer and allows you to shut the water off with a nozzle without fear of blowing the fittings off the end of the hose as can often happen.

Does that replace this part that was listed in the first post:

Gilmore water shutoff​

Or is it used in conjunction with that shutoff?

 

[Catt22]

Does that replace this part that was listed in the first post:

Gilmore water shutoff​

Or is it used in conjunction with that shutoff?

I think the Gilmore attachment is just a shut off. You could use both if desired. I have my filter plumbed with a bypass. The pressure reducer is on the faucet and I run a potable water hose from there to the brew stand. At that point it connects to the filter manifold. The filter supplies water through small 3/8" vinyl tubing controlled with a ball valve. It's best to filter the water slowly, so the hose need not be very large. I have a second potable water hose like the one you are buying hooked up to bypass the filter. This is the one I have the hose nozzle on and it also has a separate ball valve for control. The bypass water I use for the CFC cooling water and for general cleanup with the nozzle. I'm fortunate to have a floor drain in my brewing area. That's a major plus IMO.

 

[chrislehr]

I want/need one of these!

 

[tmbc10784]

Very ignorant on these filters, but I think someone in this thread mentioning installing this under the kitchen sink? Is it as simple as getting the right fittings to place it in line from the cold water source, then to the faucet?

Will this create a bottleneck in the water speed/pressure from cold on our kitchen sink? It would be an elegant solution for some filtered water for beer, but hopefully we could also toss the brita.

I don't have a hole available on my sink on top for a separate faucet, so that's why I'm asking about putting it in-line to the actual kitchen faucet.