Water softener and brewing water

[discokid2k]

hey everyone, I just had a water softener installed and am wondering how to figure out what it does to my water as far as brewing is concerned. Anyone know how to figure that out? Where to start?

 

[bstacy1974]

The only way to be sure is to send it to a lab. All water sources are different, so what you have will be different from everyone else. Ward Labs offers great service and results for very little money.
In general, however, as the softener removes the calcium, your sodium levels will increase, hardness, iron, and manganese will decrease. Alkalinity will be the same.
Regardless of your source water, I'd also recommend a whole house carbon filter.

 

[mabrungard]

If your water softener is in place to remove iron and/or manganese and the tap water's hardness isn't that high, it is possible that your softened water isn't overly salty. But for most softener users, the water was too hard to begin with and the softener IS probably adding an excessive sodium or potassium content to the water.

 

[Nemanach]

The general consensus is that the water softener will add too much sodium, it’s better to use the hard water. My outside spigots are not softened so I grab water from them for brewing. If I use water from indoors I will bypass the softener, fill up buckets of water and then turn off the bypass.

 

[MaxStout]

Too many unknowns in that water, both the hard and the soft. Best to get it tested. Otherwise, use filtered water from the store or consider investing in a decent RO system.

 

[discokid2k]

Sweet. Thanks guys. I live in central TX and our water is super hard everywhere around here. Lots of bicarbonate and ph is typically off the charts. I don’t remember the exact number but the hardness is just absurd, but when you sit on limestone.... Even the guy who installed the softener said our water was ridiculously hard.

I’ll look into getting it tested. Depending on what I’m brewing I typically buy 1/2 the water RO but years of brewing w our water have taught me how to adjust hard water. The water softener through that all off for me this week. The water doesn’t taste overly salty after the install. I’m not 100% if our outside water is softened, I would doubt it since it seems like a waste of pipe when building to have all lines connect at one point?

I got to thinking that even with the water softener, any hot water that runs into the house sits in a water heater, that has been not connected to a water softener for god knows how long...so I’m sure when I replace the water heater in a few months, if we cut it open there is probably a pretty solid layer of mineral deposits, that my now softened water sits on before I draw it out. May be a good idea to test hot water vs cold water.

 

[discokid2k]

The general consensus is that the water softener will add too much sodium, it’s better to use the hard water. My outside spigots are not softened so I grab water from them for brewing. If I use water from indoors I will bypass the softener, fill up buckets of water and then turn off the bypass.

I didn’t even think about the bypass. That’s a good idea!

 

[Lefou]

Too many unknowns in that water, both the hard and the soft. Best to get it tested. Otherwise, use filtered water from the store or consider investing in a decent RO system.

Hard ground water that contains unfiltered iron and sulfides can play havoc with your brewing water.

 

[MaxStout]

Hard ground water that contains unfiltered iron and sulfides can play havoc with your brewing water.

My city water has some iron and manganese. The water tastes good, but I'd never use it for brewing. That's why the adage "if the water tastes good, it's good for brewing" is not always true.

 

[Buckeye_Hydro]

Regardless of your source water, I'd also recommend a whole house carbon filter.

I respectfully disagree with this.

 

[MaxStout]

That chlorination is there for a good reason. I wouldn't want that removed from whole house water and have microbes building up all over.

I just want the chlorine/chloramines out of my brewing water.

 

[Bubbles2]

Most use a softener on the HOT side only.... just a thought. Grab a Hanna Ph meter, TDS meter to start with...