Looking for guidance on producing the best brewing water. I draw water from a private well that taps into a single source aquifer. The well water is hard (450 ppm total hardness), smells of rotten eggs (hydrogen sulfide), and tastes like blood (iron and manganese). I have a whole house softener and 10 micron carbon block filter to save the appliances and make the water more palatable. My question is what would be the most efficient way to treat the water? An RO system applied to the softened water to remove the sodium? Or a filter system to remove hydrogen sulfide and iron from the unsoftened water?
Water treatment systems (hard water and hydrogen sulfide)
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Silver_Is_Money
Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
Your water softener is only exchanging calcium and magnesium ions for sodium ions. Everything else remains analytically right close to as it was pre the softener (including alkalinity). You need an RO unit for sure. But just down stream from your softener (and before the RO unit) you seriously need to install an oxidation filter tank to get rid of the iron and the sulfur.
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I do have an oxidation iron filter after the softener. I guess the question is whether its better to make brewing water with softened water or try to treat the raw water.
Silver_Is_Money
Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
Your softened water will have a massive amount of sodium, and zero calcium and magnesium. This runs opposite of what beer water needs to look like. But there seems to be little hope for your water. I understand, as my well water is even worse than yours.
But an RO system treating the softened should get me to a low mineral base line that I can then adjust to be suitable?
Silver_Is_Money
Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
Yes!
Be aware that gases can pass through a RO membrane. You may still have hydrogen sulfide in the product water.
Is hydrogen sulfide a deal breaker? I hate the thought of buying and installing an RO system to still not be able to use the water.
Silver_Is_Money
Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
Your oxygenating tank should be eliminating the hydrogen sulfide.
Careful there. Oxydation will turn the sulfide ions into elemental sulfur and that will wreak havoc on your membrane.
H2S removal in combination with RO treatment is really no walk in the park if the H2S levels are really high.
You'll want to store your water in an open tank to enable any H2S gas to leave the water. Another option is to spray your water into your brewing vessels and that could be sufficient for getting the gas out.
It shouldn't be a big problem, but it is something to pay attention to.
applescrap
Be the ball!
I like the idea of filling water at the local store for 39 cents a gallon for you.
Silver_Is_Money
Larry Sayre, Developer of 'Mash Made Easy'
My well water wreaks of HS smell straight from the well, and post the softener and oxygenation tank it has no smell at all. It works fine for beer post my RO unit. My well waters TDS weighs in at 876 ppm. Total hardness for my well is 756 ppm. Conductivity in units of uS/Cm weighs in at 1,367. GH is 42.5 and KH is 24.5.
The one and only time I used my well water for brewing (at a ratio of 1 part well and 3 parts RO) I aerated it to kill the anaerobic sulfur eating bacteria (iron eating bacteria) and then left it sit open to the air for two days as Martin suggests, and at that juncture it had zero HS smell. The beer came out OK, but it wasn't worth the effort involved with regard to the water. It also took a proverbial ton of acid to kill the alkalinity.
The one and only time I used my well water for brewing (at a ratio of 1 part well and 3 parts RO) I aerated it to kill the anaerobic sulfur eating bacteria (iron eating bacteria) and then left it sit open to the air for two days as Martin suggests, and at that juncture it had zero HS smell. The beer came out OK, but it wasn't worth the effort involved with regard to the water. It also took a proverbial ton of acid to kill the alkalinity.
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I feel like the oxygenating iron filter is taking care of the hydrogen sulfide, although it could just be in comparison to how bad it had been before. The water would likely sit in the HLT for a while as it will take about 8 hours to fill with an RO filter in place so that should deal with anything that is making it through all the treatment.
I considered buying RO water and am not fond of the idea of carting around up to 35 gallons at a time. Not to mention it will approach the cost of an RO system pretty quickly.
I am reading that all of these options are predicated on an analysis of the softened water to see if the residual alkalinity is within a correctable range as well.
I'd say go through the oxidizing filter first. This should oxidize the S- to elemental sulfur and the Fe(II) to Fe(III) which would form Fe2(OH)3 both of which would be trapped by the filter medium. Now feed the de sulfured, de ironed hard water to the softener and finally the softened iron and sulfur reduced water to the RO unit. Run this scheme by an experienced water treatment outfit in your area. They will know what works with your local water and be able to supply that equipment.
Residual alkalinity is not a concept with which we are much concerned any more but it is clear that water from a softener will have residual alkalinity very close to the alkalinity of the source water as the calcium and magnesium which contribute to lower RA will have been removed.
Residual alkalinity is not a concept with which we are much concerned any more but it is clear that water from a softener will have residual alkalinity very close to the alkalinity of the source water as the calcium and magnesium which contribute to lower RA will have been removed.
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