What do you use to filter your tap water?

[FTG-05]

RV water hoses are food grade for potable water, they shouldn't impart any taste to the water.

I get my brewing water from the kitchen sink. I use only hot water so there is less time to getting up to temp. The local water utility here does not use chloramine but they do use chlorine. I was under the impression that heating and boiling the water would eliminate all the chlorine. Is this not true?

 

[galacticbrewing12]

Well I decided to buy the Culligan HF-360A Whole House Sediment Filter on Amazon.com. It has a 5 micron filter, which from what I can tell is very good. I know some people feel like you need a .5 micron filter, but there are just too expensive. I got my filter for only $31 and compared numerous options, but feel like this will help resolve my issue. Then to help remove the chloramides I will be using campden tablets.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQUPZ8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Monster Mash]

I get my brewing water from the kitchen sink. I use only hot water so there is less time to getting up to temp.

There are multiple site that advise against this...
http://www.everything2.com/title/Never+drink+or+cook+with+hot+tap+water

 

[FTG-05]

Wow, learn something new every day! Thanks,

 

[Huff360]

Well I decided to buy the Culligan HF-360A Whole House Sediment Filter on Amazon.com. It has a 5 micron filter, which from what I can tell is very good. I know some people feel like you need a .5 micron filter, but there are just too expensive. I got my filter for only $31 and compared numerous options, but feel like this will help resolve my issue. Then to help remove the chloramides I will be using campden tablets.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BQUPZ8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Not sure what your issue is, but be aware that is only a sediment filter. It will only remove "chunks" of stuff and will have no affect on VOCs. You are going to see very little difference in water before and after this filter if you are on the city water system.

Following that filter up with a nice very fine mesh carbon block like the .6 micron here http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/10-matrikx-carbon-block.html will yield some really nice clean water. Still throw the campden tablet in there to remove the chloramine post filtering as you already planned to do.

 

[galacticbrewing12]

Not sure what your issue is, but be aware that is only a sediment filter. It will only remove "chunks" of stuff and will have no affect on VOCs. You are going to see very little difference in water before and after this filter if you are on the city water system.

Following that filter up with a nice very fine mesh carbon block like the .6 micron here http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/10-matrikx-carbon-block.html will yield some really nice clean water. Still throw the campden tablet in there to remove the chloramine post filtering as you already planned to do.

I bought a 20 and 5 micron filter with it, so I think that will be plenty good.

 

[Aspenextreme]

I use a rv hose, rv water filter and then a campden tablet or my GA water. Was doing it without the campden but it did not cut it and the tablet made a world of difference. No RO as that is down the line even though i pretty much have everything else in my arsenal.

 

[Huff360]

I bought a 20 and 5 micron filter with it, so I think that will be plenty good.

Both of those are still just sediment filters, right?

 

[PackerfaninSanDiego]

Great links and ideas here..

He's one, who uses the water from their garden hoses? I can't use mine because of the "hose" taste... So better question is.. What do you guys use there, in conjunction with the RV filters and whatnot?

I get RO filtered water, that cost me 1.50 for 5 gallons. It's cheap, and easy to fill my 5 gal jugs, but I want the flexibility to use my tap water, filter it, and continue to treat it like I do now with my RO water.

Any idea on hoses that are good for drinking water, or have a reduced taste effect of it? I'd use it strictly for brewing.

Are the RV drinking water hoses good enough? If so, then for under 30-40 I could get a hose and filter and move to something easy. It would pay for it's self in just 10 brews.

there is lead in garden hoses,,,you need to get a(lead free) Marine/RV hose..

 

[galacticbrewing12]

Based upon the comments I received and further research I decided to return the Culligan sediment filter and got a Camco EVO water filter that filters up to 5 microns. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

 

[Huff360]

Based upon the comments I received and further research I decided to return the Culligan sediment filter and got a Camco EVO water filter that filters up to 5 microns. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Good deal! Also remember that running your spigot, hose bib, tap, faucet, or whatever your part of the country calls them, at full blast will cause the effectiveness of the filter to be greatly reduced. The GAC needs contact time with the water to work it's magic.

I can't find any data from Camco on what the rated GPM is, but a safe bet we be to run it around 1.5 or so gallons per minute. That is usually plenty fast that it is not a pain to wait on 10 gallons, and plenty slow that the filter can do it's thing.

 

[galacticbrewing12]

Good deal! Also remember that running your spigot, hose bib, tap, faucet, or whatever your part of the country calls them, at full blast will cause the effectiveness of the filter to be greatly reduced. The GAC needs contact time with the water to work it's magic.

I can't find any data from Camco on what the rated GPM is, but a safe bet we be to run it around 1.5 or so gallons per minute. That is usually plenty fast that it is not a pain to wait on 10 gallons, and plenty slow that the filter can do it's thing.

From what I read it said it has a 2.5 GPM rate.

 

[BxBrewer]

Been using NYC water right out of the tap with no filter.

 

[BassBeer]

I use this Culligan unit: http://www.amazon.com/Culligan-FM-15RA-Faucet-Replacement-Cartridge/dp/B00006WNMJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1353034598&sr=1-1&keywords=culligan+water+filter

Also throw in 1/4 campden tablet to be safe. The city water is not bad here anyway, and has made great beer, but this is a definite improvement.

 

[whoaru99]

Both of those are still just sediment filters, right?

5 micron is some pretty damn fine sediment. AFAIK, the point here isn't a microbiological filter. That's what boiling/sterilization and sanitization is for.

 

[Huff360]

5 micron is some pretty damn fine sediment.

Agreed. But mechanical filtration of municipal water is not that big of a deal. There's rarely anything in it anyway. Maybe some occasional scale from a pipe.

Oddly enough, the most common thing mine catches is eyelashes. I have 4 or 5 in there now... Weird.

AFAIK, the point here isn't a microbiological filter. That's what boiling/sterilization and sanitization is for.

Yeah, I wasn't suggesting that a microbiological filter was needed. I was suggesting a carbon filter of some sort for chemical filtration.

If I were on a municipal supply and was only going to do 1 stage of filtration, I would do chemical only as opposed to mechanical only as the OP was originally doing.

 

[Hackwood]

I've only used Reverse Osmosis up to this point. I've put it into my head that in the near future I'm going to brew with 'regular-ole-city-water' simply ran through a carbon filter .... or 10. Being in the water industry for many years I have been told that one certain water is the best, but being that I am who I am, I'm going to be doing some batches in the near future comparing my fancy RO water against city water ran through some carbon filters.

 

[eauclairedan]

What are you trying to filter?

Although I am new to brewing, I am a water chemist for a large municipal utility. I'd be happy to help!

 

[sudbuster]

I am SHOCKED at how many people in here use their water straight from the tap. Unless you have well water and a water table with minerals friendly to brewing the styles you like, I would seriously question your ability to make beer I want to drink.

I am an ex- Seattle resident. People living along the North Pacific coastal region are enjoying water of almost RO quality. Without doubt there are other localized regions with equally acceptable water quality fresh from the tap.

I recently got an RO unit. Love it.

In my case, I have to agree, at least with the water in this local. RO is the way to go. RO does not remove chorimines though. Further treatment for chlorimines is required.

After doing a little reading on the subject, it doesn't seem that carbon filters will remove chloramines. Am I wrong?

High grade granular carbon will remove choramines but at a trickle rate unacceptable for most brewing setups, at least IMO.

I use a 5 stage Reverse Osmosis set up with a de-ionizer too. The water that comes out is pure water only. No salts, chemicals or particulates at all. I found this RO system really cheap on Ebay and added a 7 gallon surge tank and a 65 PSI boost pump to improve the quantity of filtered water I was getting in a shorter amount of time. The boost pump is switched into the RO set up, so the system never sees any greater than 65 PSI when the pump is on and I am filtering water. The additional pressure definately helps the membrane be more efficient and produce enough water fast enough so there is no waiting.
Wheelchair Bob

The only problem with RO treatment is the terrible waste of water. It usually takes about 8 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of RO water. The remainder goes down the drain. IMO, not a pleasing picture. If the RO waste water were used on a garden, then that might be productive, especially in a drier region.

 

[Huff360]

The only problem with RO treatment is the terrible waste of water. It usually takes about 8 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of RO water. The remainder goes down the drain. IMO, not a pleasing picture. If the RO waste water were used on a garden, then that might be productive, especially in a drier region.

Mine goes into the clothes washer. I can make about 7 or so gallons of water and wash a load. Make another 7 and wash another load.

 

[galacticbrewing12]

I am an ex- Seattle resident. People living along the North Pacific coastal region are enjoying water of almost RO quality. Without doubt there are other localized regions with equally acceptable water quality fresh from the tap.



In my case, I have to agree, at least with the water in this local. RO is the way to go. RO does not remove chorimines though. Further treatment for chlorimines is required.



High grade granular carbon will remove choramines but at a trickle rate unacceptable for most brewing setups, at least IMO.



The only problem with RO treatment is the terrible waste of water. It usually takes about 8 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of RO water. The remainder goes down the drain. IMO, not a pleasing picture. If the RO waste water were used on a garden, then that might be productive, especially in a drier region.

I'm glad to hear from another Pacific Northwesterner. I lived in a suburb of Seattle from about 10 years and since leaving I can say that I was certainly spoiled by how great the water quality is up there. The tap water tastes better than most bottled waters. There is something about that water from the ice and snow melting up in the Cascade mountains that is just so fresh. I wish I still lived there just for the sole reason of the water quality that I have become to appreciate as a homebrewer.