3 questions on hard water

[Brewbie]

Hi Folks
I’ve got 3 questions on hard water if anyone can help.
The water around here is silly hard
Calcium (milligrams per litre) 112
Calcium carbonate (milligrams per litre) 293
I’m brewing kit Ales.
1. Will this hardness affect the reading of a hydrometer? :wha:
2. Are there any benefits of boiling the water and syphoning off the good stuff leaving and leaving the milk behind?
3. Could this have anything to do with a brew sticking? :evil:

With thanks
Glynn

 

[battwave]

I'd say no to all three Glynn, but someone may have some clever alternatives to No 2.

On the sticking brew, if you're seeing anything above 1015 SG on your hydrometer, suggest you Aeriate (stir with sterile spoon or repeatedly dunk and pour with a sterile jug) and re-pitch a fresh batch of yeast (which will need the dissolved oxygen to multiply). However, you may just get away with rousing your current yeast (shake or stir).

 

[Mark1964]

it wont affect your hydrometer because a hydrometer measures sugar in a liquid. As for the water it might pay to buy a water testing kit

 

[SirBoneALot]

Have you considered reverse osmosis water? our local pet fish shop sells it at 50p per gallon IIRC its as good as you can get, NASA use it to take to space for drinking water.

 

[Brewbie]

Thanks folks.
That’s cleared a lot up for me. :thumb:
Now to get on to Muntons and see what they have to say.

Glynn.

 

[phettebs]

My carbonate level is 350ppm so I know a bit about hard water. Basically it's good for stouts and that's it.

I now use reverse osmosis water mixed with my hard water and additional brewing salts to reach a specific water profile. It's a bit more work but well worth the effort!