Understanding Water Report

[dan125]

What's this all about

I can't help you with the brewersfriend software. but I'd say the main reason to treat water is to get the alkalinity correct.
I'm not a million miles from you in Medway and have approx. 200ppm CaCo3 which I reduce with AMS.
I couldn't see a value for this on your water report, but you can buy test kits for a few quid.

 

[chuffer]

Have you tested the chlorine rates in your tap water?

I haven't tested mine but have in the past tasted very very faint hints of chlorine....for that reason, even with the kits, I've treated my water by boiling and half a campden tablet to get rid.....so this would be the first stage of my water treatment

 

[MyQul]

@cqr You need to find out what your alkalinity (or level of bicarbonates) is as dan125 says. So you can input the figure into any water calculator as alkalinity is (perhaps after usung a camden tablet to remove chlorine) the most important water adjustment you need to make as it controls the PH in the mash. The other ion salts are really just for flavour adjustment. E.g. to make the hop flavour more pronounced or make maltyness more pronounced

Have a look at post 8 here for the difference between hardness and alkalinity and what alkalinity actually is http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=44432

You can buy a salifert alkalinity test kit (they're normally for test tropical fish water but cheaple do the job for us HBers) for about £8. I got mine from brewuK
http://www.brewuk.co.uk/salifert-test.html

 

[Cqr]

@cqr You need to find out what your alkalinity (or level of bicarbonates) is as dan125 says. So you can input the figure into any water calculator as alkalinity is (perhaps after usung a camden tablet to remove chlorine) the most important water adjustment you need to make as it controls the PH in the mash. The other ion salts are really just for flavour adjustment. E.g. to make the hop flavour more pronounced or make maltyness more pronounced

Have a look at post 8 here for the difference between hardness and alkalinity and what alkalinity actually is http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=44432

You can buy a salifert alkalinity test kit (they're normally for test tropical fish water but cheaple do the job for us HBers) for about �£8. I got mine from brewuK
http://www.brewuk.co.uk/salifert-test.html

Thank you, that's a great insightful post linked :thumb:

 

[dan125]

I haven't tested mine but have in the past tasted very very faint hints of chlorine....for that reason, even with the kits, I've treated my water by boiling and half a campden tablet to get rid.....so this would be the first stage of my water treatment

Yes, agreed - I don't boil the water but always use 1/2 a campden tablet before adding the AMS - I think it also gets rid of chloramine which boiling doesn't remove. I've been doing this from brew#1 so didn't really consider it part of water treatment, suppose it is though
:

 

[chuffer]

Yes, agreed - I don't boil the water but always use 1/2 a campden tablet before adding the AMS - I think it also gets rid of chloramine which boiling doesn't remove. I've been doing this from brew#1 so didn't really consider it part of water treatment, suppose it is though
:

I was wondering if there could be any adverse effects from adding the campden tablet and the AMS at the same time....i.e. would the two sets of chemicals react with each other resulting in either a) some dodgy new toxic compound or b) rendering either (or both) ineffective for their main purposes?

 

[lancon]

What happened to the Homebrew forum water calculator?

 

[MyQul]

What happened to the Homebrew forum water calculator?

It's here now http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=57800

 

[MyQul]

I was wondering if there could be any adverse effects from adding the campden tablet and the AMS at the same time....i.e. would the two sets of chemicals react with each other resulting in either a) some dodgy new toxic compound or b) rendering either (or both) ineffective for their main purposes?

No I dont think so. I dont know for sure but I never read anything about this happening.

 

[dan125]

I was wondering if there could be any adverse effects from adding the campden tablet and the AMS at the same time....i.e. would the two sets of chemicals react with each other resulting in either a) some dodgy new toxic compound or b) rendering either (or both) ineffective for their main purposes?

I wouldn't have thought so but having said that I always add the campden tablet first and wait a few minutes before adding the AMS

 

[chuffer]

I wouldn't have thought so but having said that I always add the campden tablet first and wait a few minutes before adding the AMS

I think this weekend I'm going to treat the water the night before with the campden tablet and then on brew day add the AMS to the liquor as I heat it up to mash/sparge temps

 

[Cqr]

Anyone Kent based tried brewing with water from the spring at harty ferry

 

[lancon]

Re the Harty Ferry water, a few years ago I spoke to the EHO for Swale regarding the water, it used to be good but the owners now wont pay to have it tested and so it cant be validated. I have a concern about fertilizer/chemicals leaching into it so I have left it.

 

[Cqr]

Re the Harty Ferry water, a few years ago I spoke to the EHO for Swale regarding the water, it used to be good but the owners now wont pay to have it tested and so it cant be validated. I have a concern about fertilizer/chemicals leaching into it so I have left it.

I've brewed 3x AG brews and louds of wine etc from it
I'am thinking of sending a sample of to get tested

 

[lancon]

I worry about chemicals/fertilizers leaching into that. Sorry for repeat, it hadn't shown originally