Anybody use a water filter rather than bottled water?

[BeerCat]

I have never looked back since getting a reverse osmosis filter.

 

[Dutto]

I use one of these ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/r8o/Wate...&qid=1485824085&sr=8-3&keywords=jabsco+filter

... and replace it every year with one of these ...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00B2O1KYI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

... when Spring arrives.

It's not the cheapest filter to be found but it's definitely one of the best. We used one on our boat for eight years and we never had any problems with drinking water despite filling up with a ton at a time from some very dodgy canal-side sources!

 

[foxbat]

I have never looked back since getting a reverse osmosis filter.

Do you use it just for beer? I heard somewhere that those RO units discard around 5 litres for every 1 litre of RO they produce for you.

 

[BeerCat]

Do you use it just for beer? I heard somewhere that those RO units discard around 5 litres for every 1 litre of RO they produce for you.

Not just for beer, for the families water and cooking. They discard around 80% of the water but its still much cheaper than distilling that amount. My water bill has always been high and i have not noticed any increase since. Works out a lot cheaper than buying bottled water.

 

[hoptoit]

If you're not wanting to go into water chemistry too much, do as I do. I fill up a fermenting bin with water the night before, add half a Campden tablet and leave it over night. I noticed a little difference in taste of brews when I started doing this.
If your water supplier uses chloramine a filter will not remove that.

 

[marlon]

I use an in-line filter to a 3rd tap in the kitchen sink, had it put in when we had the kitchen re-done. Really produces nice water, noticed a difference when I left the cartridge in too long (18 months).

+1. I've got the same set-up. Works for me:thumb:

 

[Batlugs]

We rent so can't really start plumbing unfortunately.

I know the one I linked have different types of filters, some that are washable so you only need one that'll last a good while, but not sure about the carbon.

Is that something that is needed? You seem to know more about this than I do :thumb:

Guessing it'd be something like these... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0049GR0AY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Would these filters work in a beer filter. I have a beer filter that's more or less redundant and thought I could use it to filter water.

http://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk...eer-Filter-The-Home-Brew-Shop-UK.html#SID=200


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Llamaman]

London water isnt the best tasting out of the tap for drinking but I find it's fine for brewing with. For pales your more than likely need to strip out the alkalinty but for dark beers I find it's great for making thinkgs like stouts, porters, and milds straight out the tap. I just add a bit of camden tablet

Please could you let me know what water treatment you carry out for your pales? You live just down the road from me so we probably have similar water.

 

[MyQul]

Please could you let me know what water treatment you carry out for your pales? You live just down the road from me so we probably have similar water.

Not much at all really. 0.85ml/L CRS solution

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carbonate-Reducing-Solution-CRS-250ml/dp/B00DPGLDDO (you can get this all over the place not just amazon)

I dont even bother adding a campden as my/our water isnt that chlorinated. I dont add any mineral salts either, as I find this bit of water treatment too complicated for my mind to cope with

 

[An Ankoù]

I'm a great believer in seeing what you can do with the water you've got. Chlorine/-amine has to be dealt with of course, but the variety of styles today is due, in no small part, to variation in local water chemistries. You can make great beer with the stuff at hand. Copying someone else's great beer, on the other hand, is ten times more complicated, and yes, it starts with the water.

 

[Nicky P]

I have recently got back into homebrewing from kits after a 25 year break. This time, I am filtering my water using a Brita Water Filter jug. My local water has a definite chlorine taste to it.

Yes, filtering with the jug is time consuming - it takes me around a couple of hours to do 23 L / 40 pints. I found it's best to start the day before, filling up 3 or 4 demijohns and whatever bottles I happen to have around. This also allows the water to get up towards room temperature.

The final product taste is far better than I anything I remember brewing before. It does not have that homebrew 'tang'.

I cannot put my hand on my heart and say that this is 100% down to the filtered water. Firstly, I am sure that kits have improved (and there seem to be far more variety these days). Secondly, I am using brew enhancers and/or dextrose as opposed to table sugar.

Whatever the reasons are, I will not go back to using unfiltered water. My present results are too good to risk spoiling, and I feel that the extra effort is worth it.

 

[xozzx]

I did a lot of research into filters when I was living in Bucharest as the water there was "drinkable" apparently but absolutely foul. After a few months of the long haul from the supermarket with 30L water at a time (I didnt have a car) I bought a Berkey filter. It is a fantastic filter, quite expensive but paid for itself within a year and the filters work out the cheapest by a long shot, with normal use they can last upto 10 years, cleaning them every month or so.
When I started brewing big batches I drilled 2 holes in the bottom of an old plastic FV bucket and stuck 2 of the berkey carbon filters in. Fill the FV to the top and next morning 35L of really good filtered water. I can get 90L water filtered in about 24hrs if I keep topping it up.

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Berkey-R...&qid=1612896510&sprefix=berkey,aps,170&sr=8-6

 

[crowcrow]

We have very chloriney water here and I put filter tap in the shed/office/brewery - love it. I use if for the water I carb for sparkling water and all the brewing water - the filters are dirt cheap and it definitely tastes a lot better than it does direct from the tap.

 

[darkbright]

I have never looked back since getting a reverse osmosis filter.

Agree with this - my beers have been tons better since I got one. The water chemistry but is a bit hard to get your head around to begin with but there’s some great people on this forum to help.
Also, I use the bru’nwater spread sheet which is very easy to use.

 

[BeerCat]

Agree with this - my beers have been tons better since I got one. The water chemistry but is a bit hard to get your head around to begin with but there’s some great people on this forum to help.
Also, I use the bru’nwater spread sheet which is very easy to use.

EZ water calculator is another free one which i have used. I generally get the ph right with acid malt then add chloride or sulphate depending on what i am brewing.

 

[LED_ZEP]

Simple carbon filter I make from two 2l pop bottles with activated carbon. Drill two 0.75mm holes in the bottle top and push a little coffee filter paper into the cap on the inside before adding carbon. The tie wrap around the bottom bottle just stops the top one sliding down too far.

I get the carbon from here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2kg-Premium-Activated-Carbon-Media-for-fresh-ponds-and-marine-external-filter/141421829834?epid=1148105522&hash=item20ed65deca:g:g-wAAOSwBLlVEqod

 

[Worf]

Agree with this - my beers have been tons better since I got one. The water chemistry but is a bit hard to get your head around to begin with but there’s some great people on this forum to help.
Also, I use the bru’nwater spread sheet which is very easy to use.

I'm curious what you and @BeerCat are speaking of when ya'll speak of "reverse osmosis" filters.
20 years ago, we had a whole house Culligan water softener that used RO that was huge (3'x2'x4'). Yet, what i see advertised now as whole house RO has 3 12-18" filters that takes up <3'x18" space.
We are presently building a new home & expect to put in a whole house, since the water here is terrible. Although not incredibly chemicaled, there is high mineral content and an unknown aftertaste.

Anyway, how big are your RO filters & are they just used for drinking water or are they whole house?

 

[darkbright]

I'm curious what you and @BeerCat are speaking of when ya'll speak of "reverse osmosis" filters.
20 years ago, we had a whole house Culligan water softener that used RO that was huge (3'x2'x4'). Yet, what i see advertised now as whole house RO has 3 12-18" filters that takes up <3'x18" space.
We are presently building a new home & expect to put in a whole house, since the water here is terrible. Although not incredibly chemicaled, there is high mineral content and an unknown aftertaste.

Anyway, how big are your RO filters & are they just used for drinking water or are they whole house?

I got a 4 stage vyair one. It’s only used for brewing. it was £60 from Amazon.

The filter is still good and I use an in line TDS meter to monitor this. Takes my TDS from 300 down to 5 ish. The water here is horribly hard.

With high water pressure it still creates a fair amount of waste water but not quite as bad as the numbers posted in here. The waste water is collected in the summer and used on the garden. In the winter I don’t brew so much so it’s not used often.
I don’t know anything about whole house units sorry.

 

[BeerCat]

I'm curious what you and @BeerCat are speaking of when ya'll speak of "reverse osmosis" filters.
20 years ago, we had a whole house Culligan water softener that used RO that was huge (3'x2'x4'). Yet, what i see advertised now as whole house RO has 3 12-18" filters that takes up <3'x18" space.
We are presently building a new home & expect to put in a whole house, since the water here is terrible. Although not incredibly chemicaled, there is high mineral content and an unknown aftertaste.

Anyway, how big are your RO filters & are they just used for drinking water or are they whole house?

I have one similar to this ( mine was a bit cheaper but its the first i found). It sits in a cupboard to the side of the sink and is used for beer, all drinking water and cooking. It comes with an approximately 7l reservoir which the water is served from that.
You can get one without the res which people use for fish tanks, and brewing etc. You would fill up a bucket and put the waste down the drain. The disadvantage of having one like mine is one the res empties you have to wait an hour or so for it to refill. Its fine for drinking but for brewing i collect the water in 2l jugs and often wander off sidetracked causing a mini flood in the kitchen.
Anyway its one of the best things i have bought for the house and the water tastes amazing but i should really get another one for brewing which i can connect outside. Its also really easy to adjust your water and brilliant for lagers.