Aquabion

[Lawrence R]

We have extremely hard water which destroys household appliances. I have resisted all advice for a softener as I would need an RO system to get my brewing water back to something I could treat and use.our plumber has suggested an Aquabion filter which I read uses zinc to turn limescale into soluble zinc carbonate. Their website cites the resultant water as safe to drink, unlike softened water. It may have the same result in reducing RA as adding CRS, I think Any chemists out there who might have a more educated view on how it would affect water quality? The resultant zinc levels are too high to keep koi carp in it according to the manufacturers FAQs so it’s not a totally benign process.

 

[Agentgonzo]

We have extremely hard water which destroys household appliances. I have resisted all advice for a softener as I would need an RO system to get my brewing water back to something I could treat and use.our plumber has suggested an Aquabion filter which I read uses zinc to turn limescale into soluble zinc carbonate. Their website cites the resultant water as safe to drink, unlike softened water. It may have the same result in reducing RA as adding CRS, I think Any chemists out there who might have a more educated view on how it would affect water quality? The resultant zinc levels are too high to keep koi carp in it according to the manufacturers FAQs so it’s not a totally benign process.

When fitting water softeners they tend to advise you to keep one tap in the household unsoftened, plus the outside tap. You can use these for brewing. We had a softener installed last year and we love it. The kitchen is not softened and I use this for brewing

 

[MashBag]

When fitting water softeners they tend to advise you to keep one tap in the household unsoftened, plus the outside tap.

 

[MashBag]

We have extremely hard water

How hard is your water?

 

[Agentgonzo]

How hard is your water?

Very. 15 degrees German, or ~ 300ppm from memory for me.

 

[MashBag]

I am 340ppm/19° German which the water company call 'very hard'

I am using 15ml AMS in 30L, and to be honest I am not 100% sure that's enough.

Regularly descaling stuff with vinegar and stop rock.

@Lawrence. I think you are among friends. How hard is yours?

 

[lancon]

Get it tested by Murphy's, I have iirc 360ppm and use 1.6ml/l and then dwb additions

 

[tutshiveandspile]

For many years now I've used
Jim's beer kit .First written by
Graham Wheeler. My source water is305ppm caco3. The calculator gives 38ml ams in my 25 litre Hlt.Then calculates top up for amount of mash liquor used say 12.5 liters will show 19ml. When my hlt is topped up with source water. And no chalky deposit to clean.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

our plumber has suggested an Aquabion filter which I read uses zinc to turn limescale into soluble zinc carbonate.

It's probably not a good system to use for brewing - whilst zinc is an essential nutrient for yeast, it has a fairly narrow range of happiness, and anything above that is bad. You don't say what concentration you get, but if it is enough to kill fish, it's probably enough to kill yeast

 

[MashBag]

I do like AMS & DWB. Murphy's are fantastically helpful.

I started doing was water treatment because I was really suffering from beer rock in my bottles.

With some help I put together a spreadsheet. It would be good to sanity check it.

It would also be good to get the water tested, good point. Much better than believing that gerenic water authority report.

 

[Lawrence R]

I am 340ppm/19° German which the water company call 'very hard'

I am using 15ml AMS in 30L, and to be honest I am not 100% sure that's enough.

Regularly descaling stuff with vinegar and stop rock.

@Lawrence. I think you are among friends. How hard is yours?

15.2 degrees German, so not as bad as yours. Thought we were very bad and perhaps the worst in UK, all our water comes out of aquifers in the Lincolnshire wolds - where are you that yours is so bad? General comments suggest that the levels of zinc I’ll achieve would not be v good for yeast. Putting in a separate feed to my brewery would, I think, mean a major engineering project. So it’s either dump the idea of the in line filter, use alternative water such as mineral water or get an RO filter. Might use the argument that if it’s bad for brewers yeast, it’s also bad for baking yeast, which might placate SWMBO as I drop the idea. Maybe a thought for the future (+ an RO filter).
thanks everyone else for their thoughts, v helpful.