Calcium chloride flakes weight to volume.

[Ben Matthews]

Hi there home brew peeps. I'm brewing my 6th batch of all grain tomorrow and just sorting out my water treatment. I'm understanding water way more now and what each mineral does. I ordered a digi scale but it's not arrived yet for weighing out my water additions and the one I have been using has broken now so have no way of measuring out them by weight.

On the water chemistry calculator I'm using which I think is brewers friend as well as suggesting the weights of salt additions it includes the volume of them too in teaspoons which is very handy as I have accurate measuring cups down to a quarter of a teaspoon. The only mineral im not sure of is calcium chloride as it's in the little flakes form so are they saying my volume needed of them is powder or crushed which I assume will have rather a difference in volume?

I've seen a fair few sources where they give you the volume of minerals like John Palmer's how to brew but no one seems to specify crushed or flakes.

Any ideas?

Cheers

 

[strange-steve]

By my measurement I reckon that 1 level teaspoon of flakes is approximately 5g.

 

[peebee]

Calcium Chloride is an interesting one. You can weigh it, or spoon it out, and either way you don't really know how much is calcium chloride and how much is water. It's very hygroscopic.

You can use Steve's measure as a rough guide to make a 9-10% solution in water and take its gravity with a hydrometer. Some water calculators will work will calcium chloride solutions of known gravity (which it converts to an accurate solution strength).

Warning: Dissolving a strong solution of CaCl2 will get hot. And if stronger than 10% may be beyond what a beer hydrometer can measure.

 

[chrisb8]

Could you try crushing your flakes? In a sealed bag perhaps.

 

[Ben Matthews]

Thanks guys I might have a go at making a solution in the future. I did think about crushing in a bag. My gut feeling is that when they are quoting a teaspoon they are meaning powder and not flakes but nothing to say for sure? I think I'll give it a go crushing unless anyone knows for sure. If I overshoot it it's not he end of the world my water is low in calcium and I'm aiming for a malt forward profile.

 

[Drunkula]

In case you need a rough idea I just took these for ye.

Going by eye I wouldn't have thought the second one was more than twice the first, but there it be. Yes, I zeroed out the cake case.

 

[chrisb8]

In case you need a rough idea I just took these for ye.

Going by eye I wouldn't have thought the second one was more than twice the first, but there it be. Yes, I zeroed out the cake case.

View attachment 24631
View attachment 24632

Just don't eat one of @Drunkula's 'experimental' cupcakes...

Kudos on the effort to help a fellow brewer though :hat:

 

[Ben Matthews]

Mate thats awesome help thanks for that. That is really helpful. So an average teaspoon of flakes it around 3.7 grams.

Thanks

 

[Drunkula]

So an average teaspoon of flakes it around 3.7 grams.

Yeah, I guess so. The second spoon was as much as I could get on. Some slid down and off the spoon so I just put what was left on the scale.

 

[Ben Matthews]

Good enough I reckon. Especially as everyone's water likely varies throughout the year so won't be exactly as reported anyhow. I don't think we need to be too anal with water additions as long as mash pH is good.