Does this mean my tap water's fine to use?

[Bashley]

Hi All

As an expat living in France it can get a little complicated finding out facts and figures on this subject.

From this website it seems that France using something called Ozone and not chloramine. https://www.lenntech.com/processes/disinfection/regulation-eu/eu-water-disinfection-regulation.htm

Does this mean my tap water is safe to use as is? I seem to remember that even if you have a little chlorine in your water, letting it stand for a while burns it off. I bought some campden powder but would prefer not to use it if I don't have to.

I'm planing on still using a filter of some kind - any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I'm a beginner btw.

 

[terrym]

Ozone is chemical that contains three oxygen atoms not two like normal oxygen. It is a powerful oxidant and that is why it is used to purify water, as an alternative to chlorine based compounds. In high concentrations it is not very nice to the human body but any residiual ozone left after treating water should be OK , or else it would not be supplied as mains water, since all mains water in Europe must meet stringent requirements. I doubt whether you will smell or taste any residual ozone unlike like chlorine compounds. If I were you I would just go ahead and use it without any concern.

 

[Dutto]

I used straight tap water in St Nazaire last year to brew a Wilco Golden Ale kit with Golden Syrup last May and the brew turned out just fine; but whether or not the area uses ozone as a disinfectant I don't know.

There shouldn't be a problem. Most water is disinfected to kill bacteria between the water treatment plant and the user and dissipates pretty quickly on exposure to the air. Not only that, in AG brews you boil the wort for an hour and that should drive off anything that could affect yeast.

I use one of these for filtering all my brewing water ...

https://www.force4.co.uk/jabsco-replacement-aqua-filta.html

They're not cheap but as a filter lasts a year and it's the only treatment I use, I consider it value for money.

PS

I notice that on the chart, only the UK gets a "full set" of disinfection methods used!

 

[Bashley]

Thanks guys!

 

[GerritT]

Personally I am fine with tap water but I have to live with my family who are not fine with it. So I'm considering installing a water filter, this supplier https://ecosoft.com/ seems decent. They promise their produced water tastes great.

Your water supplier should be able to provide you with information on the contents of your tapwater. With that information you should be able to decide what is and what isn't necessary treatment for your tapwater.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
I use a Brita jug-type filter.

 

[Bashley]

Hi!
I use a Brita jug-type filter.

Yep, I used a brita filter perched on a hop spider going into an unused FV with the water dripping slowly from the tap, down through the ciller on my Grainfather. Easier to do than explain!

 

[Sadfield]

If filtering you'll at least need to add some calcium back.

Calcium (Ca+2)
Atomic Weight = 40.0
Equivalent Weight = 20.0
Brewing Range = 50-150 ppm.
Calcium is the principal ion that determines water hardness and has a +2 charge. As it is in our own bodies, calcium is instrumental to many yeast, enzyme, and protein reactions, both in the mash and in the boil. It promotes clarity, flavor, and stability in the finished beer. Calcium additions may be necessary to assure sufficient enzyme activity for some mashes in water that is low in calcium.

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[Bashley]

If filtering you'll at least need to add some calcium back.



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Appreciate the tip but sometimes you have to wonder how important some of these things are. We can drive ourselves crazy with all the science! TBH, I haven't noticed any difference in my brews with and without filters. In the future I may just filter half the water I use as there seems to be conflicting opinions all over the place.

 

[Saisonator]

Appreciate the tip but sometimes you have to wonder how important some of these things are. We can drive ourselves crazy with all the science! TBH, I haven't noticed any difference in my brews with and without filters. In the future I may just filter half the water I use as there seems to be conflicting opinions all over the place.

Calcium is very important in brewing and serves many functions, it's not an optional extra.

“Calcium (Ca)

Calcium is the primary ion determining the “permanent hardness” of the water. Calcium plays multiple roles in the brewing process including lowering the Ph during mashing, aiding in precipitation of proteins during the boil, enhancing beer stability and also acting as an important yeast nutrient. Calcium levels in the 100 mg/l range are highly desirable, and additives should be considered if your water profile has calcium levels below 50 mg/l. The range 50mg/l to 150 mg/l is preferred for brewing.”

 

[GerritT]

Here more: http://beersmith.com/blog/2008/08/24/brewing-water-hard-or-soft/

 

[Bashley]

As far as I'm aware there is only chlorine (no chloramine) in my tap water so in the future I might just either leave the water over night in an unused FV and possibly add campden. A couple of questions on that:

1. To remove chlorine do you leave FV lid off or on?
2. I have campden (potassium metabisulphite) in a bag and not tablets. What would the ratio be?

 

[LED_ZEP]

On the Yorkshire Water web site you can just pop in your postcode and get all the info you need (You can even download a more detailed report.
This one is for my postcode:
View attachment 13230

 

[strange-steve]

1. To remove chlorine do you leave FV lid off or on?
2. I have campden (potassium metabisulphite) in a bag and not tablets. What would the ratio be

1. Lid off.
2. A little goes a long way, 1g will treat about 150L of water at typical chlorine concentrations.