That spreadsheet I started on is about complete. It is not a water calculator! I call it a "Water Defuddler". It only outputs the basic 5+1 water ions arrived at with the minimum effort from a water report or test kits and doesn't require knowledge of arcane measures like "as CaCO
3", or arcane technologies like "water hardness".
Contrary to the popular ideas of water chemistry, it's a piece-of-cake! All the arcane "water parameters" that we
don't need, they hold all the deceiving complexities. Unfortunately, those arcane parameters are still put about by water companies, and in the worst examples mask the information we
do need. This spreadsheet attempts to guide you through the clutter and leave you with the information you need (i.e. the six ion quantities with which you can use in a water calculator to build any brewing water profile you fancy ... I said "5+1 ions" above because the "+1" is "bicarbonate" which is picked out for two reasons ... one, 'cos I'm a geek, and two, 'cos it represents the "alkalinity").
Apologies first, I'm not posting the spreadsheet just yet, it might still need some fine tweaking, just some screenshots. Like all my spreadsheet creations, I do tend to endow them with some crazy features that ensure they don't look like spreadsheets!
The basic six water ions we're messing with, and with luck all six boxes can be filled in from the water report. If not, we descend into the "Foetid Mire" to find them. The example here is the one making up the OP of this thread ... it was missing the "bicarbonate" figure. The source of missing figure is the "Foetid Mire". Values are past to and from the Mire at the boundary manually so the Mire can't automatically infect the values you have already gleaned.
The sources of data used can be recorded here. The sources may not be updated very often, so this spreadsheet won't ever need wielding often either.
The Mire is split into "depths". And here, not too deep, is the instantly recognisable water "Hardness". But very few realise it is "Hardness" that is responsible for nearly all the complexity in water chemistry. It's awful companion "as CaCO
3" is only there to add a huge dose of miscomprehension. Don't dwell too long here! Just copy in the figures it needs and don't worry at all what "as CaCO3" really means (what it "really means" is very likely very different to what you have believed in the past!).
The next layer down only wants "temporary hardness". Still looking for the elusive "bicarbonate". If you can't get it from this, hold your breath and sink deeper into the Mire.
Finally, we get "bicarbonate" and can return to the surface. Just the nitrate figure to feed in which can be a bit of a guess if necessary. All that alien stuff with "mEq/l" need be of no concern, it's done automatically. Get out now and leave all this arcane "Hardness" stuff in the stinking depths. A few minor warnings in the "less smelly" bit concerning "Alkalinity" which I may cover at a later date?
That is hopefully a decent introduction to the Defuddler, the finished spreadsheet will be along shortly.