# Melbourne Shower Water



## Matty McFly (17/4/13)

This maybe a ridiculous question, but I've been curious for a while.

Is using shower water in my brew alright? I've tasted it in a glass and it seems to taste alright, however there's a very slight yellow tinge when I fill the fermenter up - I can't imagine that's ideal.

Surely it's the same water that comes from the tap though?


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## Neanderthal (17/4/13)

Matty McFly said:


> This maybe a ridiculous question, but I've been curious for a while.
> 
> Is using shower water in my brew alright? I've tasted it in a glass and it seems to taste alright, however there's a very slight yellow tinge when I fill the fermenter up - I can't imagine that's ideal.
> 
> Surely it's the same water that comes from the tap though?



As long as it isn't golden shower water you should be right.


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## WarmBeer (17/4/13)

Pulled apart your shower head recently? Ewwwwwww.....


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## Matty McFly (17/4/13)

Not lately, I'll crack her open and give it a good clean.

I don't suppose rust equals a rustic beer does it?


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## pk.sax (17/4/13)

I'll take a wide guess that you aren't takin he piss but Truman's position as most OPs has sort of been vacant, search for posts by user Truman and you'd answer most if your nascent questions. Interestingly, that is a very practical way of pre-empting lots of silly questions, the 'Truman Collection' perhaps...


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## NewtownClown (17/4/13)

You would be surprised at the cultures growing in/on a shower head.

It is actually recommended not to turn your face up to the showerhead as you turn on the water and to run hot water through for a minute before getting in.

Apparently, it sprays a bacteria in an aerosol manner that causes a Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria infection. However, it strangely only seems to affect thin caucasian women in their 50's.

There is a reason why we boil our wort....


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (17/4/13)

Neanderthal said:


> As long as it isn't golden shower water you should be right.


Unless the PH of your tap water is too high.


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## Matty McFly (17/4/13)

Is it worth just buying those big water cooler kegs? What do they run you usually?


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## Truman42 (17/4/13)

Take a sample from your kitchen tap, laundry tap, outside tap and see if you have the same tinge. If not just use one of those taps and fill a bucket or cube first then carry it to where your brewing. If you live in an old house quite possibly rust in your lines.

(BTW If I had asked this question I would have copped it.  )


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## manticle (17/4/13)

Any reason you need to use water from your shower? You could probably use toilet water if you boiled it first but why would you want to?


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## bum (17/4/13)

I find my hand held shower head thingo is really handy when cleaning a fermenter - OP might wish similar flexibility when filling up?


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## manticle (17/4/13)

I feel slightly queasy just thinking about it.


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## pk.sax (17/4/13)

I lived in an apartment and the only place I could clean kegs was the shower, no tub.
Dare say I wouldn't bother filling fermenters though. It's the nature of their build, they restrict flow, I.e., trap water and other things behind filters, around holes, grooves etc. I'd rather use the laundry tap or the tap outside.


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## Matty McFly (18/4/13)

Yeah, I'm in a tiny shoebox apartment. The laundry is a bathroom and toilet. I call it the Bathlaundrolet.

The only tap in the place that is high up enough to use is the shower. The kitchen and bathroom sinks are too small. I tried using the water from the tap that you attach to a washing machine, but there must be something wrong with it, the water was full of black grit.

Garden tap from now on it is.


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## JDW81 (18/4/13)

Matty McFly said:


> Yeah, I'm in a tiny shoebox apartment. The laundry is a bathroom and toilet. I call it the Bathlaundrolet.
> 
> The only tap in the place that is high up enough to use is the shower. The kitchen and bathroom sinks are too small. I tried using the water from the tap that you attach to a washing machine, but there must be something wrong with it, the water was full of black grit.
> 
> Garden tap from now on it is.


Have you tried one of these? Connect it over you kitchen tap and fill you fermenter/HLT/BIAB vessel. Not sure about the whole food grade thing, but would be less of an issue if you aren't running hot water through it.


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## Matty McFly (18/4/13)

I think I will have to invest in one of those pretty soon. Does it really matter if it's food grade or not? It's just for water.


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## yum beer (18/4/13)

Matty McFly said:


> I think I will have to invest in one of those pretty soon. Does it really matter if it's food grade or not? It's just for water.


Just for water....McFLY......


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## JDW81 (18/4/13)

Matty McFly said:


> I think I will have to invest in one of those pretty soon. Does it really matter if it's food grade or not? It's just for water.


I think the answer would be yes and no.

If you're only running cold water through it then it is unlikely to leech anything particularly nasty into water. You're also not letting water sit in there for long periods of time so there isn't much opportunity for stuff from the hose to leech in. Run if for a few seconds to flush it out and then fill what ever you need to. Hot water would be a different story, and I wouldn't be using hot water through one of these for consumption.

If you went by the food grade book then it would be a no. 

Alternatively, you could try to rig something up with a nice big piece of silicone hose. That covers you for the food grade worries.


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