Filtered Water

[Malko]

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As you can see the bucket system is very easy and simple to make and can filter 18 - 20 litres of water at a time up to 150 liters of water can pass through the filter before it needs to be changed out. if you get the hole size right you dont need to silicon the filter in to create a seal the water pressure will do it for you and a little bit of unfiltered water wont cause any problems. total cost of this type of filter was $27

$11 for each bucket and $6 for the filter all from bunnings. Dont use the big arse bench filters they requires mains pressure to push the water through the filter stone.

 

[Malko]

The lid of the bucket has a hole in it for the filter to fit in and acts as a stable base for the top bucket.

 

[Malko]

If you have a bunnings store near you, you can get the gear from there.

I got the following.

2x 20ltr buckets @ $11.00 each
1x round water filter (which can be found in the plumbing isle or just ask a staff member to point you in the right direction.)

the gear you will need as follows.
1x drill
1x hole saw approx 50mm depends on the size of the filter but if its the standard one that you use in most water filter jugs then 50mm should be more than enough. you can always make the hole a bit bigger if you have to, it's much easier than trying to reduce the hole or filling he gaps with silicon.

If you do use silicon allow it to harden for a few hours before you use the filter. Don't worry to much about the chemicals from the silicon as the filter should filter and residual chemicals out.

once you have the filter in the bottom of the bucket, drill another hole in one of the lids of the bucket, preferably as central as possible to line up with the filter.

Note: always clean up the edges of the holes so you don't have any tailing hanging off. I use a small razor blade or stanley knife to clean up the edges. Also run about a half bucket of water through the filter first to allow any crap in the filter to be flushed out this takes about 10 mins which is recommended by the filter manufacturers, discard the water and you will see the black carbon in the bottom of your bucket, wash it out and start again this time you water will be crsytal clear.

once that's all done replace the lid with hole in it on the bucket without the filter and place the filter bucket on top and there you go! one home made working filter system. Just remember to change the filter every 150-200 ltrs.

Best practice is to sanitise the bottom bucket to ensure there's no bacteria hanging on the sides simple to do and is a good insurance policy since the water should have very little chlorine to kill any bacteria. Don't store the water use it straigh away to reduce the risk of the water getting infected with bacteria.

Also make sure you don't keep topping up the top bucket as you will over flow the bottom bucket, and fill the top bucket up all the way when you first start filtering and let it filter the water this may take 20mins or so. sound obvious but worth a mention.

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[Fodder]

Noice! I think i know what ill be doing over the long weekend...

Just a couple of questions. What exactly will the filter remove from the water? Is there any specs on the filter you used that explains what it can effectively remove? And therefore, how much of a benefit do you think it wil make to your beer quality? Are you then going to have to add anything else back in with regards to pH/calcium etc etc...

 

[Malko]

As far as I am aware the filter only takes out heavy elements, does not change the pH in any way and does not remove the good stuff from the water like fluoride and essential minerals. Not sure what effect it will have on the final product but surely it will only make it better, kind of like using natural spring water which is filtered through the earths rocks. But I could be wrong. I was going to buy bottled water from Coles but they are $8 for 10litres where using a filter works out around 8cents per liter.

Here are some specs from Brita. (I used the cheaper filter can't remember the brand, Brita is around $10 for the filter)

MAXTRA Filtration - How it works

* Pre-Filtration: the water flows through a fine mesh filter - simply fill from the tap.
* Ion Exchange Filtration - the ion exchange resin reduces the heavy metals, including lead and copper, as well as the carbonate hardness that causes limescale build-up in kettles and affects the taste and aroma of tea or coffee.
* Activated Carbon Filtration - the granulated activated carbon significantly reduces substances that affect the taste and odour of your tap water, such as chlorine, certain pesticides and organic impurities.
* Final Filtration - fine mesh particle filter.
* MAXTRA Flow Control - ensures a consistent flow rate through the cartridge and optimises the contact times between water and filtration media for superior performance.

 

[yardy]

one here also http://www.homebrewdownunder.com/index.php?topic=1448.0

my beers improved after filtering

 

[Malko]

one here also http://www.homebrewdownunder.com/index.php?topic=1448.0

my beers improved after filtering

 

[dougsbrew]

i use to use this filter for my aquarium water, rremoves chlorine mostly and other stuff.
it did alter the ph quite a bit and hardness a little bit. brissy water being in the mid 7s, after filter it was in the mid 6s.
i now use an undersink 2 stage filter for my brews though it doesnt alter the ph as much as the brita did.