Water Filter On Brew Rig

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woodwormm

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I've been contemplating putting a cartridge style filter (same as the ones we all use under our kitchen sink and for filtering brews etc) onto the water inlet side of my brew rig when it's built...

however i'm assuming a litre or two of stagnant water sitting in a canister could grow some nasties between brews... I'd rather not introdcuce another thing to clean at the end of every brewday, and if it's going to grow bacteria, i'm probably better off just running unfiltered tap water...

options i'm thinking of

1. mount filter upside down so the inlet and outlet are at the bottom and if it's plumbed with JG fittings just disconnect and let drain after use..
2. maybe pump starsan through it so it's soaking in starsan for the 3-4 weeks between brews?
3 not worry about installing a filter (though this is Adelaide water) ...

ideas/thoughts?
 
If your worried about the water becoming stagnat, install the filter further up the line where the water will be regulary moving through the filter. I've seen people have filters installed outside next to their water meters.

I use rain water/water tanks at home and the pump is in the shed next to the brew rig. I have a filter after the pump which serves the whole household so no drama's on stagnat water.
 
I bought this filter from eBay.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Twin-CARAVAN-Wa...=item484a5bedb0

It is a much better and more substantial product than from the big green shed and cheaper than those you could buy from the caravan stores. It is a much more heavy duty product than I expected. You don't need the wrench because the ribs on the outside provide good grip and you don't need to tighten it a huge amount. I am very happy with my purchase of this item.
Add some food quality water hose, some garden hose quick connects, some 3/4" tap fittings (into the filter) and you can filter tap water to your brewery.

How to store the filters, I don't know, I haven't worked it out either. Possibly take filters out and let them air dry? Or store filters, between uses, in a ziplock bag in a fridge? ATM I am putting gladwrap and rubber bands over the male hose fittings in the filter to try to keep extra O2 out. It is probably not a good long term solution.
 
Would an option be to put a tap either side and keep them full of water as this is how they are designed to be stored if they were in a caravan or under a sink?

Cheers

Robbo
 
I've been contemplating putting a cartridge style filter (same as the ones we all use under our kitchen sink and for filtering brews etc) onto the water inlet side of my brew rig when it's built...

however i'm assuming a litre or two of stagnant water sitting in a canister could grow some nasties between brews...

ideas/thoughts?
Forgive me if I am a little retard, but isn't the litre or two sitting there already filtered??

If not it will be filtered when you use it

I am certain that a 1/2 micron filter actually gets rid of all of these nasties.

If you are still worried you could just fit a T piece tap after the filter before the rig- when you start a new brew you can flush all the water from the filter for a few mins then close the tap and divert into your rig
 
Kind of :icon_offtopic: but a bit related

These filters - the type some of us have on our supply, under the sink, behind the fridge or wherever....

What do they remove from the water? I use my town water supply in the EZ water calc spreadsheet, based on the results the samplers take.

I actually use filtered water, so am wondering what the 'real' numbers might be for working out salt additions?

Any ideas? Obviously this is not RO water - just filtered. For example, my supply water analysis says Calcium is 24ppm. Is it still 24ppm after the filter? I just dont know what the filter, filters. It was in the house when I bought it. (on a side note - probably time to change filter anyway)
 
(ex caravan'er)

I was told when getting my caravan to remove the filter and store it in the fridge between trips, and also you can get silver carbon filter which help keep the unit sanatised between trips.

I'd be looking at something like this. And it pretty cheap to refill every year

QldKev
 
... I've seen people have filters installed outside next to their water meters. ...
This can't be a sensible use of filters (unless money's no object)
- you'd be filtering your shower water, washing water, loo flushing
water, garden water, ...


I've got a portable filter setup and would use it about once a
month so before filling up drinking bottles, mash water, I try to
run off ~10L (for garden water) interspersed with turning the
filter tap on/off many times to try and agitate the filter contents.

So doing this to get a reasonably fresh run for the water to be
consumed - not sure if this is actually a good idea but seems to
be ok.

Ed. My Portable Fiilter
 
Yep, I have a 5-stage RO filter for my drinking and brewing water - I just run a litre or two through before drinking/brewing with - easiest way is to taste and smell.... If it smells funny/chemically/minerally/off just run some water through until it goes away. These filters are designed for permanent installation, and as jaypes mentioned above, the water coming out of the filters should be filtered already...

However, YMMV so just use common sense!

Cheers
 
This can't be a sensible use of filters (unless money's no object)
- you'd be filtering your shower water, washing water, loo flushing
water, garden water, ...

Yep but plenty of people do it. Mostly people who wear tin foil hats and use neways products because they fear the government is killing us with fluride and lining their pockets with the profits from carcinogenics.


Basically they run a basic filter (maybe 20 mircon) near the mains then they will run a finer filter undersink in kitchens. Some also put them on their showers...

Depending on where you live and how you use water a whole house filter probably isnt too bad of an idea - eg Adelaide. As the scale buildup can distroy items connected to the tap so what your spending on filters you might save on pressure washers, sprinkler fittings, shower roses, tap washers etc
 
Why are you filtering your water? I talked to an award winning brewer on Friday night and he said there is no need to filter water unless its too bad to drink just normally, out of the tap is fine :)
 
Yep but plenty of people do it. Mostly people who wear tin foil hats and use neways products because they fear the government is killing us with fluride and lining their pockets with the profits from carcinogenics.


Basically they run a basic filter (maybe 20 mircon) near the mains then they will run a finer filter undersink in kitchens. Some also put them on their showers...

Depending on where you live and how you use water a whole house filter probably isnt too bad of an idea - eg Adelaide. As the scale buildup can distroy items connected to the tap so what your spending on filters you might save on pressure washers, sprinkler fittings, shower roses, tap washers etc

Most filters do just that, filter. They remove solid matter. Carbon filters remove some organic compounds. They don't remove any inorganic ions from the water so scale build up will still occur. Scale is caused by precipitation of calcium carbonate normally as a result of heating the water (kettles, coffee machines, hot water services). You need to buy something other than a filter to start removing dissolved ions, generally referred to as water softeners which replace Ca and Mg with Na, not a good idea for brewing.
 
Why are you filtering your water? I talked to an award winning brewer on Friday night and he said there is no need to filter water unless its too bad to drink just normally, out of the tap is fine :)

Mainly to get rid of as much chlorine/chloroamines as possible. Another way to do it is to chuck in a campden tablet which will get the stuff out of solution.
 
You need to buy something other than a filter to start removing dissolved ions, generally referred to as water softeners which replace Ca and Mg with Na, not a good idea for brewing.

smurto,

where i live (mt gambier) every house has a water softener, as our water supply is from the Blue Lake aquifer. Our water travels through a huge layer of limestone (the region is basically one massive limestone layer under the soil) before it gets to our taps.

If i have a water softener, what would this be doing to my beers? If i brewed a recipe on my rig, and then took my rig to the lovely, picturesque Adelaide Hills and brewed the same recipe on it there.....how would the two resulting beers be different, all things equal of course.

Just to be clear......just because i have a water softener, doesn't mean there's any ******* salt left in it... ;)
 
If anyone is interested, my 5-stage RO filter was less than $300 from a disposals place near my house.... PM me for details....


Cheers

EDIT: My tap water is slightly brown and horrible tasting - that's why I went RO - that and the opportunity to adjust the water to my beer style :)
 
I have a dedicated filter for HB, I store the carbon cartridge in the freezer in a zip-lock bag between brews..
 
Almost. One stage short of a good one though ;)
 
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