The subject is basically the question - my pH readings have been coming under the target in Brun Water lately and my thought was perhaps the filtration is softening the water?
do you have a water profile of water brita filtered water you use?
My inputs are from the city report - not filtered. I remember trying to look that up a year ago or something and seem to remember folks saying it didn’t affect the mineral content, but in hindsight that doesn’t make much sense.
my understanding is it just removes chlorine and contaminants, not minerals.
That was my understanding as well if that’s correct that leaves a couple options I can think of:
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My pH meter is off (although if it reads 4.01 in the 4.01 calibration solution, then reads it the same after sampling the wort my guess is it works?)
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The water has changed since the report I got a year or so ago.
you could be right on both accounts.
edit: does your meter have 2-point calibration…4 and 7? also, malts can vary. ive experienced PH variation in base malts from different maltsters. may want to try a batch with RO or distilled water, and see how your meter reads.
Brita uses ion exchange resins in some of its products to remove metals. See https://www.brita.com/why-brita/what-we-filter/ Adsorbing a metal ion could mean that a hydrogen ion is released.
Yea, I do have 7 and 4.01 but it seems to take a lot of goosing to get them clean (as in I can calibrate one, rinse with RO, calibrate the next, rinse, then when I return to the first its usually off). Maybe time for a new meter?
As mentioned, some filter systems do include ion exchange resins that remove both cations and anions. In that case, the bicarbonate content would likely be reduced along with the calcium and magnesium content (and other ions). That could easily throw off your inputs and the resulting recommendations.
I read somewhere that you dont use distilled water for rinsing or storage. What I do to check my calibration is I set my pH meter in a shot glass of bottled water, then prepare two shot glasses of 4 & 7 solution. After about five minutes, remove and place into 7, wait 5 minutes and adjust. Rinse with tap water and put into the shot glass of bottled water until it stops and then put in the 4 solution for 5 minutes or until it stops, adjusting as necessary. So far it seems to work fine but it helps when I remember to check my mash ph.
When I had a water softener, we recharged it with salt. I’d expect the same from Brita, Sodium ions for Calcium & Magnesium. I doubt that you’d get any change in alkalinity.
No. The ion-exchange resins in these units are typically pre-charged by strong acids or bases. That way their only resulting contribution to the water is H+ and OH- ions that create water. This is the same process that deionizing resin columns perform.
I found this to help me understand how these work.
Thanks again - makes sense. I think my attack plan is to send a sample of my filtered water off to be tested (anyone use ward labs?) and probably upgrade my cheap pH meter.