Water Profile

[cronan]

Hi all,

I am moving to all grain with BIAB.

I am waiting on my bag to come so I started to look at water profiles.

I found my water profile online here http://www.louth.microworks.ie/. This site seems to have a lot of county councils just change louth to your county.

From this my water profile is as follows:
PH:                          7.4
Sodium NA        11
Calcium Ca       100
Magnesium MG        9
Hardness CaCo3  290
Sulfate SO4-S        18
Chloride Cl      25   
Alkalinity CaCO3   255

From my looking around I have very alkaline water, so I have decided to brew a stout.

Recipe from HBC as follows:
3.5 kg. Maris Otter
500g. Roast Barley
1.0 kg. Flaked Barley
58g. East Kent Goldings (Whole, 5.0 %AA) 60 min.
Yeast : S-05

I entered my water details into  John Palmer's RA calculator and enter an EBC as 60.

This shows I am looking for a RA between 187 and 246, so I aim for 200, my RA is 178 so it is saying I have to up my RA.

If I enter the same water details and recipe into the EZ water calculator it states my mash PH is too high at 5.92 so I have to reduce my RA

Does anyone know what I could be doing wrong with one of the calculators, also I am assuming I took the right details from the water profile website?

Thanks

[Ciderhead]

Water profiles from local authorities are only indicative at a point in time and relevant if you are close to the plant, ask Il Tubo who measures his local supply regularly, if memory serves the values from Leixlip jump around a bit.
Try and do some basic measurements yourself with analysis kits from eBay.


Sent from my divining rod v2.0

[cronan]

So from what you are saying and what Dempsey said in his thread the water profile from the local authority is a bit meaningless.

Do I just check mash PH and adjust as necessary so. 

[Ciderhead]

Tubes right just get a ball park measured after you run the tap 5 mins and use that.

[Covey]

How do you adust your mash ph Tubes, Calcium sufate?

[Covey]

I reckon that the pH of my water is affecting my efficiency, badly,will give a detailed report if im right.

[Covey]

Test paper was showing 5.5-6.0. Was an ipa simple no dark malts. So how do I reduce the pH next time  .

[Hop Bomb]

Is that your mash PH reading?

[Covey]

Yeah it is , taken with oh paper accurate enough too tested it on a buffer and was spot on , my efficiency has been crap using 5 kg of base malt for a 23 litre batch . My temps are solid in the tun using a 2 probe k type themocouples.

[RichC]

Hi Covey, youre not by any chance using an ion exchange water softener are you? I used ot have huge efficiency problems caused by v high ph as a result of using water from my softener/tap

[Covey]

No  treatment at all

[Will_D]

No  treatment at all

Where are located? Is it Mains/Well/Group Supply?

[Hop Bomb]

If yer between 5.5 & 6 yer fine. My mash ph readings are always 5.7 ish at 20c - you then knock .3 off that reading to get your actual ph reading (ref: Dr.Jacobys water class at capital brewers) Maybe this is different for paper text strips though?

Ive only started paying attention to water chemistry & mash ph the last 4 or 5 brews. Up until then It wasnt a factor in my brew day & my efficiency was still always 75%. It could be your crush or your mash tun manifold (or combo of both). I gave up on digital thermo readings after AG brew no.2 as they just arent accurate. I use three cheapo glass thermometers now. I bang all three in the mash in different spots plus stick the stc probe in too just to be sure I get an accurate reading.

What is your mash tun setup? What is your mill setup?

[Covey]

Using a corona and a home made mash tun

[Covey]

I got this one of ebay 9 quid to the door, put it be side a NIST calibrated probe and they were the same.+/- 0.2.C in 70c water

http://cgi.ebay.ie/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=121167351354