https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/water/supp_info/water_qualit...
Apparently Chicago releases this quarterly, no idea what pumping station we're on though...
Fri, May 9, 2014 - 12:12am
#1
Water Report
we should get a report specific to our brew house. As the water travels from the pumping station there is a good deal of potential change. I know my personal water report is different than the city of Chicago.
Ward labs will send you a container and do the report for about 16 dollars. I think we should do one for cold and hot water. Or at least just cold.
This has been on my to do list. I'll get moving on it and have both hot and cold water tested.
The hot runs through the filter, the cold does not. I dont thinkanyone uses cold to fill pots as that is only hooked up at the sink.
I say let's do both hot and cold; it doesn't cost much more, and the plan is ultimately to have cold water hookups at each station (for the chiller, but people could use them to fill their pots faster). Plus, I'm interested to see what, if any, difference the filter makes.
Agreed. Plus, the hot water is cloudy, which freaks me out, so I use the cold water.
I believe the cloudiness is just dissolved gasses being relaesed as a result of the restrictors we put on those hoses...similar to the restrictor plate on a stout faucet. I'm not a scientist by any means and don't know for sure but that's my guess, because of the restrictors and the speed at which it clears. I haven't had any negative effects as a result of it.
Eric Padilla has a contact that will do it for free...or at least he did about half a year ago.
This is from near you guys.
Aluminum, Water 0.047 mg/L
Antimony, Water <0.006 mg/L
Arsenic, Water <0.002 mg/L
Barium, Water 0.021 mg/L
Beryllium, Water <0.0004 mg/L
Cadmium, Water <0.0010 mg/L
Calcium, Water 34.890 mg/L
Chromium, Water <0.005 mg/L
Copper, Water <0.005 mg/L
Fluoride, Water 0.92 mg/L
Lead, Water <0. mg/L
Magnesium, Water 11.120 mg/L
Mercury, Water <0.0002 mg/L
Nitrate, Water 0.25 mg/L
Potassium, Water 1.416 mg/L
Selenium, Water <0.005 mg/L
Silver, Water <0.003 mg/L
Sodium, Water 7.444 mg/L
Sulfate, Water 26.6 mg/L
Thallium, Water <0.002 mg/L
Zinc, Water <0.005 mg/L
The beer test kit is $39.60, so we would need two of those for the hot and cold water. What do you guys think?
Well worth it for the gigantic increase in water addition accuracy and corresponding increase in beer quality.
I say go for it. Is this the same as ward labs david was talking ablout for $16. It might be worth checking with Eric/kens guy, but if its a big hassel I think whatever is easiest for you.
Also, Joe is right on the cloudy water. It is dissolved oxygen/co2 from the filter and aerator. The filter is in the wrong spot on the line. It should be on the cold water side of the hot water heater. It is on the hot side because it was easier.
I thought that it was not recommened to use a carbon filter with hot water because it reduces the filtering efficiency and also releases some of the contaminants that are already stuck to the carbon particles into the clean water side...
I've been using cold water from the sink and adding a smashed piece of a campden to it...
You are correct. It was cut in for the tankless, but was not moved when we went to the tanked HWH.
They changed the pricing (it used to be $16.50 for the test we need) and no longer offer free shipping. The correct analysis is actually $28.60, which includes a bottle, return postage, sample form, and bubble wrap. If I can get spending approval, I'll order two.
Any update on this?
Nothing yet Joe, we still need to move the water filter to the cold water side. Once that happens, and I get funding approval, I'll proceed with the water analysis.