redmire fc wrote:
Hey people, my water has a ph of 7.42 and when boiled has a reading of 8.65? Kettle has limescale in, have to clean it fairly regularly. Also get little white spots after rinsing which I think are down to hard water?
Digital ph meter calibrated........its a private village water supply so no proper analysis, just heavy metals, cloro...whatevers........I thought boiling reduced alkilinity..........any takers
OK, I'll try a little guesswork here. Boiling your water will precipitate carbonates and that will reduce total alkalinity. However, before those carbonates were precipitated some of them were tying up hydrogen ions in the form of carbonic acid. With a lesser quantity of carbonates those hydrogen ions are now free to look for partners. More free hydrogen ions means higher pH (potential Hydrogen).
Bear in mind that it is not the pH of the water but it's total alkalinity and buffering capacity that determines whether or not your mash pH will fall into the proper range. With highly carbonate water, which it appears you have, the mash pH of a pale beer will be too high. Have you tested the pH of the mash with both your untreated and precipitated water? There are private labs in the States that will run water tests for homeowners for a nominal fee. I would think that similar companies might be available to you as well. That way you could get an accurate listing of your water and make it easier to make modifications for brewing.
