Hard water and floaters

[Klunk]

Hello!

Been experiencing a problem lately that I cannot seem to shift, floaters in my spirit. Basically I use the tried and tested Sugar/Kale wash. Strip, then water the strip down to approx 30% using carbon filtered refridgerated tap water, Run through my activated carbon unit and then use this for the Spirit run with botanicals to make some nice gin. Once run I then blend again with the filtered tap water, let it rest for a day or two then bottle using a coffee filter in my funnel.

What I am seeing is what I assume is the hard water calcium floaters settling at the bottom. I am at a loss as to how this shite is still getting through. Any of you clever bods had experience with this and if so, how did you beat it?

Cheers in advance,

[Mash]

This is getting through - cos it ain't there then.

This is a reaction.

I had this years ago and gave up carbon filtering and it went away. Filtering removes 'some' stuff creating an imbalance. Nature abhors a vacuum an'all that. So a reaction starts in an attempt to re-dress that balance, and the result is minerals crystallising (salting) out...of ...think its calcium carbonate.

Also consider temperature changes. Wine suffers from tartaric acid crystallising out, this is caused by temperature change. Clever marketing calls it "Wine diamonds", winemakers call it bad management. When it gets colder the liquid cannot support the level of activity (same with sugar) and it crystallises out and falls to the bottom.

The good news is you should be able to rack it out till the bottle leave it half an hourAnd then use the siphon hose to remove the alcohol. Better news is it normally only happens once in my experience [I guess cos there's nothing left to crystallise ].

This is from memory.. if you want the more technical answer. I will have to look through my heap of books....

[Klunk]

Hi Mash, thanks for the reply.

So basically what you are saying is don't bother with the activated carbon, is that right?

I was sort of figuring that the AC was going to remove the calcium, well that was the idea. Clearly not in this case.

Heat could of course be an issue. In this weather the workshop gets a tad warm and the filtered water has also been refrigerated so I suppose i'm reading this right, the cold water and the relatively warm spirit coming together is not helping.

Is the answer simply not to bother with any filtering at all and just blend with tap water as is and also don't refrigerate, as easy as that?

Cheers,

[Mash]

Hardness comes in permanent and temperately depending on how it got there. But neither can be filtered.

Do you get a furry kettle?

I do. I now I make ALL my brews from the hot tap (I have a hot water tank). That will have removed some of the hardness (calcium) and also the chlorine (yeast hate that).

Alternatively boil your brewing water and let it cool overnight - preferably insulated. Rack off. You will be stunned by the deposit in the bottom - I got at least a tablespoon out of 25 litres.
Properly a PITA but your brew will be better for it.

[Klunk]

Oh yes, I have properly hard water. Everything scales up.

When setting up a new fermentation, I normally put about a gallon of hot boiled water in my fermenting bin with the sugar/kale mix just after I have done a strip run and use some of the backset from that to top it up. I was sort of hoping that would be clean enough. You recon that is still going to hold a lot of calcium in there as well? Crikey, you live and learn.

I make you right, properly a PITA!

Thanks for the info. Mucho cudos

[Easydrinker]

This was not the expected post from the post title.
Sometimes I am puerile.

Robert.

[Mash]

Oh yes, I have properly hard water. Everything scales up.

When setting up a new fermentation, I normally put about a gallon of hot boiled water in my fermenting bin with the sugar/kale mix

IME Its not the boiling that causes the calcium to precipitate out but the cooling after. When I used to boil water for my beer, it was clear immediately after the boil , but the precipitate was there the next morning.

We have stainless steel pet bowls, never get anywhere near boiling LOL, but they always get a ring of scale that needs to be removed.

So to answer your question - no, probably not enough - Use the hot tap.

[Klunk]

Still a PITA.

I now ferment using a mixture of hot tap water and backset from the strip run. For the Spirit runs and blending I've had to use a combination of hot water, filters and patience. I don't want to have to go and buy water in or use chemical filters as that sort of goes against my ethos but I was thinking of microwaving tap water, I wonder if that would help?

[Mash]

Why the backset?

[Easydrinker]

I may be pissed,but tonight admit to being befuddled, having re-read this post from the start.
I'll get my coat.....

Robert.

[Mash]

Still a PITA.

I now ferment using a mixture of hot tap water and backset from the strip run. For the Spirit runs and blending I've had to use a combination of hot water, filters and patience. I don't want to have to go and buy water in or use chemical filters as that sort of goes against my ethos but I was thinking of microwaving tap water, I wonder if that would help?

Is your hot tap instantaneous or from a tank?

[Klunk]

I don't have a tank Mash, I have one of those over sink water heaters that heat the water from the mains. It's only a 3KW jobbie, so not all that. I just wondered if Microwaving would do any good

[Mash]

I don't see a gain in microwaving it. To reduce the hardness boil the water and then let it cool slowly (insulate) then rack.