Sugar Wash - PH Buffering Calcium Reactor

[Wildcats]

Last time I checked my tap water it was in the 300's TDS.
But I still follow the recipe (Shadys Sugar Shine) and add the shells. Never had a stalled ferment yet (knock on wood).
I also use tap water for my All Bran and UJSSM. When I first started I'd buy distilled water. Then I found this site and read that I could've been using tap water. No problems yet with my water.

It's great you never had a stall.
What is your finish sugar wash ferment pH?

Have you tried a sugar wash without adding shells?

I haven't really checked the pH. I don't have a good ph meter. All I have is the cheep strips that I use on the pool. So I've never tried to check the pH of my washes with them. I have never tried a sugar wash without the shells though. I just followed the t&t because I didn't want to risk messing up a 20 gal wash.

[Wildcats]

I know that probably sounds funny that I have a TDS meter and not a pH meter. But I use the TDS for my Hydroponics. I do need a good pH meter though.

[bunny]

I know that probably sounds funny that I have a TDS meter and not a pH meter. But I use the TDS for my Hydroponics. I do need a good pH meter though.

I have had 4 under 20$ pH meters fail on me probably because I was unable to maintain them properly.
Now I use "HYDROID" plastic pH strips range 0.0 - 6.0. They seem to work fine for me.

There are enough recipes around that require pH adjustment that you should have some method to measure this.

If SMF tries a batch and is successful you should be too without and additional CaCO3.

[Wildcats]

Yes I'm very interested to see what and how SMF does with this. I will get on Amazon and order me some of the pH strips you have mentioned. I definitely need to get some way of measuring pH. Not just for sugar washes. I will be trying my hand will all grain at some point in the future.
Looking forward to hearing back about this SMF.

[Salt Must Flow]

Here is something to think about:

I admit to trying anything to make my process simpler and faster as long as I can't tell the difference with doing it the more complicated and slower way.

Now, you have stated you only ever used RO water.
Does your well water smell or taste bad before the RO process?
If no, great.
Otherwise have you tried an inline GE type cartridge carbon filter?

Okay. assuming your well water isn't unfit to drink before RO, I'm begging you to try a batch of your favorite sugar wash using your well water straight from the tap.
Your TDS of 253 is high enough you may not need any additional CaCO3.
Do not add any. No shells, no powder, no slabs.

Many of our brothers, including wineo, have been successful without adding any CaCO3 to their sugar washes.
It seems to be only us poor devils with low TDS that have to suffer through this inconvenience.

Wineo's recipe is /was great until some people had stalled ferments that usually had pH around 3.2 or less.
It took a while before the problem was defined that related mostly to sugar washes.
Grain based ferments almost always provide enough buffering without any additional CaCO3.

Please try a batch.

bunny

Yeah it doesn't taste or smell good at all. High in iron. That's the most detectable thing. It's just gross. It's a lot better after the water softener, but that's inside my house. My attached garage just has water coming straight from the well. I would have to run a water line through walls to get soft water into the garage. I mean I'm capable of doing it, but I really don't want to. Technically that's exactly why I just put a RO unit in the garage.

I can do a small batch just for fun and see how it ferments. I just imagine the tails would be that much more vile though.

[shadylane]

Yeah it doesn't taste or smell good at all. High in iron. That's the most detectable thing. It's just gross. It's a lot better after the water softener, but that's inside my house. My attached garage just has water coming straight from the well.

The iron in the water could be a problem when used for mashing.
Not so much when used for fermenting.
Yeast needs a little bit of iron and minerals. It's also tolerant of much more.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10 ... 82830/full

What yeast would really like is all the other trace minerals found in untreated drinking water.
Happy yeast piss less tails.

Here's a question.
Would yeast prefer reverse osmosis water?
Or cow pond water that was sterilized before use?

Yes, I'm talking about a pond that cows stand in on a hot summer's day trying to cool off.
That nasty green covered, muddy water with bovine poop and piss.

[Bolverk]

I think it's a clever idea. May be more hassle than it worth though... if you build in a buffer when you're prepping your wash/mash you won't have any pH issues.

[Salt Must Flow]

Tomorrow I'm starting two identical 45 gal sugar washes. One I'll use the Calcium Reactor and the other one will just have a fat sack of Marble Rocks/Chips dangled within it. I'll be monitoring the PH at least a couple times per day and will report back whatever happens. I think it will be interesting just to see what the PH does.