Home Distiller

Got a general question here....I am upgrading to larger fermenter and don't want to make multiple trips to dispenser filling jugs. Is well water fine to use? I have used distilled water, WV spring water with both tasting the same. I'm just worried about the water getting filtered through the softner and using it.

Well water is fine to use, go for it!

Better than distilled as it will have minerals not in the distilled that the yeasties use to multiply.

Thank you!

Use distilled to get down to desired drinking abv. Well may cloud then.

Sounds good! I appreciate the help

I have an artisian well should work if it has been tested and is fine for drinking. A lot of wells have a high iron content that you might have to deal with.

I would set up so you can pull water off before it gets to the softener, I think that would be your best water
for the job.If ya cant use what ya got ain't gonna hurt nothin.

I use well water and get my water from an outside hydrant that isn't connected to a softener. I use a filter. The type of filter I prefer are the type that are used to filter water for an RV. One like this: http://m.lowes.com/pd/Camco-Manufacturi ... er/3406422" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
There should be a chart that will show what it removes.

i would definitely get it pre softener. the salt added in the softener just seems like it would be hard on the metal equipment in the still.
stripping the "hardness" minerals out is counter productive.

HDNB wrote:i would definitely get it pre softener. the salt added in the softener just seems like it would be hard on the metal equipment in the still.
stripping the "hardness" minerals out is counter productive.

Not sure the sodium is much of a factor depending on your set-up as the amount of salt used in most softeners depends on the hardness of the water. As this article explains the calculations. If you have a set up and you think that after it goes through the salt and it is filtered that the sodium is removed (probably not with most filters)
http://www.purewaterproducts.com/articl ... soft-water" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

what happens if you have a high sulfer and iron well water? mine tested at like a 50 before it was filtered. i have a filtering system and a softner. should i bypass my sfner and use the water that is filtered and not sftend

I also have filter system when it reaches the house and use that for my fermentation but use outdoor unfiltered water for cooling during a run.

Ok thank you Bushman. i just moved to the country and had not used the water for fermentation! my profile thing says im a novice now but it used to say i was a rumrunner! lol its been a bit since i was on the site due to some family issues so thank you again and i will most defiantly post on how the run comes out!

Bigbob wrote:Well water is fine to use, go for it!

Test your well water for iron. If it is iron free your good to go. My well water is extremely hard which is good. Full of limestone/calcium which is good for yeast. I have experimented with all kinds of water. Well water is the best in my opinion.

If your doing something say with enzymes well water will require you to use more backset (IF your well is really high ph and extra hard) to get in the ph levels the enzymes like. But my well has a ph in the high 8's if yours is lower might not be as much an issue.

One the other things I do is use some RODI and some well water in some ferments in a mix. Gota experiment. But my water is sooo hard I have done 3/4 RO and 1/4 well for stuff like wineos, definitely ferments faster than all well water in my case. But every well is different. Fortunately I have very very little iron so not a concern for me.

B

I use well water and my first mash fermented fine my a well is drilled 1000 ft deep

frdlturner wrote:I use well water and my first mash fermented fine my a well is drilled 1000 ft deep

jaysus!! 1000ft?? does that water have a chinese accent? wells that deep around here pump oil not water...i gotta ask...how much does a well like that cost? (never mind the pump!) a hole like that would run 60 to $80,000 around here.

the person I bought the place from had it drilled when they bought it 30 years ago
I replaced the wiring and the pump and a new 82 gal pressure tank 3 years ago
The person who drilled this well 30 years ago was still around and redid the well for me
I am on top of the mountain with the river 450 ft lower than my place and my static water level is at 140 ft pump 10hp 220v at 350ft he said the old owners wanted a well deep enough to never run out of water also serveral springs and a spring fed pond thats not been dry for 6 years that I have had the place