Hello, n00b here kicking around going with a Viv 2 and have been wondering about my water quality. We have good drinking water (IMO), it's well water, drilled 200' when we built 10 years ago to hit water. I remember the GC sending the water for testing back then and IIRC the total PPM was something like 100 PPM mainly calcium
If I understand the suggested parameters for water for the Viv 2 it's aprox 25-50 PPM?
So I'd like to send a sample of my water for analysis. Where do I send it? Any suggestions?
Putting the cart before the horse, if my water is mainly calcium and in the neighborhood of 100 PPM, what am I looking at doing to get it down to where it should be, one single sediment filter?
TIA
Jake
Reddick Fla.
Where should I send my water to be tested?
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JohnB
Re: Where should I send my water to be tested?
If you just want to test hardness go to the local fish/pet supply shop & get one of the liquid test kits for $15. If you want a complete breakdown look in the yellow pages under Water Analysis for the closest lab.
I'm on well water & mine runs around 120 PPM so I bought this softener set up from CC:
http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/hom ... enersystem You could also put it together yourself with a little running around & save a few $$. I found that after many years on well water I did not care for softened water in the 50 PPM or less range as it made my Espresso salty tasting. Granted I'm the exception here as many others are using softened water with no issues. I ended up adding a hard water feed between the softener & carbon filters. Using a JG ball valve I add a little hard water back in to raise the hardness just enough to remove the saltiness. Last time I checked I was around 80 PPM at the machine. This means I will have to descale more then others but its not that big of a job: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=872
I'm on well water & mine runs around 120 PPM so I bought this softener set up from CC:
http://www.chriscoffee.com/products/hom ... enersystem You could also put it together yourself with a little running around & save a few $$. I found that after many years on well water I did not care for softened water in the 50 PPM or less range as it made my Espresso salty tasting. Granted I'm the exception here as many others are using softened water with no issues. I ended up adding a hard water feed between the softener & carbon filters. Using a JG ball valve I add a little hard water back in to raise the hardness just enough to remove the saltiness. Last time I checked I was around 80 PPM at the machine. This means I will have to descale more then others but its not that big of a job: viewtopic.php?f=26&t=872
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shakin_jake
Re: Where should I send my water to be tested?
Thanks for the input John, I spoke with a Fla. water lab and they are mailing me sample bottles to send back to them. The price is right and the discussion I had with the tech made me think that perhaps in the long run (and after viewing your boiler break down photos), it might not be a bad idea to occasionly manually de-scale the boiler(s)
I needed a tutorial about what a water softener actually does and according to the tech I spoke to, it exchanges heavy metals in the water (maganese, iron, calcium) and turns then into sodium chloride?, which accounts for the saltiness you taste. With that taste sensation in mind, I asked the tech about this. He claims I shouldn't be able to detect salt taste after the water softener but from past experience, I know taste is subjective
This tech is an old Fla. boy that also uses well water and does not soften his water at home. We've been up here for 10 years and use water straight from the well w/o taste objections despite a little obvious bit of iron in the water as evidenced in the toilet tanks
I guess it's 6 to 1, half dozen to another, which way to go. In the grand scheme of things, $110 for CC's softener/filter system might be the way to go but on the other hand this tech thought I could get my TDS down from the 100 PPM TDS it's thought to be at now to a lot less using a Clearview or Vu-Flo type of user serviceable filter cartridge bought at home despot, but full well knowing I would need to manually de-scale down the road. I have been thinking about picking up one of these $20 filters and send them a before and after sample, but the bottom line is, the $20 filter will not remove heavy metals, only the water softener can do that
Decisions, decisions...
So how are the others de-scaling the boiler w/o removing the boiler and opening it up? is there a set up to inject citric acid into the tank for de-scaling that way?
I've been using an RO system originally purchased for our salt water reef tank to make up water for my current pour over espresso machine. I'm told I shouldn't like the taste of the espresso it makes with this water (shouldn't be anything in it?) but, how do we know what we know?, meaning- unless I test the water this RO system makes, I really don't know if it removes most solids. BTW, I like the taste of my espresso and cannot discern negative water taste sensations. Yes, taste is subjective, and boilers and their heating elements will scale up. I think it comes down to how much protection from heavy metals do you want, and how often are you willing to manually de-scale the boiler?
The same scale I would assume that builds up on the boiler and heat elements should also form on other system components, right?, like the pump, valves
Jake
Reddick Fla.
I needed a tutorial about what a water softener actually does and according to the tech I spoke to, it exchanges heavy metals in the water (maganese, iron, calcium) and turns then into sodium chloride?, which accounts for the saltiness you taste. With that taste sensation in mind, I asked the tech about this. He claims I shouldn't be able to detect salt taste after the water softener but from past experience, I know taste is subjective
This tech is an old Fla. boy that also uses well water and does not soften his water at home. We've been up here for 10 years and use water straight from the well w/o taste objections despite a little obvious bit of iron in the water as evidenced in the toilet tanks
I guess it's 6 to 1, half dozen to another, which way to go. In the grand scheme of things, $110 for CC's softener/filter system might be the way to go but on the other hand this tech thought I could get my TDS down from the 100 PPM TDS it's thought to be at now to a lot less using a Clearview or Vu-Flo type of user serviceable filter cartridge bought at home despot, but full well knowing I would need to manually de-scale down the road. I have been thinking about picking up one of these $20 filters and send them a before and after sample, but the bottom line is, the $20 filter will not remove heavy metals, only the water softener can do that
Decisions, decisions...
So how are the others de-scaling the boiler w/o removing the boiler and opening it up? is there a set up to inject citric acid into the tank for de-scaling that way?
I've been using an RO system originally purchased for our salt water reef tank to make up water for my current pour over espresso machine. I'm told I shouldn't like the taste of the espresso it makes with this water (shouldn't be anything in it?) but, how do we know what we know?, meaning- unless I test the water this RO system makes, I really don't know if it removes most solids. BTW, I like the taste of my espresso and cannot discern negative water taste sensations. Yes, taste is subjective, and boilers and their heating elements will scale up. I think it comes down to how much protection from heavy metals do you want, and how often are you willing to manually de-scale the boiler?
The same scale I would assume that builds up on the boiler and heat elements should also form on other system components, right?, like the pump, valves
Jake
Reddick Fla.
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JohnB
Re: Where should I send my water to be tested?
I didn't see it anywhere else when I descaled my boilers. The techs at CC said to check the elbows where the water lines attach but mine were clean. Dropped the water tap screen yesterday & found nothing after 10 months of daily use.