Auburn Water Report from Ward Labs
Ward Laboratories is a favorite among homebrewers for water chemistry analysis. I sent a sample of water from the outside tap at my house (in the general area of Samford and University) to Ward last week and received the following report yesterday.
pH —> 7.3
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est —> 94
Electrical Conductivity, mmho/cm —> 0.16
Cations / Anions, me/L —> 1.0 / 1.4
Sodium, Na —> 3 ppm
Potassium, K —> 2 ppm
Calcium, Ca —> 12 ppm
Magnesium, Mg —> 3 ppm
Total Hardness, CaCO 3 —> 43 ppm
Nitrate, NO 3-N —> 0.1 ppm (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO -4S —> 8 ppm
Chloride, Cl —> 9 ppm
Carbonate, CO 3 —> 42 ppm
Total Alkalinity, CaCO 3 —> 35 ppm
Floride, F —> 0.06 ppm
Total Iron, Fe —> 0.01 ppm
The City of Auburn’s 2005 Water Quality Report shows the following values for some of the same water elements that Ward Laboratories reported on. It looks like the City of Auburn and Ward values are not too far apart.
Calcium —> 17.8 ppm
Sodium —> 1.65 ppm
Hardness —> 64 ppm (range = 47.7 to 64 ppm)
Magnesium —> 2.73 ppm
Alkalinity —> 21 ppm (range = 24 to 21 ppm)
pH —> 8.01 (range 6 to 8.01)
Total Dissolved Solids —> 111 ppm
Chloride —> 7.5 ppm
Sulfate —> 27.6 ppm (range = 16.89 to 27.6 ppm)
Chlorine –> 2.4 ppm (range = .55 to 2.4 ppm)
What does this mean for Auburn brewers? I’m just learning about water chemistry myself, so I’ll leave it to the famous John Palmer to explain the basics.
- What kind of water do I need?
- Reading a Water Report
- Balancing the Malts and Minerals
- Residual Alkalinity and Mash pH
- Using Salts for Brewing Water Adjustment
If you are new to brewing, please don’t concern yourself with this unless you’re a chemistry geek or wannabe.
Filed under: Around Auburn, Water
Keep in mind that the city of Auburn’s report is an average of various samples over the entire year, while your sample is a one-time snapshot. That may explain the discrepancies in values.
After reading Auburn’s Water report, they detected high levels of lead contamination in very old homes in Auburn, due to the plumbing. I think my house has some extra hardness, yet I’m not sure exactly what it is. Is the best way to send off the water, or has anyone tried the home test kits you can get at the hardware store?
I’m not familiar with the home test kits. Ward tests for alot of things, but I don’t think they test for lead.
The City of Auburn’s 2007 Water Quality Report
Calcium (Ca) —> 23.6 ppm
Magnesium (Mg) —> 11.80 ppm
Sodium (Na) —> 6.93 ppm
Sulfate (SO4) —> 17.6 ppm (range = ND to 17.6 ppm)
Chloride (Cl) —> 13.50 ppm
pH —> 8.50 (range 6.70 to 8.50 su)
Hardness —> 124.00 ppm
Alkalinity —> 156 ppm (range = 24 to 156 ppm)
Chlorine –> 2.25 ppm (range = 2.08 to 2.55 ppm)
Total Dissolved Solids —> 160 ppm
Even with the explaination below I am not sure I understand what value to use in ProMash for Bicarbonate (HCO3)
Many bicarbonates are soluble in water at standard temperature and pressure, particularly sodium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate; both of these substances contribute to total dissolved solids, a common parameter for assessing water quality.