Water Filtration System

[Dwerth]

Good day-

What sort of water filtration system do you folks use for your winemaking? Whole house? Point of use?
Our new home (and hence new home winery) is nearing completion soon (ish) and I am looking for ideas for what you use?
We will have hard water, so the first element is a water softener to alleviate that element, but that will require some subsequent filter before use, hence my question.

Thanks!

 

[Jim Welch]

I have an RO/DI system I use for beer brewing water but for wine making I just use municipal tap water that I dechlorinate by putting jugs of it in the sunlight. You can easily dechlorinate tap water.
As far as my wines go they turn out pretty good, I’ve medaled with several so far in large amateur competitions so there’s that.
If you’re water tastes ok it should be good for winemaking. How hard is your water? Have you had it analyzed? Is there iron in it?

 

[Dwerth]

I have an RO/DI system I use for beer brewing water but for wine making I just use municipal tap water that I dechlorinate by putting jugs of it in the sunlight. You can easily dechlorinate tap water.
As far as my wines go they turn out pretty good, I’ve medaled with several so far in large amateur competitions so there’s that.
If you’re water tastes ok it should be good for winemaking. How hard is your water? Have you had it analyzed? Is there iron in it?

We are changing locales (was supposed to be 1 September, but the builder has us delayed until 1 October now), and I will be having it tested after flushing the system for a while. So unfortunately I cannot post any numbers of what I will have at the new house for another couple months.

 

[wood1954]

My well water is very good, besides the softener I use a small filter for the whole house with an activated charcoal 5 micron filter . I change the filter every three months costs about $10.

 

[bstnh1]

Good day-

What sort of water filtration system do you folks use for your winemaking? Whole house? Point of use?
Our new home (and hence new home winery) is nearing completion soon (ish) and I am looking for ideas for what you use?
We will have hard water, so the first element is a water softener to alleviate that element, but that will require some subsequent filter before use, hence my question.

Thanks!

I use store bought spring water.

 

[bstnh1]

My well water is very good, besides the softener I use a small filter for the whole house with an activated charcoal 5 micron filter . I change the filter every three months costs about $10.

The salt from the softener doesn't affect the wine???

 

[wood1954]

The salt from the softener doesn't affect the wine???

No, the amount of sodium is so low you don’t taste it right from the tap. I don’t make kits now so it’s even less of an issue.

 

[BABRU]

Our softened well water works just fine. No other filters or treatment.

 

[vinny]

I use potassium chloride instead of sodium to soften. More expensive, but sodium can eat the concrete in your septic over time and it's not as salty tasting.

 

[vinny]

I have a softener and iron filter. I don't filter beyond that.

 

[Rice_Guy]

For wine making today I use tap water. Cleaning at home is with soft water. Testing/ glassware/ pipettes is distilled water. (Surface water living in Houston I would filter)

I am in the midwest now, there is calcium in the water. Up side! calcium will buffer low pH northern grown grape so minerals are useful (theoretical ppm numbers don’t contribute much). Midwest well water tastes good.
The big down side of midwest well water is cleaning, low mineral water works better/ there is a cost related to doing a citric acid rinse on stainless equipment but it’s more practical than softening all plant water.

 

[wood1954]

I use potassium chloride instead of sodium to soften. More expensive, but sodium can eat the concrete in your septic over time and it's not as salty tasting.

If your water tastes salty you should adjust your softener or get a new one. You shouldn’t be able to taste salt

 

[vinny]

If your water tastes salty you should adjust your softener or get a new one. You shouldn’t be able to taste salt

It doesn't now, but I was using it to remove iron before I got the chem free iron filter. It took so much salt to remove the iron that you could taste it. The water was VERY soft. Now it's balanced for the water hardness, not the iron, and it is good. I have a concrete septic tank and the sodium will eat it out over time, and I am not a subscriber to the salt is bad for you club, but potassium is more beneficial for the body so it's win win, minus cost.

 

[ratflinger]

I have a whole house softener that also contains an activated charcoal filter. In the wine room I have an under-sink mounted sub-micron filter.

 

[Rocky]

Good day-

What sort of water filtration system do you folks use for your winemaking? Whole house? Point of use?
Our new home (and hence new home winery) is nearing completion soon (ish) and I am looking for ideas for what you use?
We will have hard water, so the first element is a water softener to alleviate that element, but that will require some subsequent filter before use, hence my question.

Thanks!

I am the controversial person who uses purchased distilled water.

 

[Brant]

I use RO water but there is a part of me that wonders if using RO leaves something out of the taste of the finished product. I've noticed with coffee that mineralized coffee can taste different than RO coffee. It's not distinct but I cannot help but wonder if the final wine taste suffers somehow.

 

[Brant]

I have an RO/DI system I use for beer brewing water but for wine making I just use municipal tap water that I dechlorinate by putting jugs of it in the sunlight. You can easily dechlorinate tap water.
As far as my wines go they turn out pretty good, I’ve medaled with several so far in large amateur competitions so there’s that.
If you’re water tastes ok it should be good for winemaking. How hard is your water? Have you had it analyzed? Is there iron in it?

Jim, curious why you use RO for beer and not for wine also.

 

[Jim Welch]

Jim, curious why you use RO for beer and not for wine also.

For beer I build a water profile for the specific beer I’m making so I start with as pure of water as I can make at home before adding the trace chemicals to make the water profile. My understanding with wine kits is that any water that tastes good is suitable and my municipal water is pretty good at my house, the only thing I have to do is dechlorinate it.

 

[Nebbiolo020]

I use a reverse osmosis filter on my tap or well water alongside carbon filtration to prepare water for winemaking you can’t have any chlorine or chloramine or it’s going to ruin your wine or possibly cause TCA cork taint is no joke.

 

[Dwerth]

A sincere thank you to you all for your replies!