[AzBruin]

It sounds like your RO filter is over the hill. I use RO water for drinking water, coffee, and brewing. I use a handheld TDS meter, and a handheld pH meter, but usually I can tell by taste when the filter is going, and then I will verify with the TDS meter. I use a portable RO system that I screw into my kitchen tap. With a new filter, I get TDS readings of 1 or less, when the filter is going out, I start tasting it at about 100ppm, starts getting a bit nasty at about 200ppm.

EDIT: give the test strips to your kids to play with, they're pretty useless for brewing.

For the money and time, it's probably a better bet to buy RO or distilled water, but keep in mind that what is sold as distilled is usually actually RO water. And, depending on the RO system used, a lot of RO water actually has some dissolved minerals, and some has "added minerals for taste". So, if you buy bottled water, a TDS meter is still a good investment.

[coolman26]

It sounds like your RO filter is over the hill. I use RO water for drinking water, coffee, and brewing. I use a handheld TDS meter, and a handheld pH meter, but usually I can tell by taste when the filter is going, and then I will verify with the TDS meter. I use a portable RO system that I screw into my kitchen tap. With a new filter, I get TDS readings of 1 or less, when the filter is going out, I start tasting it at about 100ppm, starts getting a bit nasty at about 200ppm.

EDIT: give the test strips to your kids to play with, they're pretty useless for brewing.

For the money and time, it's probably a better bet to buy RO or distilled water, but keep in mind that what is sold as distilled is usually actually RO water. And, depending on the RO system used, a lot of RO water actually has some dissolved minerals, and some has "added minerals for taste". So, if you buy bottled water, a TDS meter is still a good investment.

And from machines that say RO, nearly all in my area are the same as my tap. One more reason to have a TDS meter.


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[coolman26]

No matter what else you do, don't use 5.2.

Great advice Denny!  It would only get me to 5.3 Can’t believe I ever bought it. My can is still virtually full.


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[Robert]

No matter what else you do, don't use 5.2.

Great advice Denny!  It would only get me to 5.3 Can’t believe I ever bought it. My can is still virtually full.


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It can't possibly work and the inventor is quite open about it.  The buffers it contains simply aren't functional below pH 5.8, IIRC.   It was formulated as a one off for a very specific need at one particular brewery, and it is unfortunate that it has been marketed like snake oil to unsuspecting homebrewers.  5 Star should be ashamed of themselves.

[coolman26]

No matter what else you do, don't use 5.2.

Great advice Denny!  It would only get me to 5.3 Can’t believe I ever bought it. My can is still virtually full.


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It can't possibly work and the inventor is quite open about it.  The buffers it contains simply aren't functional below pH 5.8, IIRC.   It was formulated as a one off for a very specific need at one particular brewery, and it is unfortunate that it has been marketed like snake oil to unsuspecting homebrewers.  5 Star should be ashamed of themselves.

Exactly what I was thinking. 

[ynotbrusum]

5.2 - that’s like buying “Burtonizing Salts” not knowing what the starting liquor measures...ok, I did both of those things way back when....

[denny]

From the excellent Bru'nwater Water Knowledge page (thanks, Martin!)

Five Star 5.2 Stabilizer is indicated by its manufacturer to "lock in your mash and kettle water at a pH of 5.2 regardless of the starting pH of your water".  Evidence by homebrewers indicates that this product does not produce a mash pH in the preferred room-temperature range of 5.3 to 5.5.  That evidence shows this product does produce some pH moderation in waters with high Residual Alkalinity.  However, the mash pH tends to center around 5.8 (room-temperature measurement).  While 5.8 pH is acceptable, it is at the upper end of the desirable mashing range.  The evidence also shows that in waters with low Residual Alkalinity, this product shows little effect on mash pH.  Since Five Star 5.2 Stabilizer is a compound with high sodium content, its use will elevate the sodium concentration in the brewing water.  High sodium content can be undesirable from a taste standpoint in beer.  Proper alkalinity control of mashing and sparging water may produce more acceptable brewing results for most brewers than with the use of 5.2 Stabilizer. To add emphasis to difficulty in using this product, the following conversation posted on Homebrew Talk between noted brewing water expert, AJ DeLange and the chemist from Five Star Chemical regarding their 5.2 Stabilizer product. "Tipped a few last night with the chemist who designed this product and was able to confirm that it is indeed a mix of phosphates (mono and di basic) that accounts for the presence of the malt phosphate. This is something I have long suspected and am pleased to have finally confirmed. Good manners prevented me from pressing him on it's efficacy and suitability relative to the statement on the label. But his comments on it were basically that most brewers shouldn't use it/need it and that it was put together for a particular brewery that had variable source water and no desire to make any effort to track that variability."

[goose]

5.2 - that’s like buying “Burtonizing Salts” not knowing what the starting liquor measures...ok, I did both of those things way back when....

Been there, done that with Burton Salts.  Made the beer way too minerally.  Martin's program got me straightened out on water chemistry for brewing.