[Semper Sitientem]

The only thing I would add is that HDPE becomes mailable at a much lower temperature. So, wort in the 200’s may deform the fermentor. Maybe that’s where the 140 degree limit comes into play?

[Richard]

The only thing I would add is that HDPE becomes mailable at a much lower temperature. So, wort in the 200’s may deform the fermentor. Maybe that’s where the 140 degree limit comes into play?

The 130 or 140 F limit is for PET, the clear plastic fermenters made of the same material as soda bottles (but thicker). The HDPE used in buckets may melt at 248, but I agree that it might soften and deform well below that. I would cool down wort from the kettle as much as possible before putting it into a bucket.

As far as heating water from room temperature (is Nevada really only 72 these days?) to 204, that would take 98 - 117 mins, depending on whether 1000 W or 1200 Watts goes into the water. I did those calculations using a spreadsheet that has all the physics constants and uses asterisks for multiplication.

[nvshooter2276]

Nevada, in the Reno area, was over 100 yesterday. Today, too. I stayed inside all day with my A/C blasting away at 73 degrees. Drove to Stockton, yesterday. It was 108 about fifteen miles from where I-80 crosses 99 South; around Roseville. That's so hot, you just want to get inside to get the helsinki out of the blazin' sun and suffocating heat.

I was just thinking out loud about just-boiled wort being poured directly into an HDPE bucket. Theoretically, it can be done. I hadn't considered a possible deformation because of the temperature. I want to thank those who have blazed the trail for me in this regard. I'll cool it down in water baths to about 100, then pour it into the bucket. I doubt my tap water will be able to get it to around 75 unless I change it several times. Water is kind o' scarce in the desert, so we try not to waste it by filling a 22-gallon tote to the same level as is the hot wort in our kettles four or five times over. Too bad it's not the dead of winter, right now. I'd set the kettle out on my balcony and let Mother Nature take care of cooling the wort...

[Drewch]

I've had good success on my last 2 batches doing a partial boil and using extremely cold (purified/sanitized) water to top off the volume post-boil before transferring to the fermenter.

[Richard]

Yes, I have done the partial boil and top up with cold water. It means you have to start your prep a couple of days ahead of time to get your water sanitized and cold, but if  you mix 2.5 gallons of 40 F water with 2.5 gallons of 100F wort you should end up with 5 gallons at 70 F.

[nvshooter2276]

... start your prep a couple of days ahead of time to get your water sanitized and cold ...

How is water sanitized? By boiling, I guess. I have three gallons of boiled water. There is some sort of whitish, granular sediment on the inside-bottom of the Hawaiian Punch jugs. It's the water around here; it's essentially "liquid gravel." I s'pose I can decant the water to keep the sediment in the jug when it's added to the boiled wort.

Might be a good idea to boil another few gallons and have it on the shelf if the need for more than the present three gallons materializes. Would Purified Drinking Water from Walmart suffice for sanitized water? I have three gallons of that and it's no sweat to go buy two or three more jugs of it.

[ynotbrusum]

Purified water is probably just RO water that might have some minerals added back by the vendor/manufacturer.  I used to dump it in batches without further treatment back in the day, before I began doing full batch boils....it should be relatively ok, but it isn't "sanitized".

[Drewch]

Would Purified Drinking Water from Walmart suffice for sanitized water?

That's basically what I did. Icy bottles of grocery store purified drinking water soaked in StarSan to kill anything on the outside.

[nvshooter2276]

Would Purified Drinking Water from Walmart suffice for sanitized water?

That's basically what I did. Icy bottles of grocery store purified drinking water soaked in StarSan to kill anything on the outside.

I'm not too worried about the outside of the bottles. It's the contents about which I am concerned. I filter all the water I consume for ingestion and cooking through a PU̅R on-faucet filter. I run a quart of water through it before I catch that which I'll keep. I like to believe that any "bad news" that's been in the filter since I last used it is washed-out in that wasted quart. My tap water is hard as helsinki and has a strong chlorine smell and taste. Once it's filtered, it tastes just like the water that comes out of my dad's $7000 RO system in a distant State. My filtered water is still hard as rocks. It just isn't smelly and doesn't taste like the water at the City pool...

[nvshooter2276]

Purified water is probably just RO water that might have some minerals added back by the vendor/manufacturer.

I looked closer at the bottles of Purified Drinking Water I have and saw that "minerals have been added to improve taste." I'm thinking, "salt." I'm also wondering, Which minerals have been added? How much? I've read that distilled water is not good for beer because it has no minerals in it that a good beer would need. So we're back to boiling my tap water. It's nice to have an eight-gallon kettle...

[Drewch]

I've been told by more experienced brewers that RO or distilled should be fine for extract brewing. The extract producer will have balanced the mineral profile in their mash and that will carry over into the extract.

[nvshooter2276]

I've been told by more experienced brewers that RO or distilled should be fine for extract brewing. The extract producer will have balanced the mineral profile in their mash and that will carry over into the extract.

Now that is a tasty piece of information! Really helps. No longer any need to boil gallons and gallons of tapwater, wait hours and hours to have it cool and then to carefully decant it such that the granular sediment stays in the kettle or in the Hawaiian Punch jug. Thank you, Drewch, for the information.

[BrewBama]

… Which minerals have been added? How much?...

If you have the lot number, the mfr should be able to give you the mineral content of their product. This is often list online.

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I've been told by more experienced brewers that RO or distilled should be fine for extract brewing. The extract producer will have balanced the mineral profile in their mash and that will carry over into the extract.

How to Brew, 4e also mentions low mineral water (spring water, many people's tap water).  The key is to have an understanding of the mineral content to avoid 'over-mineralize-ing' the wort.  IIRC, chapter 8 has a definition of "low mineral" water.

[denny]

Purified water is probably just RO water that might have some minerals added back by the vendor/manufacturer.

I looked closer at the bottles of Purified Drinking Water I have and saw that "minerals have been added to improve taste." I'm thinking, "salt." I'm also wondering, Which minerals have been added? How much? I've read that distilled water is not good for beer because it has no minerals in it that a good beer would need. So we're back to boiling my tap water. It's nice to have an eight-gallon kettle...

Distilled water is a perfect starting point because you know what's (not) in it