Please talk to me about chlorene

[scotty]

I have learned that boiling the water will drive off chlorene in most cases. i was told that in some cases, the modern methods of chlorination do nor allow simply boiling the water to do the job.


Any comments or instructions/ideas on this subject??


I would like to test for chlorene How do i do this??


Again, i'm a hobby freak and weill probably buy every usefull or useless gizmo that has to do with this wine making. although i will have to admit thatI am in awe of of some of the photos of the things that some folks have acomplished. I will not get to growing fruit or pressing grapes however.





If the Iraqui Dinar becomes valuable however, watch out

So far i have read 5 or 6 entry level books on making wine.


At present, I am reading "Techniques in Home Winemaking" By Daniel Pambianchi.





This book is loaded with stuff that will require much thinking, experimenting and learning.Edited by: scotty

 

[smurfe]

Scotty, during Winestock there was a lecture that addressed Chlorine in the water used in wine making. He basically said if the tap water is fit to drink and tastes OK, it is fine to use for wine making. If I remember correct, he did state a parts per million (PPM) level of chlorineto stay under. Maybe someone else can chime in here. To test for chlorine you can get a test kit from a pool supply store or even Wal Mart. There are test strips you simply dunk in the water but they are not that accurate. You can get a kit that used a water sample that you add drops to and compare the color change. They are more accurate.


I will say that when I had chlorinated water, I just ran it out of the tap and used it, I never boiled it. I have well water now and use bottled water to make wine. The only well water I use is what I rinse the juice bag out with and many times I don't even do that.


Smurfe

Edited by: smurfe

 

[masta]

Here is some info that should help:


Many cities and towns have changed their disinfection process for drinking water from “chlorination” to “chloramination”. They are making this change to comply in advance with changes in the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Chloramination will reduce levels of certain by-products of chlorination [trihalomethanes (THMs) and Haloacetic Acids (HAAs)] that are suspected carcinogens. Chloramination is the use of both ammonia and chlorine to disinfect water. Ammonia and chlorine are added to water at carefully controlled levels. The chlorine and ammonia react chemically to produce combined chlorine or chloramines. Chloraminated water is perfectly safe to drink.


Home remedies such as boiling water, using salts, and having water remain still are not effective methods to remove chloramine. Unlike chlorine, which only takes a few days to dissipate when remaining still, chloramine stays in the water for a few weeks. The only practical methods for removing chloramines from water are using a water conditioner, which contains a dechloramination chemical, or by using granular activated carbon.


I suggest you find out how your water is treated first before deciding on a plan how remove what they have added.


Found this qoute from Tim Vandergrift of Winexpert:


"Chlorine and chloramines are of no consequence to home winemaking with kits. All processed wine kits contain a nominal amount of sulphite for shelf-stability. When the kit is mixed with chlorinated tap-water, the potassium or sodium in the metabisulphite grab the chlorine and form potassium or sodium chloride (a similar reaction occurs with chlorarmines), forming a stable salt (literally sodium chloride, table-salt in one case) so quickly as to be instantaneous."

Edited by: masta

 

[MedPretzel]

I have "city water." I use the water right out of the tap for winemaking. Oftentimes, the water you get from the city is better than bottled, since bottled water is not tested as strict as that from the community.


Boiling water helps getting rid of bacteria, like E. coli... But again, if you have city water, it's kept down to a low value that is in no way shape or form harmful. Just think about it: you bathe in it, you cook with it, you wash your hands with it, you pee on it, and you water your garden with it. All with the same water supply.





If you have well-water, I would suggest the boiling method to guard off the bacteria. However, if you drink your water and you like it (and you don't get diarrhea from it), you're probably okay to use it in wine.





These are just my opinions -- I am sure there are a hundred people who would tell you a different one, but this is the thing that works for me.

 

[PolishWineP]

We used to boil our city water before using it for wine making, to drive off the chlorine. After Winestock we stopped. We haven't noticed a bit of difference as far as yeast performance or anything like that. We are more than glad to save the time and energy costs.

Edited by: PolishWineP

 

[winesnob]

I have well water and I don't trust it, so I buy 3 gallon jugs of Poland Spring water. I usually wait for it to go on sale and I load up. I have to do this until I get my whole house water filter installed.

 

[AAASTINKIE]

I hold the highest drinking water license in the state of Maine.

I have a drinking spicot on my sink with $600 worth of filters on it.

I use Walmart water.

I'm too lazy to wait for the spicot to run out 4 gallons of water.....



ADD, OCD, Anal...I got it all babe..

 

[scotty]

Great as usual. Thanks lots

Its tap water till i find out differently.Edited by: scotty

 

[pete s]

I have great well water, BUT I use a salt based water softener which I read is a no no for winemaking...anyone have an opinion on that? Pete

 

[masta]

I have one also but been using my water for making all my fermented beverages and haven't heard any complaints yet!

 

[pkcook]

Pete,


I use a water softener as well and use the water right out of the tap for my wines and so far it has worked out fine.

 

[djcoop]

OK, the water in Texas right now taste and smells like a stinky dirty lake! Now that I have that off my chest. I always use bottled spring water. I wish it could be Evian

, but it is normally the store brand. I have a great filter on my fridge that I could use, but it is slow and I can't wait..........

 

[peterCooper]

The water in Texas ALWAYS tastes like a stinky dirty lake. That's because we take it out of the Gulf.