PH Measurement in the Water Calculator

[Mike at Bay]

So my Ward report show Alkalinity level of 264 CaCO3. The report also show PH as 7.9. Prior to brewing this week I checked the PH of my water and my meter showed 7.5. So I updated my water profile config. to 7.5. However, I notice that my water calc has reverted the PH to 8 and thus likely impacts the PH calc in the recipe. Probably a small issue in the scheme of things but the rathole leads me to this to the question of why will the software not take my PH reading and continues to kick back to 8?

As I said, may be a small issue in the scheme of things but the digging in has me obsessed.

 

[J A]

Your tap water pH will probably vary from day to day. Keep checking it and use an average. If you used the 7.9 you'd be fine. The initial pH is not necessarily a big factor and additions and grist will have much more impact. Likely the only place that the .4 difference would matter much is when acidifying sparge water.

 

[Mike at Bay]

Your tap water pH will probably vary from day to day. Keep checking it and use an average. If you used the 7.9 you'd be fine. The initial pH is not necessarily a big factor and additions and grist will have much more impact. Likely the only place that the .4 difference would matter much is when acidifying sparge water.

Thanks. Software looks like it keeps kicking the calc to 8.

 

[J A]

Not sure why anything would change if you've saved your profile and set that water profile as the source water in the particular recipe.

 

[Mike at Bay]

Not sure why anything would change if you've saved your profile and set that water profile as the source water in the particular recipe.

So I have determined that altering the source water does change the expected PH in recipe (example Distilled vs Tap) so it is recognizing the proper PH from the source. My confusion has something to do with "linked water calc" in the Mash Chem/Water Calc Page.....that is where is seems to revert the PH of 8. I am either doing something wrong or expecting the wrong result. . I will keep digging in......I am sure it is a simple misunderstanding between me and the software.

 

[J A]

So I have determined that altering the source water does change the expected PH in recipe (example Distilled vs Tap) so it is recognizing the proper PH from the source. My confusion has something to do with "linked water calc" in the Mash Chem/Water Calc Page.....that is where is seems to revert the PH of 8. I am either doing something wrong or expecting the wrong result. . I will keep digging in......I am sure it is a simple misunderstanding between me and the software.

Yes, the calculator responds to pH in water source. I've never noticed the water profile reverting to one different from that chosen in the recipe calculator but it's doing it now. There doesn't seem to be a way to make a water profile a default. This is a flaw that can change the recipe after its saved. Seems like something that @Yooper might need to look into.

 

[Mike at Bay]

Not sure if these shots help but you can see the source PH circled is 7.9 and what show up in the calc is 8.

 

[J A]

View attachment 34674View attachment 34675

Not sure if these shots help but you can see the source PH circled is 7.9 and what show up in the calc is 8.

My stored recipes and water calcs are defaulting to the first water profile in my water profile list and not the one that was used for the recipe as brewed. Somewhere along the way saved recipes ran through a code that changed the way they were saved.

 

[Mont Y. Märzen]

View attachment 34674View attachment 34675

Not sure if these shots help but you can see the source PH circled is 7.9 and what show up in the calc is 8.

You have to update the linked calc and click the update link in the water section of the recipe to pull in the changes.

You can also update your stored water profiles, and yes, you can set a default for the calc to use. (or pick one each time)

I check pH every brew day before filling my strike water. If it is different than my default water profile, I adjust that recipe's linked calc and click 'update'. It doesn't often make much difference but sometimes I might need an extra ㎖ of acid depending on the brew.