Sponsored by CraftBrewWater.com
Blending Valve
A blending valve allows you to control your total dissolved solids or TDS in your brew water. Purified water or reverse osmosis water can tend to be on the aggressive side. So by adding a little TDS to the water can reduce that. This will also give you a consistent water to brew with. Most systems come with a TDS meter. These are pretty accurate and with the blending valve the adjustments are pretty easy.
Ultraviolet Sanitization Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) is a sanitation process using short-wavelength ultraviolet light to kill bacteria. UV light can be used to sanitize food, air, and water purification processes.
The use of UV light to sanitize has been used for many years. Its use has grown in recent years to sanitize drinking water and water used in the brewing industry. Its use to sanitize water is most effective as the water is in a contained space when exposed to the light. In water treatment, the use of UV light has been effective in killing bacteria, viruses, molds and other pathogens. UV light, put together with RO and Carbon Filtration systems, can be set up to operate as an on-demand process to sanitize water for consistent brewing water.
Ozone Sanitization
Ozone is more widely used in Europe and Asia than the United States. Ozone sanitizes bacteria, viruses, and protozoans and is a stronger treatment than chlorination. The treatment process does not add chemicals to the water. Ozone can work on eliminating a wide range of inorganic, organic and microbiological issues.
The Ozone sanitation process has higher equipment and operational costs than chemical or RO systems. Since this process is not as common as RO or chemical treatment, it’s maintenance could be harder.
Ozonation by-products are being studied. The system works best with a pretreatment water softener for hardness reduction.
Ozone is less soluble in water, than chlorine. Special mixing techniques may be required. There can be potential fire hazards and toxicity issues with ozone due to the high electricity charge requirements.