I'll never take water for granted again
I recently moved from Menomonee Falls (near Milwaukee),Wisconson to Eden Prairie (near Minneapolis), Minnesota. I had excellent quality drinking water in Milwaukee and just took it for granted. My SD thrived with no worries and my coffee tasted great.
Now it is a different story in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The tap water has a huge chlorine presence that does not dissipate with standing or heating. The taste is pretty bad. I now understand why people buy bottled water even if it is from another municipal source. My daughter lives 1 town over (about 4miles) and her water tastes fine.
As for using my tap water for bread, I did use it for 1 or 2 sd feedings and Jack (starter) didn't seem to mind. I hesitate to use it for more. I use a pitcher filter (Brita) and it helps slightly with the taste but I use spring water or daughter's water to feed my cultures.
So now I really appreciate all the discussions and difficulties people have had with water and will appreciate good water from now on because that may be something I will need help with in the future.
And as a question-what do I need to know when I look at a municipal water report? Is there anything I can do?
http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/G3558-4.pdf
I don't get it. Why'd you post that? It doesn't touch on chlorine at all.
a municipal water report ...in Wisconsin. And it does touch on chlorine.
Other than saying to disinfect your private well after repairs and before testing I don't see it touching on it. Can you point out where?
I no longer feel confident using tap water. In the past five years we have had days of coffee coloured water numerous times. I live in a fair sized city in Canada that has always enjoyed great water - bar none. There has been a variety of explanations offered but the problem persists. Today it's a nice washed out iron ore color. I suppose it all has to do with that four letter word "infrastructure" that seems to be plague all communities regardless of country.
Like you I no longer assume today is always a good water day.
too in Trail, B.C. Washing machine water would also make a rust stain where it poured over the clothes to fill. Seemed to be hot water related. I had suggested draining the boiler and giving it a good rinse.
Finally the landlord installed a new water boiler and the problem was solved. The tank was so corroded inside that the plumber couldn't get any drain caps off and 4 men had to drag the full hot water boiler outside to empty it. They sawed off the lower cap and killed about 3 square meters of lawn.
The water was crystal clear with a new boiler.
Our problems started when our treatment facility was updated in the city a few years back. It's not my tank and I have the bills to prove it :(
Perhaps the city needs to do a better job to flush the pipes after the work they did.
I will have to read over the municipal water report again with this info at hand. I wonder what they add to the water because it is really like drinking pool water and it is so persistent. I know good tasting water is available here. I found a public spring about 10 miles from here using this link and talking to new neighbors.
http://www.findaspring.com/
The water runs freely,cold,clear and delicious.It is tested annually by the municipality and disclaimers are duly posted. I will be taking advantage of this spring,at least for sd,bread and coffee, and just dealing with the inconvenience. My what we do for good coffee and good bread! I really wish there was something I could do to "neutralize" the tap water.
Mini, I know you relocate often. This must be part of acclimating for you but isn't something I ever thought about. I have a new appreciation for your life experience.
Feeding day at the sd zoo. Hopefully, I will soon be moved in and organized enough to start baking again and not just caretaking the "pets".
30 years ago we were shocked at how bad the water was and it has gotten worse over the years which we though would be impossible. We installed RO in our house in Gilbert 28 years ago and the water is at least clear clean and drinkable even it it has no taste. That spring water will be perfect for the SD cultures since the minerals in it will be just what the wee beasties ordered.
Happy baking
I hear you. We used to live in Michigan, a stone's throw from Nestle's Ice Mountain plant, and then moved to Illinois. Our development is unincorporated, so we don't get city (lake Michigan) water, and the artesian well they have is something terrible, I've never experienced water so hard. It actually works fine in bread, but it's just not potable, and filters don't help at all.
Chlorine or Chloramine.
The latter will persist in water for longer than good old chlorine. If you google for "remove chloramine" then you'll get plenty of results and information (assuming that's what your water company are using)
-Gordon
Very, very few 1st world treatment plants still use straight chlorine. Too hard on the pipes and has a much more distinctive scent.
The the nonvolatile, meaning it won't dissipate in the air, nature of chloramine makes it more stable, more effective for longer times, and no chlorine smell.
Which means letting it sit for a day does nothing. Ask your local aquarium shop, fish are almost as sensitive as the yeast, and using straight tapwater will kill your fishes.
Goldfish don't count... they are swimming rats.
After reading up on water treatment, the annual water report is a bit more interesting. I'm sure they do use chloramines and also something that prevents corrosion of lead and copper pipes. The chlorine level is at the very top of the "acceptable" range so not actionable. Hmmmm. I believe they average their samples and I suspect I would be the high sample. It tastes like it.
Dissolve a vitamin C tablet in a gallon of water. The ascorbic acid will neutralize the chloramine, or so they say.
Close. But not quite.
I used to be a chemist. Drinking water plant analyst at one point even.
Choramines are odorless, so if you are smelling chlorine, it's free chlorine. That said, chlorine is indeed neutralized very quickly with ascorbic acid, i.e. vitamin C. The rate we suggested was 2.5 g/5 gal. So for a gallon of water, you need 500 mg.
For the vitamin C I have around (1000 mg) that would be twice what I need. Just check your label.
A simple activated carbon filter, like say a Britta, will remove most if not all of the chloramine, or the chlorine if it is present.
Adding Vitamin C to the bread is a bad thing according to some around here. Why, it is so dangerous it acts like a base in bread instead of an acid!
/s
Sorry, the chemist in me is twitching something awful. Could you please explain first how Vit C, ascorbic ACID can act as a base? And 2nd, I've distinctly seen it recommended as a gluten enhancer. How is that bad? And 3rd, why would a base be bad, even in theory it did act as a base?
Did I just feed a troll?
The carbon filter is a good call though.
Oh no, you and I understand, I was sarcastically (hence the /s) repeating what someone else said about the effects of acid on gluten.
The claim was that Vitamin C would reduce the gluten formation. That is possible, or our stomaches would not digest protiens at all, but now we are past the sour patch candy level of vitamin C
Ok, I feel the twitches receding. :-) I've never seen a /s signifier.