Originally Posted by JSGT09
What exactly do you mean by the alkalinity would require reduction? Should I blend my water with half RO water after treating it with Campden? What is the correct process for this regarding sparge water, etc?
That means that either a water treatment approach like lime softening or boiling to reduce the hardness and alkalinity or an acid treatment via a direct acid addition or acid malt addition will be required to reduce the water alkalinity.
Blending with RO or DI is also a valid treatment alternative and it too will reduce alkalinity.
The approach for sparge water is to reduce its alkalinity to well under 50 ppm. I suggest that 25 ppm alkalinity is a good target. If you are using RO or distilled water (or a large percentage of those waters), then the alkalinity is probably already low enough and there is nothing to do. If the brewing water does have alkalinity over 50 ppm, then adding acid to the water is one way to reduce the sparge water alkalinity. Bru'n Water includes an acidification calculator for figuring out the acid addition needed for your water.