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Do you dry out your water filters after use?


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#1 gnef

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Posted 26 April 2016 - 11:33 PM

I have always dried out my carbon filters after I've finished filling my HLT with sparge water. This was more for logistics, as I brewed with propane outdoors, and needed to bring everything back inside, so it didn't make sense to me to keep the housing filled with water when I am moving it around.

 

Now that I am converting to electric, it will be possible, and I am considering, having a more permanent location for my water filter housings (I use two in series, both with carbon filters so that I can filter a bit faster and still get all the chloramine out). The thing is though, if I keep it in a more permanent location, I don't want to have to unscrew the housings after each batch, I'd rather just leave it as is.

 

If I do keep it filled with water, I would still purge some before filling the HLT for the strike water, but how concerned should I be about mold and bacterial growth?

 

Should I not even risk it, and keep on with what I've been doing with disassembling the housings and letting everything dry out in between batches? 

 

What do all of you do?



#2 SchwanzBrewer

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Posted 27 April 2016 - 08:50 AM

I used to. Now I use them in line from the source so they always have water in them. I flush them for about 20 seconds before I take any water for my brew.



#3 Big Nake

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Posted 27 April 2016 - 09:46 AM

Mine is portable and I take it outside and connect it to an outside spigot to use. If the weather is decent, I leave the filter out in the sun to dry. If it's cold, etc., I bring it inside and leave it on a paper towel while it's wet and when it's dry I put it back in my beer bunker. So... yes, I let it dry.

#4 gnef

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Posted 27 April 2016 - 07:35 PM

I used to. Now I use them in line from the source so they always have water in them. I flush them for about 20 seconds before I take any water for my brew.

This is what I am thinking of doing. How long have you been using your current set of filters, and how has it been working for you?



#5 BobG

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Posted 29 April 2016 - 11:07 AM

I do.
I dry the filter out then put it in a zip lock and put it in the freezer. Don't know why, just do.



#6 positiveContact

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Posted 29 April 2016 - 11:47 AM

I used to. Now I use them in line from the source so they always have water in them. I flush them for about 20 seconds before I take any water for my brew.

 

this seems pretty reasonable.  I mean, aren't filters like this supposed to pretty much be in constant use (so wet) anyway?



#7 MyaCullen

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Posted 29 April 2016 - 01:38 PM

this seems pretty reasonable.  I mean, aren't filters like this supposed to pretty much be in constant use (so wet) anyway?

yes



#8 gnef

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Posted 29 April 2016 - 04:52 PM

That's the thing for me though, they are meant for constant use, where the water moves around them regularly. They way I will have it set up, water will be stagnant for weeks or possibly months at a time, and that is my concern. I don't know how valid of a concern though.



#9 Steve Urquell

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Posted 30 April 2016 - 01:51 AM

That's the thing for me though, they are meant for constant use, where the water moves around them regularly. They way I will have it set up, water will be stagnant for weeks or possibly months at a time, and that is my concern. I don't know how valid of a concern though.

If you are using the pleated cellulose/ paper kind bacteria can feed on it. I have a well with sulfur and use some that have a nylon core so the well bacteria won't affect it. NCP-10 non-cellulose pleated. A GAC-10 is better than that as it uses granular carbon rather than a carbon impregnated core. I don't use that water for brewing due to iron, just filter to cut the odor.

Edited by chils, 30 April 2016 - 01:55 AM.


#10 gnef

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Posted 30 April 2016 - 04:45 PM

I've never seen that GAC-10 filter before!

 

I think I'll get one, and go down to just one filter casing with the GAC-10. That will simplify my setup, and then I would feel more comfortable leaving it more permanently affixed and filled with water.



#11 darkmagneto

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Posted 02 May 2016 - 06:31 PM

my water filter is "in-line".  It's always in use, and gets replaced every 4 months.  



#12 gnef

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Posted 03 May 2016 - 07:04 AM

my water filter is "in-line".  It's always in use, and gets replaced every 4 months.  

Is that a whole house water filter you are using though? This one will be only for brewing for me.



#13 darkmagneto

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Posted 03 May 2016 - 07:55 AM

It's not a whole house filter, but a faucet I setup in the basement.  I'll snap a pic when I get home and post here.  




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