Citizen Science with a Free Water Test

A researcher from my alma mater is part of the Showerhead Microbiome Project, which is enlisting people to swab the insides of their showerheads to see what lurks within. I thought it was quirky but interesting - I've always wondered what that gunk was - so I signed up. Last week, my collection kit came in the mail. It included a collection swab, nitrile gloves, and some water test strips. Cool, I get to profile my tap water!

Science!!

After swabbing the showerhead (which was cleaner than I expected), I held a 5-in-1 test strip under tepid water for a few seconds. I noted the values for total chlorine, free chlorine, total hardness, total alkalinity and pH, then repeated the process with a second strip to record nitrate and nitrite levels. The third strip checks for iron, so I had to add a small amount of a buffering powder to a vial then dunk a test strip.

I sent the results and swab in, and I hope to find out what's living in my showerhead. Meanwhile, I have a decent profile for brewing.

pH: 6.8
Total Alkalinity: 120 ppm
Total Hardness (CaCO3): 15 grains per gallon = 257 ppm
Free Chlorine: 0 ppm
Total Chlorine: 2 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 2 ppm
Iron: 0.15 ppm

The water is a bit more acidic (7.7) and slightly harder (7.5 grains) than the average reported by Arlington County. Many all-grain brewers here just grind up a Campden tablet to neutralize the chloramine and mash away. I use some distilled water for partial mash batches, but this profile is pretty good for mashing (minus the chlorine). That said, I really ought to check the pH of my mash. This is all new to a mostly extract brewer. :)

The other cool thing is that these test strips even exist. I plan to get some test strips to test how well my big carbon block filter does with chlorine and minerals.