One of the biggest changes that I have made in my brewhouse recently is the addition of a reverse osmosis water system, like the Ukoke 6 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter. I opted for a 6 stage Ukoke set up that can be found here. This allows me to create my own RO water on demand for brewing, as well as provide RO water or my ice maker and water filler in the fridge.
After looking at multiple RO systems, I decided that an under the sink set up would be my best bet. But, it didn’t go under the sink. I decided to install it in the basement. The Ukoke 6 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter made it easy, with a faucet on the wall as well as hooking into my ice maker and fridge water filter line, this meant I could go dual purpose. This meant the whole family could receive the benefit of the RO system, as well as give easy access 2 The Brewery in the basement.
Installation
The install of the Ukoke 6 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter became a little bit more complicated than what I expected. If you were to just install this underneath your sink, I’m sure it would go much quicker than how it did for me.
My first task was to figure out how to attach the intake line to a saddle valve that I already had for the ice maker and fridge. Drawing things out, measuring, and an extended trip to Home Depot allowed me to find the parts that I needed. After that, the install went at a pretty decent clip.
In order to split the line 2 my ice maker and fridge water filler as well as the faucet on the wall , I did purchase an additional upgrade set that can be found here. It basically allowed me to have a t valve that allowed me to divert water in either direction, to the tank and to the fridge, without having to change valves.
Once it was up and running, I did cycle through a few gallons to be sure that any sediment was removed. then it is Off to the Races!
Rationale
I decided that since I was participating in BrewTubers experiments (and this one) that required Ro or distilled water, this system will quickly pay for itself. Each time I did one of these experiments, or wanted completely neutral water profile, I was dropping 10 or so dollars to buy gallons of water at the local store. This now allows me to produce my own water on demand.
Also the added benefit of RO water for the ice maker and water filler is immense. Are ice cubes are clearer and more uniform. Also, the water filler is used to fill multiple water bottles each day or the family to bring to work or school. Coming out of the water filler, it just tastes better than regular tap water.
By coming off of the saddle valve, and the pressure that was available to me from my water lines, I do have sufficient water pressure. I think if I went back and I did it again, I would purchase the Ukoke 6 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter version with the pump, just to get a little bit more pressure. This is not needed, but would be more of you convenience.
Brewing Use
The biggest downfall of the system is the limitation of a 3 gallon holding tank. Well it doesn’t actually hold a full 3 gallons it does holds just over two and a quarter to two and a half gallons of water. This means when I want to collect water for brewing, I either need to just turn on the faucet and let it run for a few hours, or spend time across multiple days filling gallon jugs, one at a time. It just means that in order to use this RO water, I need to be sure to plan ahead. It is a beautiful thing to have a faucet for the water right in the brew area…no more stairs with a 6 gallon load!
Maintenance
There really isn’t much maintenance to do for this system once it is up and running. Depending on the amount of water that you filter, will depend on just how often do you need to change the filters. There are a few that are suggested for 6 months and some that are a year. It does not appear that Amazon carries the replacement filters oh, but they are available from some other sellers at a cost of about $50 a year. With that in mind, that would be five or so batches of beer, and the filters would be covered in cost.
Why You Should Get The Ukoke 6 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter
The biggest reason to install the RO water filtration system would be to help you start with a neutral based water profile. Water is one of the most important things in replicating beer styles. For the addition of minerals, you can really fine tune and adjust your water profile. This can also lead to a more consistent end product as you are taking out some of the variables.
Final Thoughts On The Ukoke 6 Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter
I am very happy that I installed this Ukoke reverse osmosis water filtration system in the basement. The ability to fill mash tuns is a great thing. It is so much easier to move the mash tun just a few feet, versus bringing it down a full set of stairs when it has 6 + gallons of water in it. My back is very thankful. I look forward to continuing to use it for brewing, as well as enjoying tasty water each day at work.