Start at the rule and, if the water is Bull Run, at the Portland boiler note. This list ranks water-side checks. It does not sell a chemical.
Short version
Ranked by what the published water analysis can already falsify: which source, what the city already added, which inspection class the nameplate is, then whether the oxygen log exists. No placement was sold.
| Rank | Check | Published anchor |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Which supply filled the boiler | Bull Run 7–11 ppm vs groundwater about 80 ppm |
| 2 | pH and alkalinity after city treatment | Sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide on Bull Run |
| 3 | Nameplate versus the inspection clock | Yearly power, two-year low-pressure steam |
| 4 | Oxygen and condensate log | The city report does not measure your drum |
1. Name the supply
The 2025 Portland report says Bull Run hardness is typically 7 to 11 ppm and groundwater about 80 ppm[1]. August 2025 supplemental data put treated Bull Run hardness at 8.7 ppm and total alkalinity at 32 ppm[2]. If you do not know which source was running, every dose after that is a guess.
2. Separate tap treatment from boiler treatment
The bureau adds sodium carbonate and carbon dioxide to Bull Run water to raise pH and alkalinity for the drinking-water system[1]. That is not a boiler oxygen program. Write the city numbers down so you do not pay to “add hardness” the analysis does not support, and so you do not ignore pH the city already moved.
3. Match the vessel to the clock
OAR 918-225-0570 splits power boilers (yearly) from low-pressure steam (every two years)[3]. The operating permit is required before operation[4]. A water visit that ignores an expired permit leaves the legal failure in the room.
4. Ask for the oxygen log
Soft water’s likely metal failure is pitting, not a thick carbonate scale. The municipal report does not sample your boiler. If the scavenger test and the condensate return are not on paper, that is the callback. ORS 480.595 still only prices the permit, at $175 to install and maxima of $110 or $55 to operate[5].
How this ranking was made
Ordered by what a public analysis can disprove before anyone cuts a tube. Source identity outranks a generic soft-water slogan. The inspection clock outranks a treatment pitch that never asks whether the vessel is legal to run. No fee was paid for a rank.
Questions a manager actually types
Q1. Is soft water a reason to skip treatment?
No. It is a reason to stop treating the boiler as a hard-water scale machine. Bull Run at 7 to 11 ppm will not lay down the carbonate cake a hard well lays down. Oxygen still pits steel if the deaerator and the scavenger log are casual. The city report does not measure oxygen in your drum.
Q2. Which inspection clock do I use?
Power boilers, at least yearly. Low-pressure steam boilers, at least every two years. Both internal and external, when construction allows the internal look, under OAR 918-225-0570. Read the nameplate before you pick.
Q3. What if the brewery sometimes takes groundwater?
The bureau’s groundwater figure is about 80 ppm, not 7 to 11. A blend is a third water. Ask which source was online when the sample was drawn. Dosing for the wrong source is the failure this list is trying to catch.
Q4. Are the dollar figures a repair price?
No. They are permit fees: $175 or $196 to install, and statutory operating maxima of $110 or $55. Labor is unpublished. Verify it.
The decision page is the rule. Bull Run detail is on the Portland note.
References
Accessed 9 October 2026 unless a page prints a later date.
- Portland Water Bureau, 2025 Drinking Water Quality Report. portland.gov/water.
- Portland Water Bureau, Supplemental Water Quality Data, August 2025. portland.gov/water.
- OAR 918-225-0570. oregon.public.law.
- OAR 918-225-0600. oregon.public.law.
- ORS 480.595. oregon.public.law.