Free condensate water water

[Acuratechva]

No i am not planing to drink it lol BUT a question came to mind; is condensate water much different than distilled?

I'll be honest ive never seen anyone in the " real world" use distilled water for mixing antifreeze(as in any shop or dealership), but now that i have it why not right?

Its making almost a bucket a day which i've been using to water tomatoes...

 

[dogdog]

I don't think it is equivalent to distilled water, maybe to rain water plus dust and metal particles.....

 

[antinym]

Yeah, not quite distilled. It contains all the dirt, pollen, and microbes that's in the air around you. Since the surfaces aren't clean, that too goes into the bucket. But, it should be no worse than rain water.. until you have mold growth in your condensate lines.

 

[59 wagon man]

not even close

 

[Old Man Roger]

Ever see that white slimy stuff that comes out of ac drains? Not the same as distilled.

 

[mike93lx]

You might want to read up on how distillation works...

 

[LS6 Tommy]

A/C condensate is distilled, but not purified. Do not drink it! It's great for irons, soldering iron sponges, batteries, etc. Boil it to kill off any biological contaminates and go for it.

Tommy

 

[Acuratechva]

A/C condensate is distilled, but not purified. Do not drink it! It's great for irons, soldering iron sponges, batteries, etc. Boil it to kill off any biological contaminates and go for it.

Tommy

Thanks, actual valuable input.
Dust and mold makes sense but main thing to avoid was minerals and chemicals found in tap/spring water, which i think it does.

Thank you.

You might want to read up on how distillation works...

Right ...gatherering evaporated h2o...which technically is condensate/humidity in the air. Thanks?

 

[Richard Cranium]

Your plants will not get any minerals from the water, so be sure to remember to feed them.

 

[Bert_]

I use the condensate from my dehumidifier for mixing antifreeze, batteries and what not.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

for those who think distilled means pure:

 

[mike93lx]

for those who think distilled means pure:

Pro tip, it is aged after distillation in wood to add color and flavor. Before that, it is pure and flavorless

 

[u3b3rg33k]

Pro tip, it is aged after distillation in wood to add color and flavor. Before that, it is pure and flavorless

can't speak to color, but bathtub shine sure ain't flavorless!

 

[Browneye]

Yes, pure free water. You could run it thru a .5 micron filter with carbon and be good to go. We water container plants with it - fills up our watering jug every day.

 

[dogdog]

for those who think distilled means pure:
.......

well, look at it this way, rain water before it hits the contaminate surface is still technically a naturally distilled water. Is it pure, probably not, dependents on where you are, would I drink from it, probably not unless I have to. So dependents on how you used the word distilled, usually people associate it with evaporated, purified water....

 

[mike93lx]

can't speak to color, but bathtub shine sure ain't flavorless!

anything (at least nearly anything) distilled commercially will be done so at a level where it will be tasteless before aging or blending.

never made shine in a bathtub, but "I've heard" that it can be made with large plastic containers...

 

[ducksface]

The condensate from the ac on our off road vehicle has been supplying us, for the past 20 years with gallons a day while in the desert. The military, and some of us, are working on condensing the water from vehicle exhaust. It's hard to capture without a HUGE cooling source.

Filtering is the key to home usages.
Run yours through a Brita if you're skeered, and call it good, drink it if you care to. We do.

Life isn't as hard as some have read it is.

Use the found water as you like while applying logic.

The sidebar about distilled spirits is valueless.

 

[Browneye]

We live exclusively on rain water while at the house.
The condensate from the ac on our off road vehicle has been supplying us, for the past 20 years with gallons a day while in the desert. The military, and some of us, are working on condensing the water from vehicle exhaust. It's hard to capture without a HUGE cooling source.

Filtering is the key to home usages.
Run yours through a Brita if you're skeered, and call it good.

Life isn't as hard as some have read it is.

Use the found water as you like while excersing logical.

The sidebar about distilled spirits is valueless.

Like...

 

[PFSard]

The condensate from the ac on our off road vehicle has been supplying us, for the past 20 years with gallons a day while in the desert.

How are you utilizing this condensate?

 

[ducksface]

How are you utilizing this condensate?

Whatever comes up.
Washing, rinsing, cooling, we wouldn't hesitate to drink it with filtering.
We're pretty well versed on filtering.


We're not much for worrying about airborne stuff being concentrated. We breath hundreds of gallons a day of air.
I haven't done the math but I'm betting a cup or so of our water equates to 15 minutes of breathing and a half stick of welding if unfiltered(welding: if we must bring the(possibly mythical) metals into the equation.

I can live with life. I can't live it being afraid of the cancerous aspects of having a short shadow at noon.

I think boogers are just as dangerous as our condensed water.

Since you're in the Phoenix area , and if you offroad, I'm going to heartily suggest you check out
Offroadpassport.com
They are an absolutely wonderful group that go to fantastic places.
We miss them a lot, but life has changed enough that offroading is now a low priority.

 

[Browneye]

Well, y'all got my curiosity up, so I put my TDS meter in our condensate watering can and sure enough - it's about the same as what comes out of our RO filter - 31-32ppm total dissolved solids.

Our water comes out of the tap at about 350, the reverse osmosis takes it down to about 30-35, and then I have a DI cartridge I utilize to make pure water before mixing marine salt for my reef tank - brings tds to zero. When it gets to over 10-12ppm I replace the DI cart.

So there you have it - condensate is about the same as rain water. I don't know how you can miss. I would run it through a half-micron carbon filter for drinking, but otherwise it's pure water.

 

[dogdog]

Dependents on where you are I guess, ever heard of acid rain? Then again, I think I have seen a good science teacher drank acid/base mix in a science demo back in the good ole days where they can still throw potassium into water for the name of science in class .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_rain

my parents used the rain water from roof and gutters to water their vegetables , not an issue.... just not sure if I would drink it unless I have to.

 

[NUTTSGT]

This thread has been cleaned up and posts edited.

Please leave your drama elsewhere. You came here asking for information, you got some from your fellow members. While you don't have to agree with any or all of them, there is no reason to start calling names or bash the site that is provided free for you to use.

 

[dogdog]

LOL why you beat me with a silly stick..

 

[u3b3rg33k]

Well, y'all got my curiosity up, so I put my TDS meter in our condensate watering can and sure enough - it's about the same as what comes out of our RO filter - 31-32ppm total dissolved solids.

Our water comes out of the tap at about 350, the reverse osmosis takes it down to about 30-35, and then I have a DI cartridge I utilize to make pure water before mixing marine salt for my reef tank - brings tds to zero. When it gets to over 10-12ppm I replace the DI cart.

So there you have it - condensate is about the same as rain water. I don't know how you can miss. I would run it through a half-micron carbon filter for drinking, but otherwise it's pure water.

water comes out of my RO system reading 4-6 TDS on average - your membrane might be spent?

 

[Browneye]

water comes out of my RO system reading 4-6 TDS on average - your membrane might be spent?

Depends on your tap water, and the membrane I suppose. Mine may well be due for replacement - I do them every couple of years. We probly make about 50 gallons per month.

These numbers have remained consistent over the past 7 years, so my guess is RO is good for about a 90% cleanup - I imagine it also hinges on how much waste water you set it for.

For drinking water that's all fine. For a marine reef any tds will accumulate and create issues with the sea water. The tank gets a 10% water replacement ever few weeks - corals really like the new high-calcium water.

 

[walta]

Is you ever cleaned a clogged drain from an AC unit you would understand that is enough biological in the condensate to feed and grow slime.

Great for your plants or to flush a toilet, I would not drink it even if you boiled it.

In Virginia I bet city water cost less than 3 cents a gallon delivered.

Walta

 

[u3b3rg33k]

Is you ever cleaned a clogged drain from an AC unit you would understand that is enough biological in the condensate to feed and grow slime.

Great for your plants or to flush a toilet, I would not drink it even if you boiled it.

In Virginia I bet city water cost less than 3 cents a gallon delivered.

Walta

sounds to me like you need to clean the cold side of your system more often. why would you trust city water beyond DIY? look at Flint, MI.

Depends on your tap water, and the membrane I suppose. Mine may well be due for replacement - I do them every couple of years. We probly make about 50 gallons per month.

These numbers have remained consistent over the past 7 years, so my guess is RO is good for about a 90% cleanup - I imagine it also hinges on how much waste water you set it for.

For drinking water that's all fine. For a marine reef any tds will accumulate and create issues with the sea water. The tank gets a 10% water replacement ever few weeks - corals really like the new high-calcium water.

How much pressure are you running your system on? Mine has a pump and feeds around 80PSIG.

 

[Browneye]

sounds to me like you need to clean the cold side of your system more often. why would you trust city water beyond DIY? look at Flint, MI.



How much pressure are you running your system on? Mine has a pump and feeds around 80PSIG.

About 65. There's a ASOV and a couple of check valves. I don't send di water to the fridge, only to a barrel for the reef tank. Or I'll mix it with half tap water for beer making or hydroponics.
Just pre filtered RO water for drinking and ice - we love it.

 

[mike93lx]

sounds to me like you need to clean the cold side of your system more often. why would you trust city water beyond DIY? look at Flint, MI.



How much pressure are you running your system on? Mine has a pump and feeds around 80PSIG.

a blanket distrust of city water because of Flint seems like quite the stretch.

I don't think there should be trust in either city water or private. Both can be tested easily to make sure you are getting what you want. My well has arsenic, tons of iron and is very hard. paying for all that filtration, softening, plus the pump, and not having water in a power outage are all areal PIA.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

This thread has been cleaned up and posts edited.

Please leave your drama elsewhere. You came here asking for information, you got some from your fellow members. While you don't have to agree with any or all of them, there is no reason to start calling names or bash the site that is provided free for you to use.

Thanks, for keeping things steady, Nutts!

Tommy

 

[mcbane]

A virus can be as small as 0.005 microns, in which case a 0.5 micron filter will let them through. Maybe not drink the condensate.

 

[ambenz]

I bottle my dehumidifier water and use it as distilled.
We have a bottling business and use the mineral free water in bottling car care products.
I never have enough storage capacity to store more and plan to store future excess in my new rain barrels.
I also have a plan to capture my whole house evap coil water from the furnace during the summer and pump it into my rain barrels.
Since Chicago is charging us suburbanites big money to pump Lake Michigan west of O'hare, it has become feasible to store free water for lawn and flowers.
I want a nice lawn during the summer, paying $600+ a month in water bills isn't what I want to spend...water rates have gotten crazy here.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

A virus can be as small as 0.005 microns, in which case a 0.5 micron filter will let them through. Maybe not drink the condensate.

Viruses are really teeny. They fit in the radio waves on our wifi...

Tommy

 

[Browneye]

A virus can be as small as 0.005 microns, in which case a 0.5 micron filter will let them through. Maybe not drink the condensate.

Did a little research on this and all kinds of things can be picked by rainwater, so it is not recommended for drinking, but for irrigation purposes only if collected and retained for such purposes. It's assumed the same for AC condensate.

I'm comfortable collecting mine for potted patio plants.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

a blanket distrust of city water because of Flint seems like quite the stretch.

I don't think there should be trust in either city water or private. Both can be tested easily to make sure you are getting what you want. My well has arsenic, tons of iron and is very hard. paying for all that filtration, softening, plus the pump, and not having water in a power outage are all areal PIA.

https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=60001N8P.txt

Establishes action level (AL) of 0.015 mg/L for Pb and 1.3 mg/L for Cu based on 90th percentile level of tap water samples. An AL exceedance is not a violation but can trigger other requirements that include water quality parameter (WQP) monitoring, corrosion control treatment (CCT), source water monitoring/treatment, public education, and lead service line replacement (LSLR).

0.015mg/L of lead. so per 2L bottle of coke, 0.03 grams of lead is acceptable. that's 0.06 grams of lead per 12 can case of coke. one gram of lead per 15 cases. seems like a lot to me, given the damaging affects are cumulative, and there's no accepted safe level above 0.

city water is hardly "clean" or "pure". it's disinfected, sure.

from https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/drinking-water-rule-quick-reference-guides
here's some things that are allowed:
uranium
radium
coliform bacteria (e. coli, other poop related stuff)
arsenic
giardia
crypto
and so on.

not all systems are even required to filter.

my point isn't "the sky is falling". my point is you shouldn't assume your water is clean, pure, or safe, unless you're testing it and you have results to back it up. if you ARE monitoring your water quality, who cares what the pre-filtered source is?