# Recycling Dehumidifier Water



## Dr. Prepared

I was dumping out the water from my dehumidifier the other day and I thought to myself "What a waste of clean water!" So I started collecting it and soon had five gallons of very clean water. Since the source is humidity from the air there are few if any minerals in the water. Not sure if it is drinking quality but will save it to put back into the humidifier in the dry months of the winter. Has anyone else used this water source?? What do you guys know about using it?


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## dunappy

I saw this somewhere on the web.



> Many, if not most, dehumidifiers use copper coils for the condenser.
> The low-salts (essentially distilled) water that condenses on them is
> very corrosive, and may well pick up some of that copper. Topping it
> off, the unit passes a lot of room air over that water, so room
> deodorants, cooking fumes and oils, insecticides, paint, smog and all
> other household air pollutants can add to the "stuff" in solution.


Then I found this.

Dehumidifier + water purifier = Air2Water potable water device - Engadget



> If you thought water into wine was a neat trick, check out this device from a company that believes in very literal names, Air2Water. It combines a dehumidifier with a water purifier, to essentially suck the moisture from the air and, instead of discarding it as one normally would, purify it to make it potable. The device, called the Dolphin, has a certain elegance and convenience to it: no lines to hook up, no ungainly five gallon jugs to tote around - just plug in and witness the magic. The Dolphin will produce 20 liters (a little over five gallons, for those who don't speak metric) of water per day at 70% humidity, which is enough for your office if you go through one of those ungainly water cooler jugs per day or less - plus, without the plastic waste, and avoiding other associated costs of water jug transportation (emissions, namely).


And this:



> QuestionCan the water that collects in my dehumidifier be used on my plants -- or for my steam iron instead of distilled water? In our humid climate, we collect 30 to 40 quarts a day, and it seems wasteful to throw out all that water.
> --Marjorie Ridge, Franklin, TN
> 
> AnswerYou can certainly use it on your houseplants and outdoor foliage. But appliance companies advise against putting this water in steam irons, because it could contain mold or mildew. If the manufacturer of your iron recommends distilled water, that's still the best choice.


So I guess it depends. Looks like they all agree that you could use it for watering your plants, but you might want to run it through a filter to make it safe to drink.


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## EvilTOJ

Something else to consider is dehumidifiers can also be breeding ground for molds. Use a sanitizer like bleach or Star San to keep it in check every time you empty the resivoir.


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## Janis

EvilTOJ said:


> Something else to consider is dehumidifiers can also be breeding ground for molds. Use a sanitizer like bleach or Star San to keep it in check every time you empty the resivoir.


Very true. The reservoir needs to be sanitized and the steaming unit should also be soaked in vinegar for 10 minutes then you should run hot water through it until there are no more hard water minerals are coming out.


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## Canadian

I got hit real hard by mold from a humidifier and had to call medvisit for a house call. The unit basically pumped the spores right into the air. The doctor showed up and wrote me a script for some heavy duty medication.

I'd stay away from that water unless you pass it thought a 1 micron ceramic filter.


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## NewToPrep

Canadian said:


> I got hit real hard by mold from a humidifier and had to call medvisit for a house call. The unit basically pumped the spores right into the air. The doctor showed up and wrote me a script for some heavy duty medication.
> 
> I'd stay away from that water unless you pass it thought a 1 micron ceramic filter.


Really? Had you cleaned it properly and everything?


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## Canadian

My wife took it out of storage and just started running it. I didn't even realize it was going until later that night when I couldn't breathe. Scary stuff. My wife relies on me to take care of the upkeep on everything in the house. For some reason she never asked me to clean it and get it ready. She didn't think it would be a big deal. For some reason it had no effect on her. Just me.


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## The_Blob

drinking water containing mold spores is different from breathing them in & having them proliferate in your alveoli, but the toxins could build up over time... and filtering most water is just good practice IMO anyways


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## bhagwatig

Can the water out of dehumidifier be used in the Lead-Acid batteries?


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## LincTex

Canadian said:


> I got hit real hard by mold from a humidifier


Humidifier = adds water to the air. Yes, they must be kept very clean.

Dehumidifier = takes humidity out of the air. 
I think the water that comes out is pretty dang clean. It would take many years to strip any copper off of the coils, and I doubt the distilled water (which is what a dehumidifier makes) is very corrosive at all.


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## The_Blob

LincTex said:


> Humidifier = adds water to the air. Yes, they must be kept very clean.
> 
> Dehumidifier = takes humidity out of the air.
> I think the water that comes out is pretty dang clean. It would take many years to strip any copper off of the coils, and I doubt the distilled water (which is what a dehumidifier makes) is very corrosive at all.


actually a dehumidifier works much like an air conditioner; warmer, moist air enters the dehumidifier and then crosses refrigerant cooled coils, causing the moisture in the air to condense on coils within the machine. The moisture then collects in a drip pan or bucket for disposal while the air is slightly reheated before being discharged. The reheat process is done by capturing and using heat generated from the energy spent to cool the air. By being slightly warmed, the air exiting the dehumidifier is dry and warm (thereby creating living conditions that are less hospitable to dust mites, mold and other allergenic organisms), which means it will attract moisture like a magnet and maximize the dehumidifier's efficiency. Any contaminants floating in the air may or may not flow into the bucket.


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## OldCootHillbilly

I'd treat that water just like any other unknown water source. Purifiy the dickens outa it before drinkin it. I know I wouldn't drink the water outa mine an it gets cleaned regular. I just won't take the chance. 

Filter, boil, chem treat (pick yer favorite) an then it could be drinkin water. No need ta take a chance on gettin sick.

If yer savin it ta put back inta yer humidfier, I'd be treatin it to, never know what be grown in that water. Remember Legionaires disease?!

On a side note: I remeber the boy sayin when they was in Iraq, the iraqi truck drivers would drink the water from the AC units on the trucks, never treatin it, ever once in awhile somebody would get sicker then the local dog.


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## The_Blob

OldCootHillbilly said:


> On a side note: I remember the boy sayin when they was in Iraq, the Iraqi truck drivers would drink the water from the AC units on the trucks, never treatin it, ever once in awhile somebody would get sicker then the local dog.


with the low humidity there I would put money on something they already had on their persons, like E. coli... but then again, a LOT of germs are of the 'just add water' variety just waiting for some H2O to proliferate


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## OldCootHillbilly

They ain't the cleanest crowd runnin round.

After all, who wipes their backside with yer hand?:surrender::nuts:
Were talkin bare hand, no paper! Wouldn't ya like ta shake hands with em?


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## interacting

*We use an Ecoloblue Model 30 (air to water machine)*

It comes in handy especially after a natural disaster (we just experienced a hurricane), when potable tap and bottled water suppies are hard to obtain. Should we lose power, we plug it into our battery backup. This solution works out well for our family. If you want more details, click "self sufficient" below:


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## BillS

It would also be handy to have a WaterBob. It's a sealed plastic liner for your bath tub that holds up to 100 gallons. If you lose power you could fill it up immediately before you lose water pressure. We have one. You can get one here:

Amazon.com: waterBOB Emergency Drinking Water Storage: Everything Else


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## airdrop

water from a dehumidifer is just like distilled water ,no minerials but the mold and possible bacteria needs to be worked on to make it drinkable. Good topic


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## airdrop

*great lead on water-BOB*

Thanks for this !


BillS said:


> It would also be handy to have a WaterBob. It's a sealed plastic liner for your bath tub that holds up to 100 gallons. If you lose power you could fill it up immediately before you lose water pressure. We have one. You can get one here:
> 
> Amazon.com: waterBOB Emergency Drinking Water Storage: Everything Else


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## Hubie1110

Not to burst your bubble guys, that would be nice to have, don't get me wrong, but I think that it is a one use item, mainly because once filled, how are you going to get all of the water out if you don't need it? How do you stop bacteria/mold from growing in it?


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## lcris5745

can dehumidifier water be used in bird baths ?


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## hiwall

lcris5745 , yes.
The logical uses for dehumidifier water would be where you use distilled water- in batteries, in your steam iron, etc. The evaporator(where water condenses) coils on a dehumidifier are almost always covered in gunk picked up from the air. This should be cleaned off often to make the unit run more efficiently. When the water drips off these coils into the collection tray it often takes a little of this gunk with it. So filter or boil would be a good plan if you drink it.


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## LincTex

lcris5745 said:


> can dehumidifier water be used in bird baths ?


Sure, why not? The UV light will kill the bacteria quickly, and the temps are too warm for the fungus to grow.

My cats drink from the dang central AC drain line all the time... and I know first-hand how nasty the sludge can be that builds up in the lines. The cats are fine. So are the honey bees that get water from it all the time.


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## sweetie6116

NO NO NO....do NOT drink the water from a dehumidifier! it clearly states in BOLD letters in the manual NOT to use it for drinking water. Don't know why, but I am taking their word for it.


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## LincTex

sweetie6116 said:


> NO NO NO....do NOT drink the water from a dehumidifier! it clearly states in BOLD letters in the manual NOT to use it for drinking water. Don't know why, but I am taking their word for it.


Only if the water is untreated. 
We already covered the reasons why earlier in the thread.

Treat the water properly, and it is perfectly fine to drink.


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## macfhearadhaigh

I use mine to flush the toilet. 
I've read that it is harmful to plants because it has the wrong pH.


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## LincTex

Toilet flushing is kind of a waste, it is basically distilled water.

Ph can be adjusted as needed easily.


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## ContinualHarvest

The water is good for watering the garden. The water passes through the soil and ionizes salts and then becomes safe for use for plants. Dehumidifiers get nasty.


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## ContinualHarvest

LincTex said:


> Toilet flushing is kind of a waste, it is basically distilled water.
> 
> Ph can be adjusted as needed easily.


Drinking distilled water isn't good for you as it typically has a pH of 7. You need the salts in regular water to act as a buffer (conjugate acid-base pairs mitigating spikes in pH changes when small amounts of strong acid or strong base is added) to the different acids and bases you eat, breath, come in contact with every day(ie. maintaining biochemical homeostasis). Distilled water does have many uses as a cleaning agent, various chemical/medical uses with dilution chemistry etc.


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