free r.o. water

[grass hopper]

i had considered reverse osmosis (R.O. water). but draining would haVE been an issue and i let it go. i do have well water where my base ppm is just over 400.
i had been using a fairly cheap dehumidifier. a frigidaire. model# LAD304NUL. this worked ok. capacity was 30 pints/day.
we had a rainy week recently and my basement was damp. i upgraded my dehumidifier to a G E MODEL# 70LWL 1 CAPACITY 72 pints/ day..

note; this is producing enough R.O. water to fill all my watering needs. i mounted the new dehumidifier on the outside wall. 4 feet o.f.f.. i ran an 12 inch long garden hose thru the outside wall. a 3/4 inch hole fits hose perfectly. i have a 5 gallon bucket located outside, directly under the hose and am dumping the bucket twice daily into my 100 gal. water (feed) tank. i wish i had done this long ago.. the $200. i spent on the better dehumidifier was so worth it!!

 

[Rosebud]

Very cool, happy for you gh. Awesomeness.

 

[Growdude]

Its distilled not RO.

 

[grass hopper]

Its distilled not RO.

doode, i am not sure on the differences. i read some on it and it did not clarify with the time i spent.. i am now getting water from my ac unit as well as my dehumidifier. both seem to have little or no ppm. which i think is a good thing.

 

[Surfer Joe]

It's not really distilled water or ro water.
I read that the dehumidifier water is moisture condensing from the air onto the metal surfaces and then collecting in the bottom, but that the water has some contamination from the metals that it condenses and drips from and its chemical composition can vary depending on the humidifier used.
You might want to check the water composition and its ph before using it.

 

[pcduck]

Isn't that where Legionnaires disease come from?

 

[Surfer Joe]

Whatever the moisture is condensing onto before it collects could affect the water quality and if there is mold on the metal, perhaps it could also add bacterial contamination, but it probably doesn't affect plants like humans. I'd be curious to know how badly contaminated condensation water can be or not.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Yes, they believe that is where Legionaires disease came from (altho apparently now there is some dispute about this), but I think this generally only happens on large commercial compressors. I don't believe it is a worry or concern with smaller home units. I collect and use the condensate water from my furnace and A/C.

Have you checked the pH? For reasons that I cannot ascertain my condensate water is quite acidic, as is the rain water. However when growing hydro, mixing this 1/2 and 1/2 with tap water gives me the right pH for hydro.