Harvesting Condensation from AC in the Attic

That's true, and good to let them know, but, isn't that the same with a rain barrel or cistern. With of course the possibility of the more nastier bacteria forms such as Legionnaires' disease.

And in Texas, I have family near Amarillo, the time in storage would be short, they water daily.

No, it would not be the same as collected rain.

The condensate from a HVAC unit is constantly exposed to bacteria laden air being recovered from the building including the bathroom(s) and recirculated throughout the building for energy efficiency reasons.

If the ductwork is insulated on the inside the insulation will harbor and encourage these bacteria to proliferiate reaching dangerous levels.

As I stated. "With of course the possibility of the more nastier bacteria forms such as Legionnaires' disease."

Taking the initial capital cost, labor for the installation, cost and labor of maintaining, potential need for filtration and maintenance and cost of them, possible cost of equipment to store water, the cost of extra chlorine for the pool and numerous other things make this is an economical nightmare. ROI would be about 20,000 years. It just ain't worth it!

Next, the water is going to have a much higher bacteria count than either well or city water. What effect will this have on the plants? Finally, take into the consideration the current cost of an Emergency Room visit, even with insurance, doctors, medicines, lost time from work or school, the potential for contamination of others and many other possibilities. This will be an economic failure and additional risk to people and pets. The risk is simply not worth the possible low economic savings.

OP should put his efforts (and money) elsewhere. Maybe solar power and storage or best of all a nice cool case of brew, a game on the tv all by the side of the pool.

Good Luck, Old Salt

Agree, as I mentioned in an earlier post, reclaim grey water

You are correct. The harvested water will need to be used on a daily or close to daily basis. I am not too concerned about bacteria since it will be for plants and not human consumption. The 55 gallon containers can be thick non transparent material to prevent growth.

I used to collect all our A/C condensate in Tennessee in the summer (about 10 gallons/day) but found it was only good for watering plants. Even a sample taken directly from the exit pipe had a definite and unsavory smell. The A/C unit was in fact a newly installed heat pump, but even after 4 years the condensate was still tainted. I tried tasting it once - it was undrinkable. The question is why? It must illustrate that the air we were breathing had "unknowns" in it - evaporated perspiration, body fatty acids from the use of showers, corrosion of the evaporator…….. I had painted every surface inside the house over the years, so possibly there was still evaporation taking place from the paint - coalescing agents, unreacted vinyl acetate monomer - who knows? So if feeding it to your pool, you might consider some sort of charcoal filter in the line.

The term Air Conditioner was exactly that, It conditioned the air by removing the moisture, not to cool it, that was a side effect.

And the poster said it was just to water the plants, where did the pool come from?

" and using the commodity to water outside plants, bring up the water level in the pool, etc."

Surely you can read?

Evidently not, Thanks, I did missed that.

Some of this stuff is priceless!

"It must illustrate that the air we were breathing had "unknowns" in it - evaporated perspiration, body fatty acids from the use of showers, corrosion of the evaporator…….. "

Msybe they use it to brew

What's "priceless" about that exactly?

Bit defensive aren't you?

just adding...the condensate starts out as moisture in the air from your living space so its a combination of humidity, everyones breath, various sources from evaporation, cooking, showering, etc. once concentrated its not pure. normally it has to be routed into an approved drain with a trap. are you sure you need it this bad? its only produced a portion of the year, it isn't constant.

everyone is jumping on the green band wagon.

Collecting gray water would be the first choice and more economical.

I agree

Gents,

Here is how this problem became a solution. My friend had a clogged main drain in his AC attic unit pan. Lucky for him, the secondary worked as advertised and started routing the water to the outside. He started collecting it in 5 gallon buckets and watering. I asked - how much are you collecting from one unit? To my surprise - around 20 gallons per day. I thought, why not do this correctly with a little engineering and insert a "Y" (split) in the primary line that normally is sent to a sink drain and harvest the water outside. Proper pvc valves would return the system to normal ops while vacationing or while emptying the already stored water. I am considering some sort of float in the tank to divert and prevent overfilling by dumping excess into the soil/grass around the tank.

The challenge is doing this and not having to go up into the attic to play with a valve. How do we automate the harvest process so it's easy and at the same time "green" by saving a limited resource. In TX water is the most expensive utility!

Thanks for your ideas in advance.

20 gallons a day, I realize the amount of Condensation one can have.

One thing is,

There's conservation

and then there's,

ROI

So back to your problem,

At 20 gal/day, you don't need tanks, your single drum should be sufficient, and just have an over flow on your drum when your on vacation.

the "secondary line" is intentionally plumbed to drain in front of a window or door as to alert the occupant that the primary system is failing and requires service. don't tamper with it or maybe that 20 GALLONS A DAY WILL DO ITS DAMAGE ON YOUR CEILINGS AND FLOORS

I was staggered by getting 10 gallons condensate per day in summer. This was a modest-sized, modern, well sealed, double-glazed house with insulated walls. I took great care to ensure minimal leaks to the outside world - with outside temperature varying from around 8F to 101F through the year. You have to wonder where all the water vapor comes from. Showers obviously, but only briefly. I can only assume that water vapor outside can fairly easily pass through the walls (metal cladding outside, fiberglass insulation, sheetrock), doors and floors (wood, but covered in underlay and laminate).

So 20 gallon/day seems reasonable. Just shows how leaky our properties are.

In the winter time when the temperature is below freezing, the air is dry to begin with, but who would have the air conditioner on in the winter time with temperatures like that?

I have no idea. I don't know why you even pose the question. Are you feeling alright?

Just tired (exhausted) from a rough week, thanks for asking....

reading this:

with outside temperature varying from around 8F to 101F through the year.

I didn't tie it in your earlier sentence of

I was staggered by getting 10 gallons condensate per day in summer.

Have a glass of wine. Put on some headphones and listen to some of your favorite music on a CD or YouTube.

Ha, afterwards I left work early, considering I had 50 + hours in when I came in. I've been doing just that.

Some of its from you. The air you breathe out is at 100% humidity level. You lose a pound of water weight do to breathing while you sleep. Then there is sweat.

Every time you open a door, moisture enters the house.

Moisture can also enter from below,even in a very dry climate,such as the desert.

A vapor barrier covering the soil below your house can eliminate this.

On an existing house, cover only 1/3 of the soil, then wait 2 weeks and cover another 1/3,the the final 1/3 two weeks later.

This prevents the timbers from drying out too fast and cracking/warping.

Use 6mil plastic for vapor barrier.

Lets not forget cooking.

And some cooking has delayed effects,like flatulence,which varies in humidity levels from very dry to very wet.

If you eat a lot of chili or beans, this could be a source.

This flatulence could be the source of the foul odor and taste of the condensate.

The plants around my heat pump drain give the ice-cold condensate a wide berth because of the cold temperature on the root system.

So if you are going to use this for plants, allowing it to warm up in a barrel is a good idea.

Good luck .

the only building material that is 100% vapor proof (besides metal sheathing) is CDX plywood.

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/information-sheets/info-312-vapor-permeance-some-materials

Not all CDX is equal. I've seen water go through knots in CDX. I've seen treated CDX that is moldy.

A toilet tank float assembly/valve will perform the function admirably. If you have 3 toilet tanks in parallel (to achieve 20 gallons), then they can 'supply' simultaneously and will all shut off when full.

The 'shutting -off ' will divert the feed in an open riser simply by filling the riser until it lets the water follow a diversionary path - in your case, to a drain.

A manifold would be needed to carry the collected water to a central outlet.

First:We have 70 a/c's in our apartment building in DALLAS TX. For a supposedly desert climate we get a surprising amount of water from them. They will flood an apartment when the tenant is gone for the weekend. The problem is caused by the drains plugging up because of the on/off flow of water lets a lot of stuff grow in the traps. These are 3 & 4 inch pipe traps. We use a lot of bleach on them but they get a lot of water and plug up quickly with new growth. These are elderly people, mostly one to an apartment, a few with two. Doors to the outside closed. Second: In my OPINION a toilet tank float would not work here at all. It would immediately become fouled up in just a few weeks. Third: We have one that drains to the outside rather than to a drain. Growth around it is lush. Fourth: I wish I could figure out how to make paragraph breaks.

I agree that 3" or 4" dia is too big for toilet float valve. Is that 4" trap servicing all 70 ACU's? I was visualizing single units with drains of under one inch dia.

Your bio-fouling problem sounds huge!

I live (when not traveling) in a seasonally lush/damp corner of the world. I just checked one of the A/C drains. Practically no bio-fouling and absolutely no anti-fouling performed.

Could there be another factor in your environment, perhaps airborne phosphates or other fertilizers?

You need a constant feed slow drip system....Your problem is probably caused by pet hair, cats are particularly a problem.....I would also add algaecide tablets to the drainpans....

http://www.supplyhouse.com/Nu-Calgon-4108-08-Algaecide-No-85-1-Gal

Quite, though collecting and storing condensate within the building, which is where the original thread started, where temperatures are elevated must be discouraged on health grounds.

There are a few solution to the bacteria problem. One being there are some ultraviolet lights used in aquariums to control bacteria. You could filter the water a small sand and charcoal filter for it to run into before it drops in the 55 gal barrel. As the flow is not that great gravity flow should do.

My condensate is run into the house gutter. Maybe you could do the same, then you can use the down pipe to redirect to plants/garden.

Use caution when using the gutter to transfer the water to it's eventual use. All those thingies including bacteria and all the rest can present another problem. In some areas any A/C condensate that travels over the roof on the way to the gutter, especially fiberglass "tar" shingles, will start to grow a green moss stain on the shingles. This is especially a problem if the roof is on the North side of the house.

Takes a "scrubbing" of TSP or Sodium Meta Silicate to get ride of it. Other materials either hurt the shingles or are not strong enough. Repeated treatments must be done every few years when the green reappears A side problem with this is not killing the flowers and plants around the house.

Good Luck, Old Salt

I am fond of saying that "people think from within their own frame of reference". It appears that I am guilty of this as well. Our roof is clad with corrugated steel. Most roofs here are clad with this or clay (or cement) tiles. I did not even know fiberglass and tar shingles existed. And to top it off I completely ignored the clues in the O.P. about the amount of moisture in the air. Whilst our tiled roofs will grow some moss it is not common. More common is a growth that looks like lichen. The summer temperature of the tile is well over 50 Deg C. and I suspect this keeps moss at bay. Clearly s/he is in a wetter, more moist place and I put way too little thought into my answer.

Jim

This seems like a bad idea to me....the drain line should be treated to restrict algae growth(usually with an occasional cup of bleach) and perhaps even algaecide tabs in the drain pan....in any case neither is good for the lawn...and this treatment should not be neglected, algae can grow fast in certain conditions and clog up an evaporator coil completely....and no need to say I think this can get very expensive.....so stick to what you know and leave the A/C system to the pro's....there are plenty of green projects to go around....$.02

MY aircon unit is a centre of ceiling cassette type and it was installed by professionals. I guess it depends on where in the world you are. At no time would I get any more than a litre a day. You have now given me another job to do. I will need to go onto the roof/into the roof space to check the patency of the drain pipe. Been there 15 yrs without blocking; or has it?

Jim

Algae cannot survive without a constant flow of water.....Here in Florida and other high humidity area's with hot summers, the A/C's run constantly....If your unit is not run that much and you live in a low humidity area, the pan, coil and condensate lies will dry out...this reduces the algae to dust.....

As alluded to by several posters already, filtering is the answer if you want to drink it, but the flowers won't mind either way (though I am the world's worst Gardner by the way!!

There are filters around nowadays that will remove all the nasty stuff from stored rainwater and make it fully palatable. They are not even that expensive, here at least!! Smell is also removed.

They are designed to have water under pressure (pump) put through them as far as I remember, so you may want to use the height of the house to supply the pressure at no cost down below.....its surprising how much pressure such a height brings!!

They are also good for many 1000s of gallons of water and eventually, only the cheap cartridge needs replacing.....buy a second one at the initial purchase....make sure you retain details for any further purchases.

pour some bleach down the condensate live to clean all the mold and algae living in it first! Clean the air handler evaporator grill regularly, the water comes from it acting as a dehumidifier but all the air in your house runs through it with all the stuff too small for your air filter to pick up.

An electrostatic air filter will eliminate almost everything. An electronic electostatic air filter will eliminate everything.

This sounds more like you're building a mosquito breeder...

You've piqued my interest with the, "bring up the water level in the pool" statement.

But, I'm wondering if the quality of that water may eat more chlorine, making its use more costly that the use of plain tap water.

You are very correct. The more crud in the water the more chlorine is required to effectively kill it. 4# of dissolved junk in the water requires at least twice the chlorine to kill it. Maintenance of that level takes at least twice that of half the crud does. Add to that the regular chlorine needed to maintain a relatively clean pool and you have a real expensive deal. Rough calculation says that much more money will be spent for the additional chlorine than whatever is saved in water costs.

This whole thing is easy to understand when compared with why people have to "super shock" with chlorine when they open their pools for the season. Instead of replacing that medium dark green algae containing water, they put a high dose of chlorine in that kills the bad stuff. Even then the chlorine is cheaper than the new water. For those people with a well or no abundant source of water it costs about $200.00/3,000gal to haul it in. A 20'x40' pool is about 30,000 gallons so that costs about $2,000/full pool. Treating with chlorine is expensive, too expensive at $3.00 to $4.00/# for chlorine tablets in a bucket (prices from Wal-Mart). If 4 tablets/week are now used ($12-16) increasing that for the a/c crud by 3 tablets/wk increases the cost of chlorine tablets to $21-28/wk. Will this process save more than $12/wk?

Another problem will be the stench of the extra Chlorine. Only benefit from this is it cleans the sinuses quickly.

Good Luck, Old Salt

When water restrictions are enacted in an area, watering of lawns are one of the first things restricted along with car washing. If I am returned to water restrictions, I will again water my garden with my A/C drain.

I would have to do a bit more checking before I would top off my hot tub with the stuff.

Then there's this:

Damned if they do; damed if they don't.

Couple Could Be Fined $500 if They Water Lawn ... - Newser

California right? Yep. Makes sense now.

One persons problem is just an opportunity for others to hop aboard and give that person two problems, instead of being a part of any possible solution.

Chapter 14 of the bureaucrats handbook, Profiting from Adversity

Back in the early 80's my dad was putting in a new sump pump in the basement and asked for some help. I noticed that it was next to the shower and would be under the sink in the basement bathroom. I suggested that he direct the drain from the sink and shower into the sump pump first as well as the water from the washing machine. He took it to the city for permit approval and they were shocked and surprised at such a simple source of water for the garden and yard and gave their endorsement. In the winter we unplug the sump pump and the water drains into the sewer. The rest of the year I have added some storage barrels and it is pumped into them and used on the garden and yard. Yes it is gray water but the plants do not care as long as we use low phosphate detergent. It is otherwise wasted water that we have to pay for and I get an added use of.

RL Hurd

RLHurd,

This is the information I am looking for. I will not use a sump but I can use a series of 55 gallon tanks to store and then feed the garden. Thanks for your comment, right on line.

This water might not make a good choice for the pool, and since the AC unit is in the attic (why are you cooling the attic?), there are probably black mold spores there already that will get into this condensate. Be careful, or use some sort of sunlight exposure to dis-infect it, or add bleach periodically, then expose to sunlight to remove the chlorine.

There are actual units that I think are still on the market that tout production of drinkable condensate, that take in and chill outside air to below the dewpoint, recover any condensate, and expose that to UV, to ensure it is fit for drinking. I do not believe these produce very much water in an area where the humidity average is low. If the over night humidity approaches 80-90%, then you may have a good chance of gaining enough water per power input to do some good, however.

Consider xeroscaping your lawn, and only watering whatever ornamentals you cannot part with.