Using water from a dehumidifier?

[Alex.mc]

I have to admit that I don't pay much attention to water, other than chucking half a Campden tablet in. It's an area that I really should learn a little more about really.
That said, my wife suffers from ashthma and our bedroom is subject to a damp atmosphere when it rains as we are up in the roof part of the house. We recently got a compressor dehumidifier for the bedroom, and it really has improved things for her, especially in the autumn/winter so thats all good.
It happens to create about 4 litres of condensed water per day during damp weather. After a month or two I looked at the water in the hopper, and it has zero plastic taint, no particles in it, and tastes absolutely flat and clean. Perfect water I guess? Other than saving a bit of it for the steam iron, we're just chucking it away.
So.... given it would only take me about 5 days to collect 20+ litres, can I use this a base water to create different water profiles from?
I'm assuming that anything that might be picked up in the water from the atmosphere bacteria-wise would be killed off during boil as normal.

 

[DavidDetroit]

I wouldn't ever use it for beer or cooking. Use it in the garden.

 

[crowcrow]

It is the water that you've breathed out, sweated, from cooking, from washing clothes, from showering. You could use it... I'd rather not.

You can work with most tap water (I've read), I'd rather stick with that. (I have some of the hardest, most chlorinated and recycled water in the country, but it sure makes OK beer :))

 

[Ben034]

I use PH powders to calibrate a cheap PH meter. This calls for 250ml distilled water with the powder. Water from a dehumidifier would work well for this I think? It's thrown down the sink so no issues with how sanitary the water is.

 

[Cwrw666]

We bought a dehumidifier a while back - don't know what type it is or how it works - but I remember the instruction book definitely said not to use the water for drinking.

 

[johncrobinson]

I would not use the (polluted) water from a de-humidifier for anything at all.
Not even watering a houseplant.

 

[An Ankoù]

I'm intrigued. It's essentially distilled water which, if it were pure, would only be good for brewing Pilsner. But, put some salts in there and you could brew anything you like. Sure it's come from damp, rain, sweat, mouse pisss, scabby armpits etc, etc, but that's not in there- it's distilled. You get the benefit of the aforementioned from what you breath in. So why is it not recommended you drink it? Because it drips over the course of a day into a non sterilised container and could pick up all sorts of bugs. But, you're going to boil the bolllocks out of it for 60 odd minutes and nothing will survive that. Why not try a small, experimental brew and see how it turns out? I would.

 

[Nicks90]

Why do you presume it's distilled?
A dehumidifier passes warm wet air over cold metal plates which forces the moister to condense and drip down in to the drip tray.
The metal plates get the same level of dust on them as any other surface in your room. The particles in the air that have moisture latched on to them also condense out on to the plates. The particles will be small, but still there.
It's also not a sealed system, so will be a breeding ground for bacteria too

 

[johncrobinson]

Correct Nicks90

Its not distilled water its contaminated water.All airborne contaminants will tend to condense on the cold surfaces along with the water vapour. This cleans the contaminants from the room and dumps them in the dehumidifier condensate.

Its a very very bad idea to ingest this waste water boiled or not.

It would be far better and safer to distill urine for drinking/brewing if one is so short of water.

 

[An Ankoù]

A dehumidifier passes warm wet air over cold metal plates which forces the moister to condense and drip down in to the drip tray.

Which is what distilled water is.

It would be far better and safer to distill urine for drinking/brewing if one is so short of water.

And herein lies the question: why, when the shopping malls of Rotherham are doing service as Noah's ark and the fair villages of Southern Brittany are awash with the stuff, are we worried about saving 4 or 5 litres of water a week? Because we can and because it's interesting. What are these horrendous contaminants that Alex' poor asthmatic wife has to live with and that are so noxious when they drain into the hopper? The issue, as I understand it, is a bit of damp, not anthrax.

 

[strange-steve]

distill urine for drinking/brewing

Or you could just use it as is for a decent Carling clone

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

It would be far better and safer to distill urine for drinking/brewing if one is so short of water.

As a cheaper method than using the drier in my utility room, I have a set up with multiple washing lines, a fan to circulate the air and a dehumidifier running. It dries clothes overnight, much more than would fit in the machine. I have the dehumidifier water fed directly into a drain, via a clear plastic tube. The tube has a 'bubble' in it, as a check that it is pulling moisture out and the pipe is filthy inside. I would not really want to drink it.

 

[johncrobinson]

The water will be contaminated by every household chemical used in the property.
also dead skin and pet hairs
also any cosmetics/deodorants used from areosols
also fumes from any fresh paint
also toxic substances from any smoking
also any radon gas which may have accumulated in the property
also remenants of traffic fumes and oil vapours coming in thtough windows and doors.
also taint from cooking and esp frying in the property.
also fungi,virus,bacteria

Need i go on,The output from a domestic dehumidifier is FILTHY

 

[johncrobinson]

And it is NOT what distilled water is
Distlilled water is produced by condensing water vapour in a closed system

NOT FROM VAPOUR IN AIR it is a subtle but very important difference

 

[An Ankoù]

The water will be contaminated by every household chemical used in the property.
also dead skin and pet hairs
also any cosmetics/deodorants used from areosols
also fumes from any fresh paint
also toxic substances from any smoking
also any radon gas which may have accumulated in the property
also remenants of traffic fumes and oil vapours coming in thtough windows and doors.
also taint from cooking and esp frying in the property.
also fungi,virus,bacteria

Need i go on,The output from a domestic dehumidifier is FILTHY

And all that means is that it's no more or less contaminated than the air that you're breathing in that room! So what? The contents of poor Alex' and his wife's lungs are equally "filthy"? They'd be better off smoking 40 Capstan full-strength each no doubt than setting foot in that dreaded bedroom!

 

[johncrobinson]

NO it is more contaminated than the air
It concentrates the impurities
I HAVE USED AN EBAC DEHUMIDIFIER the foul DIRT that collects in the waste water container renders the idea of drinking this STUPID.

 

[foxy]

NO it is more contaminated than the air
It concentrates the impurities
I HAVE USED AN EBAC DEHUMIDIFIER the foul DIRT that collects in the waste water container renders the idea of drinking this STUPID.

Over here in Oz a lot of brewing folk are on tank water, run off from rain water, chemicals coming down with the rain, dead birds and possums in the tanks, all kinds of animal and bird tish going into the tank yet still brew very good beer. I have no problem drinking water from a tank, I have found it sweeter than tap water.

 

[kelper]

Pray tell how Radon gas can condense? Its boiling point is -71C.

I've just tasted the water from my desiccant drier and it's not very nice, but I would use it once boiled.

 

[kelper]

Or you could just use it as is for a decent Carling clone

I can clone Carling in the bathroom....

 

[An Ankoù]

Over here in Oz a lot of brewing folk are on tank water, run off from rain water, chemicals coming down with the rain, dead birds and possums in the tanks, all kinds of animal and bird tish going into the tank yet still brew very good beer. I have no problem drinking water from a tank, I have found it sweeter than tap water.

Yeah, our youngsters used to live on Bruny Island before moving over to Hobart and all their water was tankered in and stored in tanks. They're still alive.