Thread

1. jedberg · 1790786161 · focus · HN ↗

   I've thought for a while that it would be interesting to have micro dehumidifiers on my roof that supplement my water supply from humidity.

   Turn myself into a moisture farmer if you will.

   But then I wonder, would it be a problem if everyone did it? Would it cause humidity to drop in a bad way?

   1. RobGR · 1790789677 · focus · HN ↗

      There are commercially available systems that do that now, one that seems popular in my area is <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aquaria.world&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.aquaria.world&#x2F; .

      As to your question, would it be a problem if everyone did it -- it depends obviously on your definition of &quot;problem&quot;, but consider that most people doing this have no way to dispose of the water they take from the air except by putting it back in the air. It might increase regional power consumption, and smooth out nightly shifts in atmospheric humidity, but unless there is a new river running to the sea, the average atmospheric humidity will remain the same.

      1. largbae · 1790790461 · focus · HN ↗

         This is fun, thank you! I wonder why home HVAC units couldn&#x27;t just capture the drain water to accomplish something similar for &quot;free&quot;.

         1. LarsAlereon · 1790791036 · focus · HN ↗

            The condensate water is laden with bacteria, mold spores, and pollution concentrated from the air. It can definitely be filtered and sterilized, but in water scarce environments you usually can&#x27;t pull enough water from the air to be worth it.

            1. devmor · 1790792814 · focus · HN ↗

               Side-tangent, but this reminded me of the health nightmare that the incredibly common “kinetic mist” style humidifiers&#x2F;vaporizers are.

               I think there may be a general lack of understanding to how pollution and bacteria concentrate in our daily environments.

            2. [deleted] · 1790847528 · focus · HN ↗

               [deleted]

         2. quickthrowman · 1790799971 · focus · HN ↗

            Condensate is not suitable for drinking and 99.9% of homes don’t have a separate gray water plumbing system or storage tank. Even the evaporator coil in the furnace&#x2F;fan coil unit is going to be dirty, and the condenser coil outside is definitely filthy.
         3. RobGR · 1790804776 · focus · HN ↗

            If it&#x27;s for watering plants it works fine, if you want to store it and use it otherwise you need a filter and UV sterilization, many of these devices also mineralize the water for taste. The condensate will usually have a lot of mold and dust.

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