Water from Air

[aapkop]

Had one of these at our office for about 8 years.

When we moved premises it got damaged and not working anymore.

Use to give the humidity level also, less than 40% humidity it took longer to fill the tanks.

 

[Nerfherder]

I would like to see if someone actually tried like a DIY version with some aircon or refrigeration parts. That would be interesting.

Probably... just have to figure out how they get the maximum amount of water out of the air... I think most aircons make sure that most of their effort is to cool down the air, water is just a bi-product so they just engineer them to get rid of any humidity build up - not harvest it.


Crazy to think that we are "wasting" so much water like this on an industrial scale, most aicon drips go on the concrete so that they can evaporate.

 

[HashiraMadara]

R17 000? :crylaugh:

 

[Grant]

That needs to be extracted too and thus the need to connect to WiFi.

/attaches tap to router

/waits very patiently

 

[SaoirseB]

Yup, basically I dehumidifier with a filter :crylaugh:
Wonder how much this all so wonderfully "free" water-from-air costs in electricity.
As you say, inland folks are going to spend more electricity to get the same amount of water as their coastal counterpart.

I asked the guy who installed my water filter and here's what he replied:

Looking at the specs.
- It is going to be expensive on electricity (500W per hour = 1kW every 2 hours, if it takes 12 hours to produce 16l of water per day = 6kW per day = +- 180kW a month = +- 2MW a year if run 24/7;
- The humidity in our area during Summer time is not that high and you should first measure what the average humidity reading is where you think you will be putting the unit. (I do not think this unit is made to stand outside unprotected in our weather conditions)
- The maximum water this unit will produce per day is 32l and that is when the humidity is on the high side of the scale (above 70% I would predict).

 

[animal531]

I've had 2-3 mobile aircons over the years (living in Pretoria).
The most water I've ever collected was about 7.5l...but on average days its far closer to 0l.

But of course the coast is a different story.

 

[AchmatK]

I've had 2-3 mobile aircons over the years (living in Pretoria).
The most water I've ever collected was about 7.5l...but on average days its far closer to 0l.

But of course the coast is a different story.

Already collected more than 20l since my aircon was installed this past Saturday.

 

[AchmatK]

Decided to connect the water cooler bottle directly to the pipe coming from the air conditioner yesterday at 4pm.

By this morning at 9:30, it was half full. This is from just one 12 000 BTU unit. Will be using the water to save what's left of the plants in my garden.

 

[WanderingMind]

Decided to connect the water cooler bottle directly to the pipe coming from the air conditioner yesterday at 4pm.

By this morning at 9:30, it was half full. This is from just one 12 000 BTU unit. Will be using the water to save what's left of the plants in my garden.

That's not bad. So basically when there is a water shortage get a aircon and water filter.
You will be cool and have drinking water.

 

[AchmatK]

That's not bad. So basically when there is a water shortage get a aircon and water filter.
You will be cool and have drinking water.

Only problem now is that with the current heat we having, I'm averaging 1.5kW in electricity usage. Used 38kWh yesterday.

 

[Nerfherder]

All of a sudden it makes sense why all the aircons are sold out.

I have a humidity problem in our bedroom so this might be something worth looking at.

 

[Splinter]

I am surprised that nobody, at least publicly, has gone out and developed a system that harvests water from corporate/etc air conditioners. Granted the water that comes out from those won't be drinkable but it can be purified by the usual means.

Some company's aircons actually need water to operate - but are also putting in place steps that by-product water is used for flushing toilets.

 

[itareanlnotani]

Its a dehumidifier (as many others have pointed out).

Only makes sense if you have free excess electricity (eg me, as I have solar, and too much power daytime than i can use).
I can either generate water, or bitcoin. So far I think bitcoin is a better bet for the excess.
Or ice cubes. Have been thinking about setting up a small ice cube biz, as doesn't need too much space, and its fairly tolerant to 10hrs on / 14 hrs off +- with insulation etc

 

[AchmatK]

Ended up filling a 25l water container with condensate from the air conditioner. Already used some for some pot plants and cleaning the floor.

Will be using it around the house instead for washing dishes, cleaning the floors, and for the cisterns instead of using water from the taps.

Was planning on putting in another 2 air conditioners in the house over the next 2 months. Another 12 000 BTU unit for a bedroom and a 24 000 BTU unit in the lounge. Should be able to collect about 75l per day if they run every day. It will be used around the house and save what's left of my garden. I know my electricity will sky rocket but cannot stand the heat any longer, my 7 year old hardly gets any sleep at night and I need to get the whole house air conditioned.

 

[AchmatK]

I have two of these that i will use for around the house.

 

[Splinter]

Ended up filling a 25l water container with condensate from the air conditioner. Already used some for some pot plants and cleaning the floor.

Will be using it around the house instead for washing dishes, cleaning the floors, and for the cisterns instead of using water from the taps.

Was planning on putting in another 2 air conditioners in the house over the next 2 months. Another 12 000 BTU unit for a bedroom and a 24 000 BTU unit in the lounge. Should be able to collect about 75l per day if they run every day. It will be used around the house and save what's left of my garden. I know my electricity will sky rocket but cannot stand the heat any longer, my 7 year old hardly gets any sleep at night and I need to get the whole house air conditioned.

I have just put a bucket under my bedroom AC outlet, which I tend to run all night these days. Will see what the outcome is. As for electricity cost - seeing as Eskom has been able to provide electricity continuously since the days of the Gupta email leaks, I am happy to pay.

 

[AchmatK]

I have just put a bucket under my bedroom AC outlet, which I tend to run all night these days. Will see what the outcome is. As for electricity cost - seeing as Eskom has been able to provide electricity continuously since the days of the Gupta email leaks, I am happy to pay.

What area are you in and a/c size?

Keen to know how much you collect overnight. I'm in Somerset West and work from home so my one a/c runs the whole day on eco mode and still managed to collect 25l over a 24hr period.

 

[Splinter]

What area are you in and a/c size?

Keen to know how much you collect overnight. I'm in Somerset West and work from home so my one a/c runs the whole day on eco mode and still managed to collect 25l over a 24hr period.

I installed it years ago so am not quite sure now. Think it is a 12000 btu - if not, it is a 9000 btu. Will check in the morrow and get back to you.

Edit: I am in Panorama so relatively close to the sea.

 

[Splinter]

Ok, so I only got 2/3's of a bucket overnight. Bucket is a 5 liter one I think, so I am not going to be filling up my pool any time soon...

 

[upup]

Dehumidifiers don't make water available to drink, do they?

You can drink it. You can also drink water from the aircon drip tray as well.