# Water from dehumidfier? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853 "2008-08-13T15:47:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/1 "2008-08-13T15:47:42Z")
I have a dehumidfier we purchased a few weeks back running, essentially, 20 hours a day in my basement right now. It gathers up 40 pints of water (I think) and then shuts down till I dump it out. I empty it out 3 times a day. I feel bad about dumping 5 gallons of water down the drain 3 times a day. Is this potable water? Could I use it to drink? Other than the damp/musty smell, my basement is pretty clean, I don’t store any chemicals down there. The dehumidfier collects the water in a mostly sealed container. Could I put it in my fishtank? ---
**Author:** ![jharvey963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/2 "2008-08-13T15:50:33Z")
How about using it to water your plants? Even non-potable water is suitable for that. Just an idea, J. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/3 "2008-08-13T15:51:29Z")
IIRC, when we lived in New Jersey and had one, we had to keep up with cleaning it, because mold grew on the parts. So I’d be nervous about drinking it or using it for fish. I don’t know why you have a problem with putting it down the sink - after all it did not come from the water company, but straight from the air. If you really want to recycle it, you can pour it in back of your toilet after you flush, I suppose. ETA: But watering plants with it is a better idea. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/4 "2008-08-13T16:42:59Z")
Do you have a vegetable garden or flower bed or even a lawn? How about your washing machine? You probably don’t need to be using hot water in your washer. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/5 "2008-08-13T16:49:09Z")
Other than dust or mold, this water is nearly as pure as distilled. My mother uses gallons of AC condensate a week to water her plants. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/6 "2008-08-13T17:12:28Z")
I’ve got a lawn that I don’t really water other than an occasional bit from a hose after I mow, and my wife has some dead things in pots she _says_ is her flowers. But I can certainly bottle it up and lug it to the flowers, I suppose. As for why I wanted to find a use for it, I have to pay for water as a general rule, so pouring out a goodly sum every day made me think of ways to use it. Thanks for the input all! I am most appreciative! ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/7 "2008-08-13T17:54:01Z")
We also use ours in the washing machine, and to water both in- and outdoor plants. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/8 "2008-08-13T17:59:48Z")
We put ours in our rain barrel. Rain barrels work like [this](http://www.town-menasha.com/CDWeb/Planning/Stormwater/BMPs_files/image004.gif). And they look like [this](http://www.rfcity.org/eng/Stormwater/RainBarrelProgram/rb_srd_wg.jpg) or this [huge](http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/citizen/images/VJB-tank.jpg) one. You don’t have to lug it anywhere far if you get one of these. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/9 "2008-08-13T21:29:50Z")
\>Other than dust or mold, this water is nearly as pure as distilled. This water IS distilled. But it’s done pretty sloppily. In a thermal gradient, things tend to move from hot to cold. It’s called thermophoresis, and has to do with the unsymmetrical distribution of higher velocity and lower velocity collisions with molecules on the uphill versus downhill sides of things, be they dust motes or large molecules. This is the effect that causes a visible pattern showing where the studs and insulation are in a house that has not been painted inside for a long time. So, there are many reasons to expect charming little extras in your water. Dust deposits as the air blows by, and perhaps somewhat extra due to thermophoresis. Vapors that mix well with water would tend to be sorbed by the condensing water, such as ammonia or chlorine if you have those in the neighborhood. Molds, of course! And insects that were thirsty. ---
**Author:** ![Level3Navigator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Level3Navigator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Level3Navigator)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/10 "2008-08-13T21:52:49Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] We put ours in our rain barrel. Rain barrels work like [this](http://www.town-menasha.com/CDWeb/Planning/Stormwater/BMPs_files/image004.gif). And they look like [this](http://www.rfcity.org/eng/Stormwater/RainBarrelProgram/rb_srd_wg.jpg) or this [huge](http://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/citizen/images/VJB-tank.jpg) one. You don’t have to lug it anywhere far if you get one of these. [/QUOTE] Be careful how and when you store and use that water… it might belong to the state, so check your local codes. [Gathering rainwater in Utah is illegal.](http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4001252) :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/11 "2008-08-13T21:53:15Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] If you really want to recycle it, you can pour it in back of your toilet after you flush, I suppose. [/QUOTE] You can also use it to flush your toilet. Just pee in your basement toilet, and then start pouring dehumidifier water into the bowl. Once the water in the bowl reaches a certain volume, the toilet will “flush” without using any of the tank water. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/12 "2008-08-13T22:07:25Z")
[QUOTE=Level3Navigator] Be careful how and when you store and use that water… it might belong to the state, so check your local codes. [Gathering rainwater in Utah is illegal.](http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=4001252) :rolleyes: [/QUOTE] So how far back do those water rights devolve? Can someone sue someone else for using the water that was evaporated from the first person’s land and fell as rain on the second person’s? Where’s the cutoff? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/13 "2008-08-13T22:12:02Z")
Are you on a sewer line or a septic system? If you’re on a sewer line, you’re doing a public service by pouring the water down the drain and sending it to the folks downstream. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2008, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/14 "2008-08-14T08:24:15Z")
They make small pumps for air conditioner condensors in basements. You could pump it outside to water your lawn. My parents house was set up that way (gravity feed from a ground floor unit). ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2008, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/15 "2008-08-14T19:05:28Z")
I thought I was the only one who felt bad about tossing the water! I used to water my plants and flush my toilet. Now it just sits in my storage area gathering dust. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/16 "2008-08-14T19:14:22Z")
Someone is currently marketing water from dehumidifiers. They are bottling and selling it. Will try to google it again, but it’s out there. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/17 "2008-08-15T02:13:36Z")
My Dad always saved it to fill lead acid batteries. Now that your car is likely to be fitted with a sealed zero maint battery, not so much, but if you have a garden tractor or other lawn appliance with a lead acid battery, it’s good for topping off cells. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-from-dehumidfier/459853/18 "2008-08-15T20:40:53Z")
[QUOTE=spoke-] Are you on a sewer line or a septic system? If you’re on a sewer line, you’re doing a public service by pouring the water down the drain and sending it to the folks downstream. [/QUOTE] Where on Earth did you get this idea? :dubious: No, you’re not doing a public service by pouring clean water down the drain. The sewer utility I work for is spending nearly $2 billion trying to separate clean rainwater (stormwater) from wastewater. During rain events, the excess flow from stormwater overwhelms the wastewater treatment plants, causing the excess flow to be diverted untreated into water bodies. No utility wants clean water in their sewage system. Pour the water on your plants or your grass.