Atmospheric condensation considerations.

Mark Eatherton

(Also posted in HVAC/air conditiong section.)

Greetings, I am in the process of upgrading the literature used for educating our RPA members about total comfort HVAC. On the topic of humidification/dehumidification, I am making the recommendation that some means of water treatment/conditioning be incorporated into the system to minimize corrosion associated with hard water.

Here's my question. If a person has a dehumidification system, it makes sense in my mind to utilize this "atmospheric" water to be used in the process of humidifcation. The water would be free of all hardness and other associated salts that cause corrosion on evaporative elements. So, can a person "harvest" condensation and turn around and use that same fluid for humidifcation without compromising health and equipment?

It makes sense in my hydronic mind, but I want to run it by other minds and see if they agree. I'm not talking about the condensation associated with combusition, although THAT fluid HAS to have some other benefical use. I understand that there are contaminants in that fluid that a person DOESN'T want to recycle into teh air. Maybe it's just good for water plants, or spitzer bushes, which like a low pH. One use I have discovered (inadvertently) is that if a mouse drinks it, it iwll cause their internal organs to fail, which causes their demise. Unfortunately, they usually pick a bad place to die and rot, causing olfactory issues...

Thanks in advance for your learned comments.

ME

nicholas bonham-carter

Maybe you can bottle that combustion condensate under the name of "Dr. Mark's marvelous mouse eliminator"
How would the dehumidification condensate be kept clean in storage, between collecting, and using a few months later?--NBC

aircooled81

condensate is a very pure form of water, so I think it's corrosive potential is fairly high weather it came off of an evap coil or a combustion cycle.
i think nicholos brought up a valid point too, storing this and wanting to put it back into the air later poses a risk, as it can become contaminated.
some refer equipment uses condensate to cool it's condensers by laying the liquid line or discharge line in the pool of condensate. that also helps assist in evaporating the condensate. those lines are fairly green btw, as they're laying in a puddle of condensate i suppose they are likely to patina fairly quickly.

don't put something in the air unless you are sure it's not going to contaminate the air.

maybe you can neutralize the condensate and and use it's evaporative qualities to help cool the condenser of the humidification process. I'd assume this is the cleanest water to wash a condenser coil down with, and would not leave behind much residue. untreated it would be likely to start eating the condenser up?

nice idea, good post!