Humidity Control / Top Off

[redfishbluefish]

Here’s a crazy idea I was thinking about. Is this sound or am I nuts?

I have a terrible humidity problem in my house. With the colder months, moisture condenses on the windows, with some windows actually showing signs of rot. For a couple years I ran a dehumidifier that needed daily empting, and eventually crapped out on me.

My idea: Set up a new dehumidifier in the fish room with the waste water line going back into the tank. It is “pure” water that is being condensed in the dehumidifier. Does this sound like a reasonable solution to both my humidity problem, and as a partial top-off to the 2 ½ gallons I loose a day? Or is this a crazy idea?

 

[Brando457]

Paul there are a bunch of articles of people doing this I think on RC or monster fish keepers. One of those and most people deemed it okay since you're basically pulling pure water.

 

[Brando457]

Oh and I may need you to come help me do a filter sock holder/plumb my new tank when I get it since you're mr. Science and awesome with DIY stuff!

How's the coral beauty man

 

[fatoldsun]

Make sure you test that water. The fins are probably aluminum but there is copper in there and I thought a dehumidifier worked like an AC unit and the moisture actually condensed on the copper. I'd want to be sure the water is clean and test it with a good TDS. But it sounds logical - A bit redundant perhaps but logical.

 

[thirty5]

I would be worried about the copper lines.....

 

[taz_12777]

Depending on what the lines are made of and the quality of air in the room I would worry about what could be leached into the tank. With winter being a drier time of the year maybe a fan in the fish room to circulate the air into the rest of the house.

 

[malulu]

- i am sure you will need to have the auto top off anyway to compensate the different...
- is it that much of trouble to refill your R/O instead of using this idea? why doing this? to save $ on cheap R/O water?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Before answering questions, I have decided NOT to do this. Instead, I’m running a dehumidifier on the second floor, where the collected water is going to waste. I’ll probably add another dehumidifier on the first floor.

Now the questions:

……. With winter being a drier time of the year maybe a fan in the fish room to circulate the air into the rest of the house.

The fish room is not the problem. The problem is the rest of the house….and the worst is the coolest room in the house on the second floor. Here’s a picture of the wall in that second floor bedroom. Moisture is actually condensing directly on the plaster walls!

- i am sure you will need to have the auto top off anyway to compensate the different...
- is it that much of trouble to refill your R/O instead of using this idea? why doing this? to save $ on cheap R/O water?

Two things driving this idea….becoming more “green” and trying to save money. Recently paid my quarterly water bill of $184. That’s for just my wife and I……..and I don’t water my grass. However, I did have 18-19 azaleas planted this summer that needed heavy watering for a couple weeks.

 

[taz_12777]

Wow, looks like my bathroom when I take a hot shower.

Instead of wasting the water do you have a place to put in some storage containers to hold the water and use for the spring and summer for your plants and such outside?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Wow, looks like my bathroom when I take a hot shower.

Instead of wasting the water do you have a place to put in some storage containers to hold the water and use for the spring and summer for your plants and such outside?

I’m already collecting the waste-water from my RO/DI unit…and that’s considerably more than what would be coming from the dehumidifier. Here’s a picture of the waste collection for the RO/DI….that white 55 gallon drum in the bottom of the picture collects the waste-water. If contains a MAG 12 (or was it an 18…I can’t remember) that pumps the water out to a sprinkler in the yard. In the winter, I’ll us some of this for doing laundry, but that still leaves quite a bit of extra water that I’ll have to get rid of weekly (about two drums a week).

 

[fatoldsun]

I did have 18-19 azaleas planted this summer that needed heavy watering for a couple weeks.

only 18-19 bushes, why so few?

would you mind sharing how you have this set up so your washer pulls from your wastewater (I think I remmeber reading something about it a while back - maybe lost this summer with the site crash?) - I can understand how the MagX would push out to a sprinkler but how do you have it run to the washer? do you have to manually switch back and forth as you have water in the drum? is it fed from the same mag - does that give enough pressure to make up for the washer's call for supply coming under pressure? I'm not sure I have the room for another drum but it would be nice to save some of that waste water

 

[redfishbluefish]

would you mind sharing how you have this set up so your washer pulls from your wastewater …..

It’s not actually connected to the washing machine.

Here’s the picture again to make it easier to see when I explain it:

The rigid PVC coming out of the top of the drum transitions to a gray garden hose that is connected to a sillcock (outdoor faucet). My washing machine is just to the left of the 55 gallon drum. I disconnect the hose (which is about 4-5 feet long), from the sillcock and put it in the washing machine and turn on the pump. A couple minutes and the washing machine is full. It’s purely manual.

If you wish to see more detail and pictures about the RO/DI waste drum, look at POST #13 HERE.

only 18-19 bushes, why so few?

Let me put it this way; the more bushes I have, the less grass I have to mow! With all the concrete, pool and shrubs I have, I can mow my entire lawn in about 15 minutes.....and that includes stopping for ten minutes to have a beer! If I plant a few more, I won't have any yard to mow.

 

[fatoldsun]

Let me put it this way; the more bushes I have, the less grass I have to mow! With all the concrete, pool and shrubs I have, I can mow my entire lawn in about 15 minutes.....and that includes stopping for ten minutes to have a beer! If I plant a few more, I won't have any yard to mow.

A close friend shared your sentiments and moved out to AZ to escape lawns – nothing there but the occasional cactus (his wife did put her hand on a scorpion getting out of their hot-tub and, well that sucked). About 6-7 years after he was there he started to miss grass I guess and he started an artificial turf/lawn company. Now he’s travelling to China every other month to check materials shipments and I’m left to beg him to start a small subsidiary to import LEDs I mean – he’s there already – C’MON!... just sayin’