Dehumidifier Water

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wilbeck

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Is the water collected from a dehumidifier in my basement a satisfactory substitute for RO water or rainwater? Thanks for any information.

Wilson
 
Wilson,

I use this water continuously, we have a de-humidifier in the house during the summer, and my orchids have not died yet... it is, for the most part, a very clean water. The purest of all waters is distilled water, which is boiling the water and capturing the steam to create pure water. This water goes about $.27 a gallon.

-Pat
 
the "purest" is double-distilled, de-ionized water. but that's typically only available in chemistry labs...
 
I think you have to be careful with dehu water -- if it develops slime in the container, I wouldn't use it -- it's probably collecting "stuff" from the air. But if it's clear, it should be OK.
 
Thanks for the information. I'll try it. My plants seem to do reasonably well on our very hard tap water, but maybe this will be better.

Wilson
 
Hello Heather,

The slime is not pink, but colorless. I used the dehumidifier water today, leaving the slime in the collection bucket. the water was clear, odorless and tasted fine and I ain't dead yet. We'll see if the same can be said about the two Oncidiums I watered with it.

Wilson
 
I used the dehumidifier water from our furnace and the dehumidifier for awhile and nothing bad ever happened. Now i use rainwater for my plants and use the dehumidifier water to put in the humidifier.
 
I tasted Bayer Advanced once while misting my plants for insects. It tastes like burning.
 
wilbeck said:
Thanks Paphreek. I'll look for it. What is the slime anyway? Is it truly harmful?

Wilson

Its a whole ecosystem of various bacteria and molds. Most species are benign, but a true pathogen could be lurking in the goo.:evil:
 
I just took a sip of the water and didn't touch the slime, which is stable. It may be some sort of glycocalyx. Maybe Wednesday I'll have a chance to peek at it under a microscope.
 

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