westhinder
Well-Known Member
Is the water from a domestic tumble dryer pure enough to use to top up lead-acid batteries, or does it contain too many impurities?
Battery top-up
- Thread starter westhinder
- Start date
ghostlymoron
Well-Known Member
In the past I've used melted fridge/freezer ice to top up batteries (after filtering out the odd pea and corn on the cob). However, bearing in mind the relative cost of demineralised water and 12v batteries, I think it's probably false economy.
RichardS
N/A
It indistinguishable from distilled or de-ionised water, other by detailed scientific analysis and is perfect for batteries, radiators, irons, windscreen washers etc.
Richard
Graham376
Well-Known Member
It indistinguishable from distilled or de-ionised water, other by detailed scientific analysis and is perfect for batteries, radiators, irons, windscreen washers etc.
Richard
OP's asking about water from a tumble dryer not a fridge freezer, where does the pure water come from?
pvb
Well-Known Member
In my experience, the condensate from tumble dryers can contain tiny fibres, so probably best not to use it for batteries.
RichardS
N/A
I don't understand. I never mentioned fridge freezers.
The condensate from a tumble dryer is just condensed water vapour which I've found is purer than the melted ice from a freezer. Our AEG tumble dryer produces crystal clear condensate and I keep a 20L polykeg of it in the garage.
Richard
westhinder
Well-Known Member
This was the niggle behind my question.
I know in theory it is pure, but what about microfibres?
From the answers so far opinions seem to vary, I am still hoping to find an answer based on facts. It does seem a pity to pour pure distilled water down the drain.
pvb
Well-Known Member
How much topping-up do your batteries need??
dom
Well-Known Member
I've certainly no hard facts, but I'd say no! My tumble dryer water collector is full of micro-fibres; not sure exactly how they get there, but they do. And goodness knows what impurities coming from the Lenor, Fabreze, and all that jazz.
For the tiny cost versus expensive batteries, I top up my Trojans with commercially certified products. Why take the chance?
westhinder
Well-Known Member
Not much. I check them at the start and the end of the season and at the start of and halfway through the summer cruise when they will be worked hardest. Never more than a few mm top-up needed.
The question came from the fact I had to run the tumble dryer four times today and poured a couple of litres down the drain.
pvb
Well-Known Member
You could get a water butt, put the tumble dryer condensate into that, then use it on your garden.
RichardS
N/A
If your tumble dryer water has fibres in it you could do what I used to do with the freezer melt water and pout it through a funnel lined with a couple of sheets of kitchen roll. There always used to be some crud in the freezer water but our tumble dryer water has no visible fibres.
Richard
macd
Well-Known Member
Not surprisingly, this isn't the first time this has come up: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?307836-Distilled-Ignorance
(The thread digresses entertainingly into concentrating hooch, which is not recommended for topping-up batteries but helps their owners worry about them less.)
(The thread digresses entertainingly into concentrating hooch, which is not recommended for topping-up batteries but helps their owners worry about them less.)
Graham376
Well-Known Member
I don't understand. I never mentioned fridge freezers.
The condensate from a tumble dryer is just condensed water vapour which I've found is purer than the melted ice from a freezer. Our AEG tumble dryer produces crystal clear condensate and I keep a 20L polykeg of it in the garage.
Richard
#2 mentioned fridge freezer water. Not had a tumble dryer for many years but I remember the old one usually had some fluff which had got around the filter to the condensate tank so I wouldn't call it pure without fine filtering.
ghostlymoron
Well-Known Member
Distilled water is not goo for plants (or drinking)
pvb
Well-Known Member
Old wives' tale...
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
I top up the domestic batteries in my motorhome with condensed water from a dehumidifier. I have been doing this for many years with no apparent problems.
RichardS
N/A
I still don't understand, I'm afraid. Post #2 was nothing to do with me. You quoted my post #3.
Richard
VicS
Well-Known Member
No good for plants because it contains no nutrients perhaps ? ............ like rainwater !
The lab where I worked some 30 or so years ago always made the tea and coffee with demineralised water because there was no drinking water supply.
I suspect my Brita filter produces water very low in dissolved solids, but I have never analysed it. I use it for tea and coffee because it does not scale the kettle. Analysis may well skow that it is Ok for batteries.
Richard suggests that condensate from a tumble dryer is indistinguishable from distilled or deionised water other than by scientific analysis. So is tap water, therefore use tap water
It indistinguishable from distilled or de-ionised water, other by detailed scientific analysis and is perfect for batteries, radiators, irons, windscreen washers etc.
Richard
RichardS
N/A
No good for plants because it contains no nutrients perhaps ? ............ like rainwater !
The lab where I worked some 30 or so years ago always made the tea and coffee with demineralised water because there was no drinking water supply.
I suspect my Brita filter produces water very low in dissolved solids, but I have never analysed it. I use it for tea and coffee because it does not scale the kettle. Analysis may well skow that it is Ok for batteries.
Richard suggests that condensate from a tumble dryer is indistinguishable from distilled or deionised water other than by scientific analysis. So is tap water, therefore use tap water
If you're in a soft water area then batteries should be fine with it although I would still use condensate of one kind or another as it's free. Unfortunately, I have to live with hard water.
What I actually said was "detailed scientific analysis". You can easily compare tap water and distilled/de-ionised water without "detailed scientific analysis" and you'll be able to detect the difference in an instant. As you're a chemist, like me, I guess that's enough said.
Richard