Ian_Rob
Well-Known Member
Is the condensate that comes from a de-humidifier suitable for topping up batteries?
De-humidifier water
- Thread starter Ian_Rob
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VicS
Well-Known Member
been discussed recently.
A search finds the previous discussion
A search finds the previous discussion
Marlin
Member
I believe so as it will be demineralised having been condensed from the air.
Actually, in the other thread mentioned above the consensus says no:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=280529&highlight=dehumidifier
Actually, in the other thread mentioned above the consensus says no:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=280529&highlight=dehumidifier
Last edited:
nigelmercier
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It is distilled water, plus bacteria and debris. If you can filter out the latter, no problem.
I note that in another thread, someone gives it to his wife to use in the steam iron: the perfect way to propagate Legionella. I've actually been infected by this (from a Spa Hotel in Malta), and am still recovering several years later.
VicS
Well-Known Member
You have actually contracted Legionella from water collected from a dehumidifier being used in a steam iron by a hotel?
nigelmercier
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No, it was from the spa, lots of fine mist sprays. The bacteria is spread by droplet dispersion, just like the spray nozzle on a steam iron. If the bacteria are allowed to breed in the water, they will be dispersed into the air by the spray.
AllanJ
Well-Known Member
The water is only used to top-up. The 'battery acid' is sulphuric and will take care of any bacteria that you may be worried about (and some debris too)! There is no more 'debris' in it than you add. The alternative is a bottle of purchased de-ionised water. If you use a clean receptacle to collect it, your distilled water will be just fine.
Heckler
Well-Known Member
All my life I have been in maintenance, I have used tap water, condensed water, what ever was available. No noticeable harm done! I miss Pwllheli because the water there is very soft, I need to top up my four 110 ampers. They will probably take a gallon!
Stu
jfkal
Well-Known Member
VicS
Well-Known Member
I cant see the pint of all thse discussions anyway.
Demineralised / deionised water is readily available.
It not expensive, esp if you buy from your local hardware shop.
You pay a lot of money for batteries why rsik their health and longevity by using water from alternative sources
You cannot claim to have used tap water, rain water, dish water, cat's pee or whatever without detriment unless you do a proper series of tests with many replicates and controls. Any claims are just unscientifically based and meaningless. B*llox in other words.
A battery should require very little topping up during its lifetime if the charging systems are working correctly. If you do need a lot of topping up it is time to take a good look at the charging systems.
If the occasional bottle of demin water makes such a serous dent in your boating budget you should look for a cheaper hobby!
AllanJ
Well-Known Member
Surely the issue is 'significant' detriment (i.e. having no obvious effect on performance). In that respect, the claim is justified with the caveat that it is only a few experiments.
I would be interested in the citation for the "proper series of tests with many replicates and controls" with bottles of water from your local hardware store. Without them you are guilty of what you are accusing others of.
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
This is not necessarily the case. Sterling warn in the info that comes with their alternator controllers that the high charging rates will lead to increased loss of water from batteries, requiring more frequent topping up. Our experience has been that we were adding about 4 litres of deionised water per season.
When we left the boat last year (in Greece) we left our 125 watts of solar panel charging the three 110 Ah batteries, via a regulator. This was an experiment, as the batteries were due for replacement anyway but still working well. Previous practice has been to change over to a 38 watt panel for winter. Two weeks ago the batteries were inspected. They took 6 litres of water and were largely knackered. AFAIK the whole system is functioning correctly with no indication of a fault.
Trundlebug
Well-Known Member
..which rather makes a hole in the insignificant amount / cost argument. At the rates some chandleries, and even motor factors charge for what is effectively freely available at home it's just yet another cost of boating that actually you don't have to pay. Thereby leaving the money available for other things you can't avoid.
If distilled water from tumble dryers etc is contaminated with particles, just pour it through a coffee filter or similar.
As for steam irons and legionella, that's plain wrong and is just scaremongering. (Although if you've had it I can understand the paranoia). The fact is that Legionella bacteria require nice comfortable temperatures between 15-60 degrees C (roughly), i.e. within the range of warm water that humans can stand. Above 65 degrees C the bacteria die, and below about 15 they don't multiply.
Spa baths, showers, and traditional evaporative water cooling towers are all perfect breeding and spreading grounds for legionella.
Steam irons aren't - because the water is boiled to produce the steam, killing all the bugs in the process, and the surface temperature of the iron and steam holes where any scale might build up is way above 65 degrees. Touch it if you don't believe me!
satsuma
Well-Known Member
I always use cooled, previously boiled water from the kettle. It's perfect for batteries and steam irons!
AntarcticPilot
Well-Known Member
Not if you're in a hard water area, its not, especially if the hardness is calcium sulfate (Gypsum) rather than calcium carbonate (Limestone). But neither will be completely removed by boiling; only reduced.
I really don't see the point of this discussion. Batteries need de-ionized water to be sure of working properly; de-ionized water is available cheaply pretty much everywhere. Google says £2 for 5 litres; I don't know shop prices because I work at a place with laboratories and if I need it, I can take my own bottle along! Given that the cost of replacing a battery is about £100, I think it's a no-brainer; use the proper stuff rather than take even a small chance of killing a battery.
late-night-lochin
Well-Known Member
That's even worse than ArcticPilot says.
If you condensed the steam that you had boiled off it may be a goer but the original quantity of impurities now remain in the reduced volume of boiled water (excepting anything that has formed scale in the kettle). Don't forget, there's likely to be scale breaking up and entering the water from previous boils. So, the concentration of impurities after boiling will actually be higher than it was when the water came out of the tap.
You may have killed off some of the bacteria but certianly not all of it unless you boiled the kettle for a couple of hours.
That's why I drink beer and only use water for washing in!
satsuma
Well-Known Member
My father as a marine engineer dealt a great deal with battery banks (certainly in those days!) all wet cells, and used cooled previously boiled water! (actually condensed steam!) In his private life he had a caravan (poor soul), but maintained wet cell batteries (car and caravan) for some 45 years or more.
I followed suit as an Engineer (and with the water, not the caravan!) and like him I have never had a wet cell battery last less than 15 years.
The only ones that fail, are "maintenance free" sealed batteries, and people seem lucky if they get 5 years out of them!
All the wet cell manufacturers used to suggest cooled boiled water in the event of nothing else, and Rolls Royce used to recommend topping up with tap water! Good enough for them, certainly good enough for me!
late-night-lochin
Well-Known Member
Condensed steam is distilled water and thats fine for wet cell batteries. However, "previoously boiled water" infers the left over water which didn't get turned to steam.
The water which remains after boiling will have far higher levels of dissolved solids hence the requirements for blow down.
Yes, tap water is certianly better than fresh air in a battery but only as a last resort.
Trundlebug
Well-Known Member
Suerly they just need pure, demineralised water i.e. either de-ionised or distilled?
The only reason battery manufacturers would recommend de-ionised is because that's what is commercially available.
All that is required is pure H20 with no impurities, in order to re-dilute the H2SO4 to the correct concentration. To my mind distilled is probably better than de-ionised in that respect, provided it has been suitably filtered to remove particles. Or have I misunderstood?
AntarcticPilot
Well-Known Member
De-ionized can still contain impurities; distilled doesn't. No argument about distilled being better; but for a battery de-ionized is fine as the likely impurities (which by definition are not ionic species) won't affect the electrochemistry of a battery.
What I was talking about was people using boiled, cooled water from the kettle, which is neither de-ionized nor distilled, and which may well have a higher level of the impurities that kill batteries than water from the tap!
Tap water would be acceptable in areas with soft water, but definitely not hard water. Hard water generally contains carbonate ions; lead carbonate is 100% insoluble. So, adding carbonate ions to a lead/acid battery will definitely impair the chemistry of the battery. But in any case tap water (even if soft) is less good than de-ionized or distilled water.