Dehumidifier water suitable for batteries

[Pagetslady]

Hi is the water gathered from a dehumidifier suitable for batteries.
Mike

 

[pvb]

Depends who you ask - some say yes, some say no. The bottom line surely is that distilled or deionised water is cheap enough, so why not use the proper stuff?

 

[Pagetslady]

just a thought, i am staying on board here in Jersey, and have emptied several ltrs of water out of my humidifier seems a waste if it is ok for batteries

 

[bbg]

I have a dehumidifier running constantly in the bomb shelter downstairs. I used to think the water would be OK for batteries, but after several years (yes, I empty the tank regularly) the tank has a green algae scum on it. It can be cleaned off, but keeps coming back.
Draw your own conclusions.

 

[brianhumber]

Dehumidifers work by reducing the capability of the air passing through them to carry the water vapour in the air usually by reducing the temperature. Water is condensed from the air and when the air returns to ambient temperature after leaving the dehumidifier the humidity is reduced ( dry and wet bulb temperatures etc etc), it is thus pure enough for battery use. Battery life will not be drastically reduced because you have put water obtained from the air into them - battery life is far more likely to be affected by poor charging/discharging practices.

Up to you to decide if you want the hastle of buying/keeping so called special battery water. I get over 7 years battery life from my bog standard cheapest I can buy van batteries used for starting and domestic duties in Ronhilda and I top up them with tap water in the Chichester area.

As usual you will be warned of/read of lots of old wives horror stories on this subject. My advice - ignore them,

Brian

 

[VicS]

I don't know why it would not be pure enough but I have not analysed a sample so cannot make any informed comment.

It is always said that you should not use it.

We buy deionised water from a hardware shop not Halfords etc ... much cheaper.

 

[sarabande]

if there is dust or other particulate material coming through the air flow, it can condense on the pipework and then will run down to the reservoir.

Not worth it - unless you (get SWMBO to ) use it in an iron ?

 

[2Tizwoz]

Why do you need to use dehumidifier water?

We made lots from snow this winter but you could collect rainwater in a plastic container, there won't be much by way of dissolved minerals in that.

 

[Searush]

Dehumidifiers work by blowing air across a condenser. the air will be full of particulates & this is often collected in the condensate. My household Dehumidifier usually has a big blob of black dust on top of the reservoir as there is a filter there.

Draw your own conclusions, I'm sure it would be fine in an emergency but might cause problems in the long term. I use my collected water in the steam iron as our tap water has lots of limescale in it which kills the iron.