I want to know if you can use A/C condensation runoff to water my plants… Blackberry Kush they are in a secure location and I have to carry the runoff collected down stairs. then fresh water back up stairs? to avoid the extra trips can I just recycle the condensation?
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I’ve used dehumidifier condensate for three grows… no mutations yet.
You can - there is varying science on it. Check the ppms on the condensate first - it should be below 25, and probably below 10. The concern is that you might introduce trace heavy metals - specifically copper - into your medium by using it, but I haven’t seen an issue yet. I don’t know if AC condensate might have other considerations due to the freon, etc. either.
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The condensation is basically distilled water. Try checking ph and ppm and see what it is.
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So glad… that’s kinda what I thought, shouldn’t have any issues from Freon it’s a new unit… small 5000 btu puts off about a gallon a day… 0 ph, don’t know about the ppm? all new to me, how do I test it?
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PPM stands for parts per million. Basically you can get a meter to test the total dissolved solids (TDS) in your water, which is measured in “parts per million.” You can also measure the electrical conductivity of your water (EC), which will tell you the same information in a different way.
You can get an inexpensive TDS meter on Amazon or the like. Meters are the life blood of a healthy grow for us new growers, so IMHO it’s worth spending a little extra on something like an Apera EC60.
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There would be no issues with Freon or any other refrigerant or the AC wouldn’t be working as you would have a terminal leak.
The basic worries I would have are “How long does it take to collect before use” (don’t want it stagnating, do we) and “How polluted is the local air” as that condensate is basically what is in your outside air so think traffic pollution, etc. Where I live the answer is a no-no thanks to the fact I’m on a busy street with filthy oil-burning diesel cars, vans, trucks, buses, etc, going past all day. I wouldn’t be keen on putting that near my plants, but out in the middle of nowhere or in a quiet suburb it might be a different story, to me it would depend on my immediate environment.
Oh, “maintenance” is also key. Make sure there’s no chance of algae or fungus in the condensate drain or there’s the potential for introducing all sorts of problems.
All these ducks line up properly, and as he says a gallon a day then he’ll likely use that quick enough so stagnation shouldn’t be an issue. Might be enough “flow” to help keep algae/fungus down but as long as he keeps on top of that then the only worry is the local air quality, so if that’s ok then go for it imo.
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Will do Bogleg! advice given and received…I’ll do that, my girls are at two feet and healthy! no leaf spot’s, dry or dying area’s, no yellowing either! So I guess I’m doing something right… ah 10 weeks, topped two and waiting for the other to catch up to start the flowering… is that about right? 12 and 12 will trigger the transformation… lol
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Thanks Bigbananafeet…no Freon issues… very new unit. no pollution, I’m in BFE…country 20 miles for anywhere… even the unit is in an enclosed area… just a very high humidity and collect a gal each day, just about what the young ladies are using… just 0 ph so I will have to bring it up. same as my tap water, personal well water, PURE AND CLEAN… tested it twice
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I can use the dehumidifier collected water? Just test ph? Im getting probably two gallons every 8-10 hours.
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Yes but I’d also test ppms. It should be very low - under 10 ideally, but I’ve read that under 25 would be considered safe (but I read that on some forum somewhere, so your mileage may vary). In any case, if you track ppms you can see if something is amiss.
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Thanks for for insight. As ive poured the water out i kept thinking i should be able to use it.
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I use my used ac water for my outdoor pond, ppms about under 30,which has two homemade filtration systems one is a 5 gallon thermos with lava rocks and the second is an ice chest with cattails, no negative affect on my fish, and in return I use that water with my aquaponics system no negative affects, have also watered my house plants and one marijuana plant in soil, with no negative affects.Hope this helps
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I use my dehumidifiers water as it collects 50 pints a day. If your unit is clean u have distilled water. As with any machine they have filters for a reason. They suck in parts and particles from the air and will start to grow things u don’t want to feed to your plants so cleaning them is pivital if u want to use their water.
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I use my dehumidifier water; it’s like 6 ppm. What I do though is mix it 50/50 with tap water to make it last longer. If you use it straight you will likely need to introduce some cal mag to bring those values up.
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I noticed as reading the water became distilled. Mixing is a good idea. Just got over potassium deficiency
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