# Can i use my de-humidifier water for my plants?



## ginoSA (Apr 28, 2010)

Hey guys and gals

Is it safe to use my dehumidifier's water on my plants?


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## doc111 (Apr 28, 2010)

ginoSA said:


> Hey guys and gals
> 
> Is it safe to use my dehumidifier's water on my plants?


I always tell people they should not use dehumidifier water. The condenser coil contains a lot copper and lead which can easily leech into the water. There is also usually bacteria and garbage that grow in the condenser and tank. You might get away with it for a while but I don't recommend using it.


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## Dirtfree (Apr 28, 2010)

Heres the other side of the coin...

If it is a used unit and like above poster said its not worth it if the coils are dirty. But they can always be cleaned. Anything left un clean will be dirty! 

But the water that comes out will have a ppm of around 10 or something. It is the cleanest water you can get because of how its extracted from the air. 

So if its a new unit or you clean it properly YES its good water for your plants.

How I know this......I worked as a commercial water tech, we handled large water damages, like the ones that take over 20 stories in a large highrise. We use to drink the water out of our dehums when they shut off the water supply for the building.


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## ColoradoLove (Apr 28, 2010)

I say do it, maybe treat the water with some bleach or H202 and like Dirt and Doc said, make sure your copper is clean!

Hell if Dirt was drinking it I think you can give it to your plants!


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## Ian Singerdale (Apr 28, 2010)

ColoradoLove said:


> I say do it, maybe treat the water with some bleach or H202 and like Dirt and Doc said, make sure your copper is clean!
> 
> Hell if Dirt was drinking it I think you can give it to your plants!


yeah great advice, I'd add a bit of hydrogen peroxide, and make sure you pH test it first, but if it's a newish unit and it hasn't been sitting for over two days you're probably good to go


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## Dirtfree (Apr 28, 2010)

When we got done using our units we would clean the coils with light bleach water. As long as you are not doing heavy construction, smoking or cooking by them they will stay cleaner than the ice at the local corner store...lol...


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## doc111 (Apr 28, 2010)

Ian Singerdale said:


> yeah great advice, I'd add a bit of hydrogen peroxide, and make sure you pH test it first, but if it's a newish unit and it hasn't been sitting for over two days you're probably good to go


.............I wouldn't be as concerned about the bacteria and junk as I would be about heavy metals contamination. They solder those joints with a lead based solder. That stuff leeches into the water, slowly, but heavy metals build up in your system over time. Copper leeches a bit too. Plants need some copper but too much is definitely not good. I'm sure that using it on a temporary basis is probably fine, but prolonged use could cause problems. I'm sure there are worse sources of water but I like knowing *EXACTLY* what's in my water. That's just me though.


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## MrBuds.com (Apr 28, 2010)

NO YOU SHOULD NOT USE YOUR DEHUMIDIFIER WATER ON YOUR PLANTS...I know we all want to be "greener" and use materials that would otherwise be wasted or thrown out...BUT DON'T DO IT!!! The dehumidifier's coils are dirty and the water tends to stagnate..this can breed bacteria and worst of all mold...you can probably get away with it if you treat the water with hydrogen peroxide but aside from that kind of treatment I wouldn't jeopardize my grow to recycle water that you pretty much get for free...Good luck!!!


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## ginoSA (Apr 29, 2010)

Thank guys, for some reason i was not subscribed to my own thread LOL

Thank for all the advise, i bought a brand new one and its set on "continuous" because its very humid in my garage. I get 2 liters of water every day from it.

I will use it on one plant because im still waiting for my PH meter. but so far after 2 weeks the plant actually looks better than the ones that get normal water.

Thanks for all the input, much appreciated


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## mrduke (Apr 29, 2010)

i have my dehum. setup to drain it to my res. it maybe adds a gallon a day or so to a 45 gal res. and it makes it so i dont have to drain the dehum. every day making my system more automated and easier to leave unattended for a few days. Never had any problems either


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## doc111 (Apr 29, 2010)

mrduke said:


> i have my dehum. setup to drain it to my res. it maybe adds a gallon a day or so to a 45 gal res. and it makes it so i dont have to drain the dehum. every day making my system more automated and easier to leave unattended for a few days. Never had any problems either


It could take years to see the effects of heavy metal poisoning. It's amazing how people are all worried about using chemical nutes and have no qualms about putting lead right into their plants. To each their own I guess.


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## ColoradoLove (Apr 29, 2010)

Any way to test how much lead is in your water? Would that show up in a ppm reading?


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## Dirtfree (Apr 29, 2010)

Ok so i live in an older home with copper pipes.....I guess i should be worried about lead poisoning...


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## doc111 (Apr 29, 2010)

Dirtfree said:


> Ok so i live in an older home with copper pipes.....I guess i should be worried about lead poisoning...


Uh, Yeah! Why do ya think it's being phased out?

Don't shoot the messenger. I could care less what anyone chooses to do with the info. I'm just putting it out there for people who might be concerned about their health. Heavy metal poisoning is cumulative. It builds up in human tissue, so being exposed to a little bit isn't really a problem. The more exposure one gets, the more chance of poisoning. The symptoms may be subtle at first.


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## doc111 (Apr 30, 2010)

ColoradoLove said:


> Any way to test how much lead is in your water? Would that show up in a ppm reading?


You'd need a specific test for lead or a gc/ms test. PPM only tells you the approximate amount of "junk" is in your water. It could be good "junk", it could be bad "junk". It doesn't tell you what, specifically, is in your water.


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## Dirtfree (Apr 30, 2010)

Right on Doc, I didnt know. Do you think its a serious threat or just a possibility?
I dont have much copper pipe just the fittings.


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## doc111 (Apr 30, 2010)

Dirtfree said:


> Right on Doc, I didnt know. Do you think its a serious threat or just a possibility?
> I dont have much copper pipe just the fittings.


Honestly, no I don't think it's a serious threat. That being said I think it's prudent to try and limit your exposure. I live in a newer house and am lucky enough to not have any copper pipe. I still don't drink my tapwater. It's utter crap! As long as you run your water through a Britta or some other type of carbon filter it will remove most of the heavy metals. They don't do anything to remove dissolved solids (hardwater) but if you want to use dehumidifier water I'd at least run it through a carbon filter.


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## ColoradoLove (Apr 30, 2010)

Avoid those lead painted Chinese toys!!!


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## doc111 (Apr 30, 2010)

ColoradoLove said:


> Avoid those lead painted Chinese toys!!!


DEfinitely!!!


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## Rhyspect (May 1, 2010)

so some people say yes, and some say no... if in doubt and you don't want to waste the purified water, put it in the iron and use it to iron out your clothes!!! XD


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## becoolfoo (May 4, 2012)

im new to all this, and just wanna know is there a specific brand of humidifier i should that use that can easily control the humidity in the room?


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## pharmacoping (May 26, 2012)

becoolfoo said:


> im new to all this, and just wanna know is there a specific brand of humidifier i should that use that can easily control the humidity in the room?


If you'er trying to raise the RH of the room, you;ll need to buy a kenmore humidifier, but if you're trying to reduct the RH in the room, get a kenmore Dehumidifier for sure.


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## pharmacoping (May 26, 2012)

In a 3-4 month dirt grow any heavy metals (which are loaded in your nutes maybe too?) will be negligible. however in a hydroponic system re using substrate and reservoirs a sink is created where the heavy metals will build up over time, and that will make your penis disengage. dont do it.


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## Big smo (Mar 30, 2016)

Whoa 2010 thread and still so interesting. I laughed while reading this thinking man I hope these guys aren't growing the original lowryders under candle power. Things have changed a lot since the cell phone was created and these threads are now available to everyone besides cavemen. 

Is anyone using dehumidifier water for their plants? I also wonder if the guy from Texas is still alive for drinking from copper pipes


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## Richard Drysift (Mar 31, 2016)

Idc if peeps flame me for it: I've been using dehumidifier water for my plants for over a year now & it's fine. I also collect rain, use RO water from Walmart when I have to, and use my own RO filter when needed but it's wasteful. It is true you can get bacteria in your gray water but if you keep the sump clean it won't hurt your plants. I grow in organic recycled soil & my plants are super healthy. Dehumidifier water is fine as long as you keep your unit clean.


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## Big smo (Mar 31, 2016)

I'm gonna start using mine to fill my resivour. I read something once about an apocalypse solar powered dehumidifier that says u can drink it's water and its completely safe. Maybe along the same lines


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## Richard Drysift (Mar 31, 2016)

I just clean my collection dump with hot water & bleach then wipe it out with a paper towel. Not sure I'd drink it but I do use it to fill my bong sometimes lol just realized this thread is old AF. 
If you have a hydro setup I would just use tap water; no need to bother with dechlorinated water unless you are growing in organic soil. Tap water is likely better for hydro. Any bacteria is very bad for your res but in a live soil it is consumed....


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## Big smo (Mar 31, 2016)

Old af is correct. I stumbled across it during a Google search


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## Optic1 (Mar 31, 2016)

Funny how you can put a plant in the ground. Water it from a 100' well, ur drunken buddies piss budweiser on it at 2am, sulfur rain probably hits it, who knows what the cat dropped on it. 
But I can't use the dribbled water from my 70 pint Fridgidare dehumidifier. Lol who knew.


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## Big smo (Apr 1, 2016)

I have done extensive research on dehumidifier water. It has roughly the same tds and ph of slightly yellow toilet water from a McDonald's off the side of a busy highway. A 2am piss or a large cat droppings is much more likely to produce quality h2o


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## Optic1 (Apr 7, 2016)

Big smo said:


> I have done extensive research on dehumidifier water. It has roughly the same tds and ph of slightly yellow toilet water from a McDonald's off the side of a busy highway. A 2am piss or a large cat droppings is much more likely to produce quality h2o


Too Funny


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## ttystikk (Apr 7, 2016)

The truth about reclaim water is that it's just that- reclaimed, condensed from the air in your growroom. I've been using it for years, no problems. My tap water is very clean, about EC .052. That's not a typo. Yet the reclaim water is still cleaner. If you're worried about stuff growing in it, just use it up every day.


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## Dr. Who (Apr 12, 2016)

ttystikk said:


> The truth about reclaim water is that it's just that- reclaimed, condensed from the air in your growroom. I've been using it for years, no problems. My tap water is very clean, about EC .052. That's not a typo. Yet the reclaim water is still cleaner. If you're worried about stuff growing in it, just use it up every day.


I second this!
We have a quorum and that means no vote needed......Passed as stands!


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## MisterBlah (Apr 30, 2016)

There's a fair amount of misinformation in this thread. 

Condensate water can be used on your plants. But you need to treat it with H2O2, hypochlorus acid, or sodium hypochlorite. 

Condensate water sits around and it breeds bacteria, particularly Legionella. Ask any HVAC professional about why you should not drink condensate water. 

Once treated, you can use it without worry. 

Condensate water does not contain harmful levels of lead, copper, or any other heavy metal. Seriously, I implore all of you to send off your condensate water to a lab to test it. You will find that it has undetectable levels of just about everything. Heavy metal concentrations will either be undetectable or in concentrations far lower than in your tap water.


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## ttystikk (Oct 29, 2017)

MisterBlah said:


> There's a fair amount of misinformation in this thread.
> 
> Condensate water can be used on your plants. But you need to treat it with H2O2, hypochlorus acid, or sodium hypochlorite.
> 
> ...


I'm not suggesting anyone drink it, but none of those listed bacteria will adversely affect one's grow, whether in soil, soilless or DWC.


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## Gumdrawp (Nov 4, 2017)

nxsov180db said:


> Most houses have pipes that are soldered with lead based solder. Only a very small amount of lead leaches into the water, well below the maximum allowed amount for drinking water.


I've been using my dehuey water for years, I usually get about 2.5 gallons a day from it, and use about 25 gallons of water every other day. At 10% I wasn't concerned with what the 8ppm in it was. Reading this I ganked a heavy metals test from work and it's perfectly clean. As for the bacteria, I've never had issues with it for the last few years, but I also pump it straight into my res.


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## CanadianDank (Nov 4, 2017)

Gumdrawp said:


> I've been using my dehuey water for years, I usually get about 2.5 gallons a day from it, and use about 25 gallons of water every other day. At 10% I wasn't concerned with what the 8ppm in it was. Reading this I ganked a heavy metals test from work and it's perfectly clean. As for the bacteria, I've never had issues with it for the last few years, but I also pump it straight into my res.


Nice to hear somebody who's actually tested it say that.

My tents in my bsm, and I exhaust it right into the basement so it gets humid in there. I run a dehuey set to 65 and get about a gallon a day, I use it all the time lol.

All these people talking like copper pipes are bad.. I live in a century old house and the actual water pipe coming into my house is a lead pipe. Some of the plumbing inside has been replaced with copper but not all.

Like a small amount of lead solder on the copper would leach out dangerous amounts, it's not even on the inside its soldered on the exterior. Not to mention thousands of gallons of water flow past those joints in the pipes over the years, how much could really leach out?


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## Roger A. Shrubber (Nov 4, 2017)

i run a 3 gallon dehu for my whole house, humid area, and there's usually a light bio-slime in the tank. i put a few drops of bleach in it from time to time to knock it down, but thats the only problem i could see, it might get into your res and multiply.


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## Lite (Nov 5, 2017)

aluminum is toxic to plants. most dehumidifier coils are copper covered in aluminum. Not great.


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## ttystikk (Nov 5, 2017)

Lite said:


> aluminum is toxic to plants. most dehumidifier coils are copper covered in aluminum. Not great.


Not the coils I've seen. Also, keep in mind that aluminum is the third most abundant element in the Earth's crust, after oxygen and silicon. If aluminum was toxic to plants there wouldn't be any.


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## Lite (Nov 5, 2017)

*Aluminum* (Al) *toxicity* is a major constraint for crop production in acidic soil worldwide. When the soil pH is lower than 5, Al3+ is released to the soil and enters into root tip cell ceases root development of *plant*. In acid soil with high mineral content, Al is the major cause of phytotoxicity.
*Aluminum stress signaling in plants - NCBI - NIH*
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2710549/


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## ttystikk (Nov 5, 2017)

Lite said:


> *Aluminum* (Al) *toxicity* is a major constraint for crop production in acidic soil worldwide. When the soil pH is lower than 5, Al3+ is released to the soil and enters into root tip cell ceases root development of *plant*. In acid soil with high mineral content, Al is the major cause of phytotoxicity.
> *Aluminum stress signaling in plants - NCBI - NIH*
> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2710549/


When soil pH is lower than 5, which is deadly to plants in the first place.

If your dehumidifier runoff is below pH 5, something is fundamentally wrong.

The vast majority of aluminum is aluminum oxide, which is not a problem for plants.


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## Gumdrawp (Nov 5, 2017)

I mean technically anything in excess is toxic to your plants. Overwatering is fatal, doesn't mean I'm not going to water them. Anyways the test kit I ran had undetectable levels of al, cu, and pb, which are the three elements that my dehu would leach into the water if it did.


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## ttystikk (Nov 5, 2017)

Gumdrawp said:


> I mean technically anything in excess is toxic to your plants. Overwatering is fatal, doesn't mean I'm not going to water them. Anyways the test kit I ran had undetectable levels of al, cu, and pb, which are the three elements that my dehu would leach into the water if it did.


As long as pH levels are above 7 and EC is low there's no reason to believe anything would leach into that water.


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## Heber (Feb 1, 2018)

ginoSA said:


> Hey guys and gals
> 
> Is it safe to use my dehumidifier's water on my plants?


It's distilled water essentially. Not the best to water with, although may be great for flushing..gonna try distilled water flush on a couple this grow


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## Heber (Feb 1, 2018)

Test it with an ohm meter. Voltage will not pass thru distilled water


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## Knowledgeiskey (Feb 1, 2018)

run the water through some carbon or a brita, just need to add cal-mag epsom salt with air stone would make it better, my dehum sits on top of 20-gal black bucket with the line right into it with valve at bottom for use this is in the flower room

edit: organic soil grow


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## Uncle Reefer (Feb 1, 2018)

Yes you totally can ,just add minerals since your dehuie water is 0 ppm. add some cal and some mag and you are golden


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## John Levy (Feb 2, 2018)

Dehumidifier water can be used for watering container plants and in hydroponic reservoirs. It reads 10ppm or less on a TDS meter. Water that sits stagnant can harbor mold and bacteria however, so you may want to oxygenate the water before using it. Oxygen levels are easily increased by shaking it in a jug or adding hydrogen peroxide. This will kill the harmful bacteria and your plants will benefit from the extra oxygen. The dehumidifier water is very soft water, since it has been recondensed from vapor which lost its mineral content when it evaporated. Many people use it to soften their tap water.

WARNING: Dehumidiers often employ copper tubing. If the resulting water is 10ppm its possibly 10ppm of copper. Adding this to your reservoir every time will start concentrating the metals-- since plants only need under 1ppm of copper, using this water could accumulate to the 100ppm toxicity level.


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## slyer8 (Jul 8, 2020)

Old thread but was wondering if anybody else is using humidifier water for their plants?


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## newbplantgrower420 (Jul 10, 2020)

I use dehumidifier and split AC water for my reservoirs. I dont top off water a single time in either my veg or bloom.

my small circle of friends who grow all use dehumidifier water... but not AC.

point is its fine to use it. it has very little to no minerals in it. last i checked it was 0.0 ec. itll save u some cheese on your water bill.

but i mainly did it so i didnt have to top off water... only nutrients. makes my job a little easier

i have 0 problems with it and so will you. if something goes down it wont be related to ur dehumidifier/ac water.


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