using water from a dehumidifer

P

pushu

Active Member
my well water is very alkaline and I have to treat it in order to water plants with it
I run a dehumidifer in my basement during the summer and it produces quite a bit of water, that I pour down the drain
I did a ph test on the water and it came out to 6.8
do you think this water would be fine to water my plants with?
 
Running a de humidifier is bad for plants. If its a must then so be it. Ive found that it totally drys the leafs out and really affects growth. If you have good extraction/circulation then there is no need, even if its on the high side. Bottom line. Scrap the de humidifier and improve extraction and air movement. As for using the water, would u drink it??? If you have tasted it like I have u wouldn't
 
supersillybilly said:
Running a de humidifier is bad for plants. If its a must then so be it. Ive found that it totally drys the leafs out and really affects growth. If you have good extraction/circulation then there is no need, even if its on the high side. Bottom line. Scrap the de humidifier and improve extraction and air movement. As for using the water, would u drink it??? If you have tasted it like I have u wouldn't
Click to expand...

wow! i guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.

running a dehumidifier is NOT bad for your plants. what is bad for your plants is having 60%+ humidity in your flower tent. leads to bud rot, mold, mildew and a bunch of other problems. running a dehumidifier at a set temperature will not dry your plants out to the point of harm. this is absurd. even with air circulation and extraction many rooms need a dehumidifier. if you are running a sealed room then chances are you will need some form of dehumidification; whether it be your dehumidifier or ac.

as for using the water from a dehumidifier...if it is relatively new and you keep the filter clean then dehu water is great to use in my opinion. you see a lot of growers doing so. the water is actually very clean and usually has a ppm under 25. some guys will say that the water passes over coils on the dehumidifier and picks up contaminants but this is bs in my opinion.
 
ScoobyDoobyDoo said:
wow! i guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.

running a dehumidifier is NOT bad for your plants. what is bad for your plants is having 60%+ humidity in your flower tent. leads to bud rot, mold, mildew and a bunch of other problems. running a dehumidifier at a set temperature will not dry your plants out to the point of harm. this is absurd. even with air circulation and extraction many rooms need a dehumidifier. if you are running a sealed room then chances are you will need some form of dehumidification; whether it be your dehumidifier or ac.

as for using the water from a dehumidifier...if it is relatively new and you keep the filter clean then dehu water is great to use in my opinion. you see a lot of growers doing so. the water is actually very clean and usually has a ppm under 25. some guys will say that the water passes over coils on the dehumidifier and picks up contaminants but this is bs in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Need to disagree here. Ive ran large air con units to cope with heat and eventualy found that air exchange is better. Taking all the moisture out the air defo affects the plants. I will say again, circulation and extraction is key
 
supersillybilly said:
Running a de humidifier is bad for plants. If its a must then so be it. Ive found that it totally drys the leafs out and really affects growth. If you have good extraction/circulation then there is no need, even if its on the high side. Bottom line. Scrap the de humidifier and improve extraction and air movement. As for using the water, would u drink it??? If you have tasted it like I have u wouldn't
Click to expand...

the humidifer is not in the same area as my plants. I have a very large basement and air exchange is not really an option.
the water looks very clean and although I have not drank any, and don't plan on it, I guess I will pick one plant and do a test
 
supersillybilly said:
Need to disagree here. Ive ran large air con units to cope with heat and eventualy found that air exchange is better. Taking all the moisture out the air defo affects the plants. I will say again, circulation and extraction is key
Click to expand...

the problem with your theory is that no matter how good your circulation is, if you are bringing humid air into your grow room then your flowering plants will suffer. high humidity is a problem in flower and can lead to a bunch of issues. i agree, if your a/c unit can handle the dehumidification of your room than great. problem is, most ac units if sized correctly will run almost constantly when the lights are on. an ac unit can only dehumidify when it is cooling. so when the lights are off and the unit does not run as much you need a dehumidifier in the room normally. worse than high humidity are humidity spikes. if your room goes from 40% humidity with the lights on to 65% with the lights off then i can guarantee you will have problems.

also, for those who don't run ac units and only cool with fans then everything depends on your ambient humidity. since your plants are giving off moisture most of the time your room will be slightly higher in humidity than the ambient air. either way, if you have high humidity where you live or grow then you will need a dehumidifier. almost all dehumidifier have digital controls. i'm not saying run the thing nonstop and set it to 15% RH. running your flower room at 35-45% will help you avoid a ton of issues and will also speed up the drying process with absolutely no negative side affects.
 
ScoobyDoobyDoo said:
the problem with your theory is that no matter how good your circulation is, if you are bringing humid air into your grow room then your flowering plants will suffer. high humidity is a problem in flower and can lead to a bunch of issues. i agree, if your a/c unit can handle the dehumidification of your room than great. problem is, most ac units if sized correctly will run almost constantly when the lights are on. an ac unit can only dehumidify when it is cooling. so when the lights are off and the unit does not run as much you need a dehumidifier in the room normally. worse than high humidity are humidity spikes. if your room goes from 40% humidity with the lights on to 65% with the lights off then i can guarantee you will have problems.

also, for those who don't run ac units and only cool with fans then everything depends on your ambient humidity. since your plants are giving off moisture most of the time your room will be slightly higher in humidity than the ambient air. either way, if you have high humidity where you live or grow then you will need a dehumidifier. almost all dehumidifier have digital controls. i'm not saying run the thing nonstop and set it to 15% RH. running your flower room at 35-45% will help you avoid a ton of issues and will also speed up the drying process with absolutely no negative side affects.
Click to expand...

Thank god I live in Scotland.lol
 
I have to agree, theres times when a dehumidifier is a necessity. I have my growroom in my basement in my 100 year old house in the city. Anybody who has an old city basement knows what they're like. I couldnt grow without it ( unless it was penicillin I was growin ) Its like anything else, if you are mindful of your levels and get it where it needs to be you have just right humidity. I dont have to run it all the time, mostly just after its been raining for awhile.
 
Cobnobuler said:
I have to agree, theres times when a dehumidifier is a necessity. I have my growroom in my basement in my 100 year old house in the city. Anybody who has an old city basement knows what they're like. I couldnt grow without it ( unless it was penicillin I was growin ) Its like anything else, if you are mindful of your levels and get it where it needs to be you have just right humidity. I dont have to run it all the time, mostly just after its been raining for awhile.
Click to expand...

exactly. just depends where you are. where i live it's 85% humidity year round, night or day. a dehumidifier is a MUST. guys living in Arizona have to put humidifiers in their rooms. it's all about haveing optimal conditions and avoiding issues.
 
ScoobyDoobyDoo said:
wow! i guess everyone is entitled to their opinion.

running a dehumidifier is NOT bad for your plants. what is bad for your plants is having 60%+ humidity in your flower tent. leads to bud rot, mold, mildew and a bunch of other problems. running a dehumidifier at a set temperature will not dry your plants out to the point of harm. this is absurd. even with air circulation and extraction many rooms need a dehumidifier. if you are running a sealed room then chances are you will need some form of dehumidification; whether it be your dehumidifier or ac.

as for using the water from a dehumidifier...if it is relatively new and you keep the filter clean then dehu water is great to use in my opinion. you see a lot of growers doing so. the water is actually very clean and usually has a ppm under 25. some guys will say that the water passes over coils on the dehumidifier and picks up contaminants but this is bs in my opinion.
Click to expand...
I actually agree with most of this, Except for the part of using the water as being B.S
you are using water that has ran over a copper and galvanized metal coil, it also runs thru a plastic drain pan. I have seen hundreds of these drain pans and they all build up a slime. the coils on the a/c's also collect dirt,mold spores,pollen and other microscopic organisms that can reek havoc on a microherd.
 
good thing we're not talking about the coils or drip pans of an ac. we're talking about drain to waste dehumidifiers which can easily be cleaned just like your reservoir needs to be cleaned out every once and a while.
 
a dehu has an evaporator coil, it works just like an a/c genius

3464323_f248.jpg
 
really, so dehumidifiers cool rooms too? :bigjoint:plenty of growers use dehu water and there have been 2 threads with hvac guys on here saying that as long as you clean the air filter and the machine every once and a while you will be fine. i'll trust their knowledge.
 
ScoobyDoobyDoo said:
really, so dehumidifiers cool rooms too? :bigjoint:plenty of growers use dehu water and there have been 2 threads with hvac guys on here saying that as long as you clean the air filter and the machine every once and a while you will be fine. i'll trust their knowledge.
Click to expand...
got 20 years in the a/c business, but you go ahead and use that water. Then post up some of those pics you stole of someone else's grow.
 
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