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I have an idea. Our AC unit has a condensate pump which pumps water through a copper tube into the laundry sink in our basement. Last summer, I decided to collect it in a bucket to water flowers with. I didn't think there would be that much; but when I came home, the 5 gallon bucket was totally full, so obviously it had put out at least that much. Summers here are very hot and humid. Anyway, I got to thinking that I could just get a connector and run the copper pipe out to a rain barrel outside to collect it and use it in the garden. Can anyone think of a reason why this wouldn't work? Does anyone else have a setup like this? Any suggestions for setting it up? Any info would be appreciated!
You could do that but i just don't see how you would ever get enough water to fill a barrel. My A/C unit has PVC pipes running over flow and condensation outside but I never see more than a drip. Never tried to collect the drips to see how much water that actually is. On the other hand that water runs into a flower bed any ways so it does get used.
depending on size of unit and amount of time it runs and humidity,etc., etc, your AC can produce from 4-10 or more gals of water a day. in the summer time when you need it. The water is extracted from the air and is pretty much rain water.
I have been doing this for a while and it works great . I have two barrels linked together. and it is free water with out all the chlorine.
I dug a shallow trench from the A/C drip to some cannas that were planted about a foot away. They shot up! It definitely makes sense to use this water.
There are 2 condensate drains. The primary will produce LOTS of water, the secondary which is usually routed outside should rarely if ever have any. The primary is probably plumbed into the waste drain.
If you are getting a lot from the secondary, then the primary is probably blocked.
Been there - done that! Had to replace sheetrock from rusted secondary drain pan due to plugged primary.
My secondary only flows when the primary is plugged up. Been there done that. The primary has to be flushed out with bleach once a year or it grows "stuff". LOL. Mine is a straight shot outdoors.
You have to be careful about adding a lot of plumbing fittings to your drain line or it can cause a blockage, which will cause a mess in your house. Since it is a low pressure drain line any blockage will stop it up. That is why I add a condensate pump to mine, even though I didn't need one ( had a condensate drain that came out next to my condenser unit). I routed the pump line through my attic over to the other side of my house, next ot my garage, where the barrels are hidden.
