Dehumidifier Water?

[Cathy G]

Hi,
Does anyone know if using water from the dehumidifier is ok for the tanks? I mix RO with tap water and this time of year I am taking out 1.5 gallons of water per day from the air in my downstairs. Could I use this water for my fish? How could I sterilize it if I needed to?
Cathy

 

[aquaticclarity]

Cathy G,

I’ve seen several problems with possibly using dehumidifier water.

The biggest is copper coils. Many, especially older units, use copper tubing as the condensation media which can leave trace amounts of the metal in the water. The same may hold true of other types of metals used. The coils my oxidize over time and become safe to use, but I’d test the water directly if you know which metal to test for or set up an experiment tank with some disposable occupants and see what happens.

The other issue I personally had when I tried to use the water was poor water quality! The occasional bug or spider would end up in the collection tank and foul the water, usually showing as a high ammonia reading. The mold and bacteria that build up on the inside of the collection tank would also cause some issues for me.

In the end I found it much easier and less expensive, do to all the needed testing, to just use a D.I./R.O. unit. I know it seems a big waste just to dump the dehumidifier water but it’s better then killing a bunch of fish from with one batch of water.

Jeff