Dehumidifiers are designed to remove moisture from the air in order to reduce humidity. However, they also have an internal bucket that collects water when it needs replacing. This leaves you with a little more work than just turning your humidifier on and off during the day.
If you’re reading this, then it’s likely that you have a dehumidifier. You might be wondering whether or not the water that comes out of your dehumidifier can be filtered for drinking purposes. Well, let’s find out.
Can you filter and drink water from a dehumidifier?
The answer is no! Never drink any water coming from a dehumidifier because there are many chemicals in the air inside your home which will drip down into the reservoir of your unit and cause health issues.
Filtration, boiling, and other techniques are used to make bottled or tap water safe to consume. Dehumidifier water, unlike drinking water, is merely condensed and collected, which means it may include airborne particles and germs.
Since dehumidifiers use water as a cooling and heating medium, it’s important to never drink the water that this device produces. The only way you can filter and consume dehumidifier water is by using a reverse osmosis system or other filtration methods.
Although the water coming out of a dehumidifier is not safe to drink, there are ways that you can filter it. Dehumidifiers are not designed to be used for water filtration. The risk of ingesting bacteria is too great, so you should never drink filtered water from a dehumidifier.
Boiling water from a dehumidifier may kill fungi, algae, mold spores, bacteria, and other contaminants. This is because boiling water kills them instantly while leaving the beneficial minerals behind, however it is still not recommended for drinking.
Dehumidifiers are only good for humidity control as they remove moisture from the air in your home by condensing it into liquid form to prevent mildew growth on fabrics or furniture.
Why You Cannot Drink the Water from the Dehumidifier
Condensate water is not good for human consumption because it has a range of contents that could potentially harm the user. It can contain chemicals, bacteria, and other harmful substances that are not meant to be consumed.
Although the water from a dehumidifier is clean, it’s still not recommended to drink because of microorganisms, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), metals, viruses, and pollutants. Although this might seem like an odd answer for some people who are trying to save money by filtering their own water in the machine with a purification pitcher or straw filter, they should know that there is no way around these contaminants when you’re using these filters.
This makes sense because even though most machines are clean and filtered, they still manage to create a buildup of contaminants over time.
Dehumidifiers remove water vapor from the air, which is then collected and drained into a tank. The problem with this process is that since dehumidifiers use cooling coils to stabilize themselves they may contain chemicals like copper, nickel, or zinc in their liquid collection unit. If you want to filter your drinking water for any reason make sure it’s not coming out of the dehumidifier before consuming it!
Dehumidifier condensate water, which is the overflow of dehumidifying process, can be utilized in many ways. Many people use it to irrigate their garden or plant flowers and vegetables.
Some also believe that if the water is allowed to sit for a while after being drained from tanks before drinking it would help flush out impurities better than just using tap-water filtered through traditional methods like reverse osmosis systems which I find very odd.
Are you sick of the water that comes out of your dehumidifier? Although not recommended, you can filter and drink it, but how do you make sure you’ll get the most out of your efforts? This next heading will teach you how to filter and drink water from a dehumidifier.
How to Make Dehumidifier Water Drinkable?
If you must drink water from a dehumidifier, then follow the step below to discover how to make the water from your dehumidifier drinkable.
Reverse Osmosis
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Dehumidifiers are capable of filtering the air in your home so that you can enjoy the clean, fresh air. However, some filters have a filter membrane which can make water drinkable. The reverse osmosis process is another method to purify the water inside of these devices.
Reverse osmosis is a process where water passes through the membrane and all the impurities are caught in it. However, many factors including contaminants play a role in making pure drinking water so you should use a Reverse Osmosis Water filtration system if you must filter and drink the water from your humidifier.
Distillation
The dehumidifier does not take out sediment because it doesn’t heat water to a boil. You can distil the dehumidifier’s collected water and make it drinkable by running through a simple filtering process like boiling or using a paper towel filter.
Boil the water
To make dehumidifier water drinkable, boil the water for at least 3 minutes. This will kill any algae, fungi, germs, and other contaminants that may be in your air.
Some people advise you to boil the water for 10 minutes or more because liquids that are not boiled at least once can be contaminated with bacteria.
Filter the water
Filtering water can remove heavy metal contaminants if the filter has been used for a long time. Brita water filters are one of the most popular at-home filters, but they have to be replaced more often than other brands.
FAQ
Can you drink dehumidifier water if it is boiled?
Dehumidifiers are used in the home to provide clean, dry air. But can you drink dehumidifier water if it is boiled? The answer is no because boiling the heated humidified water will kill any bacteria that might be present and make it unsafe to drink. Boiling only removes the water, not contaminants in the air.
Lead and other metals may be present in dehumidifier water. Dehumidifier water can kill various types of fungus and bacteria that could be present in the air. It is not recommended to drink dehumidifier water boiled.
Can dogs drink water from a dehumidifier?
It is not safe to give your dog or any of your pet water from a dehumidifier. Although a dehumidifier can be a useful piece of equipment, it also carries risks. For example, the water that is created from condensate may contain lead and other toxic materials. This risk is why many people have been wondering if their dogs can drink water from a dehumidifier.
So, the answer is No. Not only can the water contain contaminants, but it may sit stagnant in the tank for long periods of time which can lead to mold or bacteria. Additionally, if a dog drinks from this type of dehumidifier, they could become ill as well.
Mike Spencer
Hi Guys, Mike is a Mechanical Engineer who specializes in Heating, Ventilation, and Air-conditioning. His love for humanity and his profession propels him to share useful and factual Information on this blog.