Living in an area near a beach or any other damp locality means breathing in humid air and that is why having a dehumidifier is essential. A dehumidifier sucks all the moisture from the air effortlessly but, can you drink water from a dehumidifier? Is it safe or what. In this blog, you will get to know about benefits, working and how it extracts the water from the air and if we can drink it. Let’s resolve this mystery.
Dehumidifier in a Nutshell
A dehumidifier helps to minimize the amount of humidity from the air and releases the dry air. This is more beneficial for the people dealing with asthma, allergies or any other kind of breathing difficulty. How a dehumidifier does it, let’s give it a quick read.
How a Dehumidifier Work?
A dehumidifier works by converting the humid air to dry air. It does that by drawing the warm air current through a fan into the coil. The warm air that enters the unit and contracts when it is fed through refrigerated coils and leaves the condensation in it.
The collected condensation falls in the tang of the dehumidifier, one droplet at a time. The cool and the dry air, after going through this process, is released back to the environment.
The dehumidifier can bring the level of humidity down to 30 to 50 percent.
With the innovation and latest technology, many dehumidifiers now come with the meter that measures the relative humidity where it is placed. This feature allows you to set a desired percentage. The collected water in the storage tank needs to be empty from time to time or it can bring life to the bacteria.
Since it is extracted from the air, can you drink the water from the dehumidifier?
It is a good idea to find different ways to utilize that water but the water collected in the storage tank of the dehumidifier is not drinkable.
Why Shouldn’t You Drink the Water from a Dehumidifier?
Working of a dehumidifier is based upon 2 different principles; absorption and refrigeration.
Absorption
This method is a combination of adsorption and absorption. It regulates the air flow with the low amount of humidity with the help of water absorbing material in the cage which is covered entirely.
When the warm air is blown from a hot electrical fan, it drains the water vapors, allowing the dry air to leave from the chamber.
Refrigeration
The humidifier works by passing the humid air through the chilled coils by an electric fan. The air is sent back to the atmosphere when the air hits the cold surface. This is refrigeration.
There is a chamber inside that collects the condensed water and the condensation process is incapable of purifying the water from impurities like molds and bacteria.
Both processes decrease the amount of humidity from the air however, still, the water is not drinkable as it is not purified.
Can You Drink Water From a Dehumidifier?
The precise answer to this question is NO. You can not drink the water from a dehumidifier. However, there are ways through which you can make it drinkable.
A dehumidifier does not evaporate the water before the condensing. That is why the water that is collected is impure and is not drinkable. Though it is not pure, you can apparently make it drinkable. You can go for
Distillation
Through heating the water and turning them to water vapors, it leaves the impurities behind. This helps to remove the microbes and make the water drinkable.
Or, You Can Go for Reverse Osmosis
Another method to purify the dehumidifier water is Reverse Osmosis. This process has a membrane in the surface that catches the large impure particles in it and leaves pure water.
Using any of these methods can purify your dehumidifier water and make it drinkable.
How Water Distillation Purifies the Dehumidifier Water?
Distilled water is safe to drink as it is pure.
Water which is drained from the air can be purified through distillation that brings water to boil by heating it. In this process, the water evaporates and the impurities are only left behind.
The water vapors are taken to a different container having a cold surface to condense the vapor and turn them to the liquid form.
This process is different from condensation because it has evaporation in the process and a dehumidifier does not distill the water.
Where Else You Can Use the Dehumidifier Water?
In case you cannot purify the water but still want to utilize it then, here are some other ways you might consider.
- This water can be used as the radiator water in the car or for the wiper tank.
- You can use it in the steam iron.
- Though it is the atmospheric water so you can use it for irrigation purposes or watering your regular plants.
- You can use this water as your toilet reserves.
- Another way of utilizing the dehumidifier water is by mixing it with ammonia and use it as a cleaning agent for washing and cleaning.
Let’s conclude with the positive side, how a dehumidifier is beneficial for health and its usage.
Benefits of Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier removes the water vapors present in the air in order to provide dry and healthy air. It also copes with the allergens or anything that can trigger the allergy.
- The allergens are more likely to cause wheezing, sneezing, itching, irritation in eyes, chest, etc. These issues are triggered by mold, dust mites, animal dander, pollens and other pollutants. A dehumidifier contributes in creating a healthy environment by removing such particles from the air too.
- Apart from drying out the air from the dehumidifier, it also keeps these pollutants to a minimized level and controls the growth of molds.
- A dehumidifier helps sometimes to control asthma because it is difficult to breath in heavy air that may cause adverse effects on breathing.
- If your locality possesses natural dampness i.e. sea then, a dehumidifier can cool off the air too. Through this way, it cuts down the demand of air conditioners and the electricity cost too.
- Some dehumidifiers are multifunctional. This means that there are some devices that also work as air purifiers. In that case you don’t have to buy it additionally.
In the End
Though a dehumidifier is an effective device for healthing living and you do want to waste the water that it collects. There are some ways through which you can either utilize it for chores or make it drinkable.
However, do not try to drink the water that comes from its tank as it is not pure and can cause damage to health. If you want to do so, make sure that you have purified it through the processes that we have mentioned in this blog.