@mastergrowers, @growopowners, @GrowOpEmployees:
Do you capture and reuse condensate? Do you run your condensate through a UVC sterilization process?
In this drought-stricken land I call home, I’ve been capturing and reusing condensate for years in an attempt to save water. I use a condensate pump to pump the condensate back to the reservoir. It’s a cool way to cut down on the overall water consumption in my facility…it makes me feel good as a grower to create water from the air that would have otherwise gone to waste.
I am curious how many other growers out there practice condensate collection? Is there a better way?
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Several years back I regularly recaptured the condensate however a number of people raised questions regarding how the cooling coils are soldered together. For example is that Lead solder in the copper coils and if it is is it in your condensate? Where we’re at the cost of water is not a big issue so I dropped the recycle idea.
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That definitely stands to reason! We are in perpetual drought and on an expensive municipal water supply. We are always trying to find creative ways to save water (and a buck or two if we can).
Thanks for letting me know your thoughts @indoorgardenshop!
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No, because I don’t want to dilute the reservoirs and have to add back a little bit of 6 nutrients every day, too much labor. We dump our tanks weekly anyway, don’t want to mess with that at all.
We COULD store it in a separate tank and use it to refill reservoirs, but we’re on a well so my water costs are very low, and I don’t want to deal with yet-another reservoir (especially inside where it takes up floor space.)
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That makes an abundance of sense, @Lazyman! Oh, how I wish I too was on a well!
We often sink our reservoirs underground where they take up little space and generally stay a constant temp.
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Can i put something out there that has been happening in drought stricken areas in Africa, they have been coming out with small local easy to build water catchment.
Ill find it and post it soon
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Get it where you can! We also harvest and use rainwater whenever it happens. Our local water company even offers rebates for installing rainwater harvesting gutters and cisterns.
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https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Water-in-the-Desert I wonder if we could expand this and look at to commercialise this process, what could it look like, id be willing to throw that at my R&D team with some finances. Could we look at a combined think tank to research this?
Anyway
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That’s a very interesting way to collect water. Yes, it could be scaled considerably. I envision a long extruded flexible plastic sheet that unrolls and drops into a long trough in the ground. The sheet would be extruded with appropriate geometries to allow the condensation to drip down into a tube and drain at the end of the unrolled plastic sheet. That would be cool.
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Let’s see where it goes. R&D is the be horizon always will be
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Having lived in a desert for the majority of my life, I view water as a vital precious resource (as we all ought to). We are always trying to attain and maintain a steady water supply. Any innovation that allows us to more efficiently draw water from the atmosphere will be greatly welcomed. Beyond the cannabis industry, the prospect of technology that can create water in inhospitable conditions or locales offers hope of life for people that might otherwise face a bleak and thirsty existence. I hope to see this tech soon!
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Hey I think I have an idea… I mean its simple cheap and I think could be built by people with shovels or small diggers, some pipes and my magic ingredients… And honestly if my numbers are right it could collect 100,00pints of water a day… Water isn’t an issue in nz but during extreme summers it could be supplemental to bore water in rural areas.
I’ll look into it, maybe it’s already been done and I just couldn’t Google it.
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Not a great idea unless u can filter it down to a very fine level. The reason is that nasty bacteria grows inside condensate drain lines and you don’t want that in your root zone. Also there’s a question of heavy metals potentially coming from the AC coils. I tried it for awhile at my old facility and the plants developed pythium. You will need to run it thru an RO filter plus a UV sterilizer, at least…
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Yeah I see that but the amount of moisture that would need to be collected is insufficient to the size area. Look at the word upscale and commercialise, I don think its about increasing the size, but the amount. Ill send you a pic of what I mean. If my numbers bore out, it could solve a few issues, one ability to create water from a natural resource the sun, two that it requires no power, thereby scaling down the need for solar reducing the power to construct your a physical plant, anyway. I know we can do this. Happy to give to you, but it is very simple, surprising no one has thought of it before. there is more than one way to upscale. “scale”
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well yes, but that would only happen if we were drawing the water from the ground. I mean it will requiring digging and helping build tanks placed meters underground reducing the heat that damage plants, use RO water recirculation feeding into and drawing back it would be continously move from wind powered (modern watermill) PH balance and nutrients and of course greenhouse reductive shade from harsh direct sun.
I think i could come up with something, but im sure if we collectively feed into it we can crack it for the entire market this reducing costs for all.
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