Oh no not again! Another "water from air" machine!

[Cyberdragon]

"I'm no scientist" he says...well we are, and we have some things to say about this.



EDIT: NO, MAKE HIM STOP! I don't know if I can even watch the rest of the video after he started spewing the exact same BULLSHIT that Waterseer did! Now I'm salty because this channel used to have decent product reviews and showcases. Now it too has been contaminated by his ignorence.

EDIT AGAIN: PHEW! Thank you comment section for roasting his ass! I feel a bit better now!

[Brumby]

We all know systems like this will work.  How well will depend on the humidity.  The energy cost to do so is another aspect to consider.

This guy states that humidity is a factor.  He also states that there will be an energy cost.  He doesn't offer any numbers, but then he isn't making any claims that require numbers.  As such, he isn't really doing anything to upset me - well not directly.

The only real question for me is: Is such a unit worth the cost of purchase and operation for the result it gives?

The answer to that is going to be very dependent on the situation and, IMHO, the situations where it will be a good fit will be few and far between.

[digsys]

... as per comments ... you'd need to factor in the cost of installing a good fart detector !! :-)

[homebrew]

Sure that's gonna work. From my perspective it's nothing else than a normal air dehumidifier with a filtering system attached.
Air dehumidifiers are nothing new at all.

I would have more concerns however drinking that water. Isn't it basically distilled and thus completely demineralized? Maybe they add something in the process? Would be interesting to know ...

[Brumby]

I did see that row of filters as being somewhat OTT - and I almost chuckled when he mentioned a reverse osmosis filter.

My bet is that the suppliers will be making sales of these for an ongoing revenue stream.

[Nusa]

Can't bash it, as this isn't a free water claim at all. This is workable and existing technology, requiring an energy input to condense the water from the air. This particular example is aimed at the luxury crowd, but simple examples exist. For instance, every condensor-based air-conditioning system (house or vehicle) has a drain tube that dumps water that can be captured and used.

[grifftech]

Can't bash it, as this isn't a free water claim at all. This is workable and existing technology, requiring an energy input to condense the water from the air. This particular example is aimed at the luxury crowd, but simple examples exist. For instance, every condenser-based air-conditioning system (house or vehicle) has a drain tube that dumps water that can be captured and used.

I use the water from an air conditioner for my pond.
 

[Cyberdragon]

He also never said how long he ran it before he got that glass of water. I also see it as entirely pointless. The only place I see this being usefull is in a tropical environment where you need a large dehumidifier anyway.

[Zero999]

He also never said how long he ran it before he got that glass of water. I also see it as entirely pointless. The only place I see this being usefull is in a tropical environment where you need a large dehumidifier anyway.

And in such a climate, there's lots of rain anyway, unless it's the dry season but then humidity will be low.

Someone demonstrated a water from air machine on the UK TV show The Dragons Den, but no one invested because they said the water tasted funny.

Does anyone know why the water might taste bad? Perhaps gasses from the atmosphere dissolve in the water?

[james_s]

Probably dust and contamination, maybe various types of mold or bacteria. I had some kind of mold form in the evaporator of my car's AC system several years ago which caused the air to smell like sour milk before it got cold, ick! I had to spray some stuff in there to kill whatever was causing the stench at which point I obviously would not want to drink the condensate. Anything like this is going to require passing lots of atmospheric air over a condenser and that means passing lost of airborne pollutants, bacteria and whatever else is in the air over it. A good filter will help but even the best filters are going to let some stuff through.

Might work in an emergency but I wouldn't want to drink the stuff otherwise.

[Rick Law]

We all know systems like this will work.  How well will depend on the humidity.  The energy cost to do so is another aspect to consider.

This guy states that humidity is a factor.  He also states that there will be an energy cost.  He doesn't offer any numbers, but then he isn't making any claims that require numbers.  As such, he isn't really doing anything to upset me - well not directly.

The only real question for me is: Is such a unit worth the cost of purchase and operation for the result it gives?

The answer to that is going to be very dependent on the situation and, IMHO, the situations where it will be a good fit will be few and far between.

It depends on what you mean by "work".  It will condense water vapor and other vapor at the same time.  Any smoker can see the sheen of tobacco oil on the walls of a smoker's room.  Get a smoker anywhere near it, you will be drinking tobacco oil mixed with water.

So, add in the huge cost of purification...

Perhaps new a beverage favor in the horizon:  Rosin flux aroma with every sip.

[james_s]

Yuck! 

[MarkS]

I lost the link some time ago, but I once saw an analysis of A/C condensate. Now, to be fair, the contents will depend on your location, but this is NASTY stuff! It is full of bacteria, viruses, fungi, chemicals known both inside and OUTSIDE! of California to cause cancer, pollen, dust and other general nastiness. Calling this stuff water is like calling smog "air".

The reverse osmosis mention was interesting. Did they just bolt the unconnected RO membrane in the case somewhere? Even a very efficient RO membrane has something like a 3:1 reject to filtered water ratio and requires relatively high pressures. Are they condensing 3x-5x the resulting filtered water? Where is the effluent drain?

[RGB255_0_0]

Legionnaire's can be a problem. So much so I wouldn't trust the water if someone just handed it to me randomly and it wasn't fresh.

The taste is probably down to the fact that you will become accustomed to how your water tastes in your local area and the minerals contained in it.

[Nusa]

I never said you should drink it straight, unless it was designed as a clean system in the first place. The point is that it's a SOURCE of water, often an otherwise discarded source. You have to have water of some sort before you can filter and use purification systems on it.

[james_s]

There are probably a select few situations where it makes sense to pull water from air, but in most cases there are probably less energy intensive ways to obtain water.

[MarkS]

I never said you should drink it straight, unless it was designed as a clean system in the first place. The point is that it's a SOURCE of water, often an otherwise discarded source. You have to have water of some sort before you can filter and use purification systems on it.

I'm assuming you're talking to me, since we both mentioned A/C condensate. My comments were not directed at anyone. This is nasty stuff. It can be filtered, but it is concentrated nastiness. There is a LOT of stuff in that water, none of it healthy. If your filters break or are inadequate, you'll be in a world of hurt.

[BrianHG]

I would have more concerns however drinking that water. Isn't it basically distilled and thus completely demineralized? Maybe they add something in the process? Would be interesting to know ...

This is not a problem.  Don't be fooled, a single grain of salt per liter of water over compensates.  We get plenty of the minerals we need from the food we eat, not the water we drink.

If you want clean water, take the cheapest tap water and steam distill it.  You'll get a lot more fresh water per watt.

[BrianHG]

Legionnaire's can be a problem. So much so I wouldn't trust the water if someone just handed it to me randomly and it wasn't fresh.

Yes, and so it the dust collected in the air with the water.  You are basically drinking your own dead skin cells (the majority of indoor dust) on mass unless the device is run outdoors and it has perfect nano-particle air filtration.
Now, don't misunderstand me, the condensation of the water from the air is pure, but, once it's water, where it is being slowly condensed, ad dripped through, it's collecting all that crap along the way to the drip container...

[Zero999]

I would have thought bacteria and fungi would do more harm in the lungs, than the stomach, which contains a strong acid to kill most nasties. I suppose, the main problem is when it's damp, there's more opportunity for fungi and bacteria to breed.

[GreyWoolfe]

... as per comments ... you'd need to factor in the cost of installing a good fart detector !! :-)

I already have a good fart detector, it resides between my mouth and eyes 

[donotdespisethesnake]

You are basically drinking your own dead skin cells (the majority of indoor dust) on mass unless the device is run outdoors and it has perfect nano-particle air filtration.

That's an urban myth http://hoaxes.org/weblog/comments/does_dust_consist_primarily_of_human_skin, probably started by a vacuum cleaner company. For some reason, although dust contains all sorts of crap, the idea it contains a lot of dead skin evokes a particular "eeugh" factor. There's really nothing wrong with dead skin per se.

However, there is often plenty of other unpleasant stuff in dust that you wouldn't want to ingest it regularly.

[Raj]

I have a 1.5ton A.C. that takes 5 amps peak, and generates a bucket full of water ( small 4 liter )throughout a day. Cools the room to bone chilling temperature but costs a lot to run.
I wouldn't recommend drinking it since it's always muddy and black.
Remove the thermostat and place the whole ac in the room (get the outer unit, inside the room) and there you have it. Your own acid rain condenser.

[rs20]

I wouldn't want to drink the condensed liquid -- but it is somewhat concerning to consider that we are breathing the same air that the dehumidifier is processing. Especially if the water is muddy and black (the water from my dehumidifer at least looks crystal clear and ostensibly drinkable.)