Water from the air-from a Phoenix Company

[dirtsurfer]

I most likely will install one of these in 2019:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/miguelhelft/2017/11/15/meet-zero-mass-water-whose-solar-panels-pull-drinking-water-from-the-air/#3f83fecf370e

 

[Stuart]

Interesting. My first thought was how in the hell do you pull water out of air that has near zero humidity to begin with? But I guess there's a way. 5 liters a day ain't much, but it's a start.

Right now, my AC unit is producing 5 gallons of condensate a day. I capture it all and use it to water my plants. I suppose you could drink it if filtered, but the bucket is always slimy from it.

 

[PintoPoint]

These are expensive and you have to have one of there crews come out and install it. They charge you double for the unit and donate one to another family that needs one. Not for me.

 

[jerry]

I'm in!

 

[dirtsurfer]

Interesting. My first thought was how in the hell do you pull water out of air that has near zero humidity to begin with? But I guess there's a way. 5 liters a day ain't much, but it's a start.

Right now, my AC unit is producing 5 gallons of condensate a day. I capture it all and use it to water my plants. I suppose you could drink it if filtered, but the bucket is always slimy from it.

Wow, 5 gallons is a lot!

 

[dirtsurfer]

I'm in!

The Israelis have industrial sized units that operate similarly and produce a lot more water but are mucho dinero. The technology is way cool, it just needs to produce more and come down in price.

 

[dirtsurfer]

These are expensive and you have to have one of there crews come out and install it. They charge you double for the unit and donate one to another family that needs one. Not for me.

I’ve been talking to the company and they have never heard of your claims, and they will let me install myself in Mexico. Anyway, the unit does not currently produce enough water versus the expense but I bet competitors appear with less expensive solutions.

 

[PintoPoint]

I’ve been talking to the company and they have never heard of your claims, and they will let me install myself in Mexico. Anyway, the unit does not currently produce enough water versus the expense but I bet competitors appear with less expensive solutions.

The unit costs just under 4K and requires a donation of 10% for 3rd world countries. It used to be much higher.

Cody Friesen, founder of Zero Mass Water and a materials scientist at Arizona State University, developed the system with the aim of having it work sustainably and easily anywhere in the world. An installed system with one solar panel sells in the U.S. for about $3,700, including a required 10 percent donation toward reducing costs for installations in parts of the globe lacking a water infrastructure.

 

[PintoPoint]

The unit costs just under 4K and requires a donation of 10% for 3rd world countries. It used to be much higher.

Cody Friesen, founder of Zero Mass Water and a materials scientist at Arizona State University, developed the system with the aim of having it work sustainably and easily anywhere in the world. An installed system with one solar panel sells in the U.S. for about $3,700, including a required 10 percent donation toward reducing costs for installations in parts of the globe lacking a water infrastructure.

Here's a good link on the effectiveness of these panels.

 

[brokenwave]

Interesting. My first thought was how in the hell do you pull water out of air that has near zero humidity to begin with? But I guess there's a way. 5 liters a day ain't much, but it's a start.

Right now, my AC unit is producing 5 gallons of condensate a day. I capture it all and use it to water my plants. I suppose you could drink it if filtered, but the bucket is always slimy from it.

My Mini-Splits in Cholla, one 2 ton and a one ton condensate drain produce 6-8 gallons of water per day in early July.
I bet it's close to 10 gallons a day in Aug. I use the condensate to water my plants when I'm there.

 

[Landshark]

The solar powered de-sal plant built in RP by U of A back in the 60’s made around 4000 gallons of fresh water in it’s first 24 hour test run. Basically all due to captured condensation with no negative environmental effects. Seems like a great idea, wish they had continued developing it.

 

[Stuart]

The solar powered de-sal plant built in RP by U of A back in the 60’s made around 4000 gallons of fresh water in it’s first 24 hour test run. Basically all due to captured condensation with no negative environmental effects. Seems like a great idea, wish they had continued developing it.

Uh.... desal uses seawater, not condensate from the air.....?

 

[Landshark]

Uh.... desal uses seawater, not condensate from the air.....?

It was called a desalting facility, which created fresh water from seawater from an evaporative/condensation process. Basically a solar powered still. The process was to pump seawater into a pond with a black bottom that was inside a glass greenhouse. The sun heated the black bottom which heated the water which evaporated and condensed on the inside of the glass, running down the glass to be captured. Condensate from the air...with a little help.

 

[TICO-T]

Uh.... desal uses seawater, not condensate from the air.....?

Is this facility still in operation today?

 

[Landshark]

No, got all crazy...
http://rockypoint360.com/rocky-point-perspective-the-great-shrimp-showdown-of-1980-part-i/

 

[Landshark]

http://rockypoint360.com/rocky-point-perspective-the-great-shrimp-showdown-of-1980-part-ii/

 

[dirtsurfer]

The Zeromass may not be the correct unit right now but research is running very fast in this direction. Here is another little experiment:
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/new-solar-powered-device-can-pull-water-straight-desert-air

 

[Roberto]

I too generate many liters of perfectly good water every day from the AC unit and use it to water plants. I have often wondered why, with modifications to the cooling and water collection the water would not be appropriate for household use and stored in existing tanks. The city supply is generally not used for consumption and in fact the flow has been similar to the condensate collected in terms of daily volume. Not a complete solution to serious water issues but often times many small solutions are successful when one large comprehensive solution is pursued, and this one is essentially free !!

 

[PintoPoint]

I too generate many liters of perfectly good water every day from the AC unit and use it to water plants. I have often wondered why, with modifications to the cooling and water collection the water would not be appropriate for household use and stored in existing tanks. The city supply is generally not used for consumption and in fact the flow has been similar to the condensate collected in terms of daily volume. Not a complete solution to serious water issues but often times many small solutions are successful when one large comprehensive solution is pursued, and this one is essentially free !!

In my research there is a problem with the condensation coming off the coils, it can contain bacteria. Also it would not have the minerals your body needs. In the ZeroMass unit they filter and add minerals back into the water.

 

[Roberto]

I was thinking of domestic use not consumption, I do not drink the water from the tank delivered through the water system. Wash clothes, scrub floor, flush toilet, shower, etc. What percent of city water do you think is used for consumption on average in the US?