Water question

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by SB21, Aug 1, 2016.


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  1. SB21

    SB21 Monkey+++

    This is going to be my 1st questions for the forum . I was told in Parris Island , there were no dumb questions , although I really don't believe that , I just think they said that to see who the dumb recruits were . So , I hope these aren't to stupid . Thanks for your help .
    1,,,I am trying to cool my mobile home with an Idylis portable AC system that you run an exhaust pipe out the window and a condensation line that I set in a 5 gallon bucket and empty when full . Recently this bucket will fill in about 8 hours of run time . Question is , what kind of chemicals could be in this water to make it unsafe for drinking ? I hate just pouring it out on the ground . Could it be boiled and used for drinking ? Bathing ? Washing clothes ? I was thinking of hooking up a system to flush the toilet with if nothing else . But really , this thing is not big enough to be economical , for no more cooling than it provides .
    2,,,,What are the most effective ways to provide air conditioning for off grid living . In my old age , this heat is getting rough on me , Getting old ain't for sissies , and it's getting harder and harder to say I'm not a sissy . LOL
     
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  2. DarkLight

    DarkLight Live Long and Prosper - On Hiatus

    For question one, the answer is entirely dependent on what the water has come into contact with, which is probably not a huge help to you add you had most likely guessed that already. Most systems are sealed though so unless there is lead solder or a heavy metal on the outside of the unit on the condenser coils (unlikely but not impossible) the water is most probably not chemically contaminated.

    It wouldn't hurt to have the water tested though. Sterilize the bucket or catch container and make sure your hose is clean and rated for potable water and then let it fill up. Get one of those free water test kits from Home Depot and send it off. See what it comes back with.

    If I we're going to drink it I'd still most likely boil or filter it but it is again, almost certainly fine for flushing toilets at the very least.
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2016
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  3. Yard Dart

    Yard Dart Vigilant Monkey Moderator

    I will leave the chemistry to your water, to much more brighter folks that will pipe up soon.

    But on item #2 Marine, if we truly go to a SHTF situation... or even just a standard off grid living arrangement.... I would be using my power resources without AC in the equation. You could have a nice earthen bunker or basement that will be much cooler than your main living area... just as an alternative. In the summer months, we rarely hang out on the 2nd floor, just to hot. And in the winter, that is where we mostly reside. Work your environment to avoid the heat.... just as we did while in the mil. Work during the night or early morning and seek cooler shade during the heat of the day.
     
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  4. UncleMorgan

    UncleMorgan I like peeling bananas and (occasionally) people.

    Condensed water should be as pure as distilled water IF the condensation coils are clean. Coils that are slimed up with algae and fungus can add bad things to the water, including Legionnaire's Disease in rare cases.

    I'd run it through a good filter that can take viruses and bacteria out. That should be enough to make it potable.

    If there's a County Heath office around, a lot of times you can take in a water sample and get it checked for free or next-to-nothing.
    That might be worth doing.

    You can get a lot of cooling out of evaporating five gallons of water. You might try the swamp cooler thing: run a fan through wet cloth and enjoy the chilled breeze it creates.
     
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  5. AD1

    AD1 Monkey+++

    Using geothermal for heat and cool.

    Depending on where you live the ground temp 5-ish feet below ground will be mostly constant all year round. Most areas in the US is 55-55 degs.

    You can do an "air system" or a "liquid system".

    For an air system 4-10 inch PVC/ABS/???? Ridged pipe 100+? Feet long buried to that depth. Can be run in a serpentine rectangle. You will need both ends to come into the building. One for intake (into the system)and one as the delivery outlet to provide cool(summer)warm air(winter).

    Add a small 12 volt axial fan like a computer 4 inch fan on both the intake and outlet that can be run off of solar.

    Insulation in the building will be critical to make these low volume systems work.


    The liquid (closed loop) version is the same principle but with with smaller dia tubing of a few hundred feet. Small 12 volt liquid pump running through the tubing up to a heat exchanger like a repurposed AC coil set that you then use a high volume fan to move air through.

    there are pleanty of designs on the internet that you can pick from.

    Here is one example
    DIY Geothermal
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2016
  6. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

    A/C water is full of pretty much everything in the air. So lots of air borne bacteria, some pollen.
    You could use it to water plants, flush the shitter, wash clothes. You could drink it, might want to boil it first. Only problem with drinking it long term is the lack of minerals.

    Off gird A/C takes a lot of power.
    You can use a generator but a generator will burn minimum of a half gallon of gas per hour.
    For me it took about $1000 to build a small solar power system that can run the refrigerator during day light hours. I have more solar panels now so if I wanted to I could run an A/C during solar panel hours (from about 1000 to 1600). I don't have the battery capacity to run after dark.
     
  7. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    You can and should be doing a few things here at this point; 1) the input water should be mixed with a 5% vinegar and or bleach mixture and run that through your cooling unit daily! That will clean and keep the unit sterile. This will also kill off a lot of the little buggers that you WILL be collecting. 2) for the used water, have it tested first to find out what if any contaminates might be in it! IF you have clean water, it is now also treated and you can use as is, or boil it to remove the bleach and or vinegar ( mostly for the taste) you can and should find your self a good charcoal filter system and use it for all your drinking water needs! Berky makes an excellent unit that can run many gallons in a short time frame and it serviceable! Remember Marine, the only dumb question there is, is the one you don't ask! feel free to ask as much as often as you like, never feel dumb for asking!
     
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  8. SB21

    SB21 Monkey+++

    Thanks for the geothermal link , that was the most basic one I've seen , all the others I've seen were mainly geared toward selling their equipment . I will look into getting the water tested , just for my basic knowledge and piece of mind . The AC is really only important to me now , if my plan works out , in a few years I'll be sittin on a small spread in the mountains ,cooler air anyway , If I can find the right piece of property for my budget , then the building will begin , and just trying to see what systems ya'll are using and recommending . I don't need a lot of fancy stuff , just the bare minimum basics works for me , luxuries are just little extras that I try not to get used to . I told my ex wife years ago , when our power got cut off , living by a kerosene heater , cooking chicken and squirrel on top of the heater , " If you don't get to comfortable with all them luxuries and easy life gadgets , you won't miss'em when times get rough and they're not around " . Lucky for me , she didn't stick around much longer . Thanks all , enjoying the site and all the info ya'll have here .
     
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  9. Salted Weapon

    Salted Weapon Monkey+++

    Its important to remember good insulation when heating and cooling.
    Roofing makes a difference as well, there are insulated shingle and depending how cold or hot it gets there
    having light or dark shingles helps.

    As far as water to many varying obstacles for this monkey to figure out.
     
  10. bmtm09

    bmtm09 Monkey

    If you have solar panels enough to run a fan look up homemade air conditioners on youtube... I made one like this for grins and giggles...works very well...now granted I use a igloo ice chest with 4 frozen gallons of water . the more you put into insulation the better off you will be...mine runs about 20 degrees cooler than ambient temp...at the end of the day with a couple of drops of bleach the water is good to drink
     
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  11. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    To answer your Water Question..... If you run it thru a 2 Micron Cotten Filter, then an Activated Charcoal Filter, and finally thru a UV Sterizing Tank, it will certainly be Potable Water....
     
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  12. oil pan 4

    oil pan 4 Monkey+++

  13. AD1

    AD1 Monkey+++

    I saw the ridged 4 inch PVC install this weekend on Discovery Channels Homested Rescue Nevada Thirst.

    Seach around and see if you can find the epsoide and watch it. They cooled a conex using that method. Air temp in the ground in the desert was ~55 deg F

    Also anything you can do to shade the moble home will pay big dividends.

    An arbor with vines on the sides and some thing to shade to roof so you are not directly exposed to the sun is the key to keeping the heat away.
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2016
  14. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    Actually I done lots of caving in the SW AZ area, air temp is closer to 70 degrees and very humid.

    Rancher
     
  15. AD1

    AD1 Monkey+++

    Thats probably in a active wet cave and is not indicative of ground humidity/temps in undisturbed earth.

    This report sites range 54-75 on AZ where the higher temps are in formations that are geothermally heated
    Ground-Source Geothermal Heating and Cooling: Sustainable and Affordable Energy for Arizona and the U.S.

    The idea behind heat pumps or geothermal ground-source energy is a simple one that involves leveraging year-round ground temperatures, typically between 54 – 75 degrees Fahrenheit, for cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. An experimental bore well at Lookout Mountain showed a range of undisturbed formation temperatures from 77.8 to 84.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Higher formation temperatures in Arizona have long discouraged growth of ground-source technology. But according to Don Penn, PE and Certified GeoExchange Designer (CGD), a simple and effective solution is to enlarge the footprint of the well field and increase the number of well bores to provide the necessary heating and cooling.
     
    Last edited: Aug 2, 2016
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  16. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    Thanks, yes they were wet caves...


    Rancher
     
  17. azrancher

    azrancher Monkey +++

    I have ground exchange heat pump system. A bunch of coils laid about 10' underground, problem is in the winter they freeze, don't work well at all, in AZ they won't let you do a pump and dump well water
    system

    Rancher
     
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  18. Tempstar

    Tempstar Monkey+++

    To the OP, those units with the single vent will never properly cool your home. They exhaust the condenser air, which has to be done, but for every cubic foot of hot air they exhaust, another cubic foot of un-conditioned air must enter to take it's place. Compound this by the fact that the air they exhaust is already conditioned air, they really suck. Better would be one with the dual ducts. I have modified one in the past with an add on duct for the incoming condenser air on a communications trailer.
    A geothermal heat pump is the absolute best system for mechanical refrigeration. As a heat pump, the coefficient of performance approaches 4:1, which is 4 times the btuh output for each watt of electrical input.
    Azrancher, you couldn't fill the stock pond with your well, with a heat pump slipped in the middle?
     
  19. duane

    duane Monkey+++

    At MSU back in the 1970's the grad students in Ag Engineering were allowed offices in a building built before 1900 and it got really hot. We took an old tractor radiator and ran well water into it at a slow rate, used a fan to push the air through it and ran the discharge water into a tank used for watering test plots or animals. Water came in in the 40's range and was let out in the 60's range. Made life a lot easier. It was amazing to me at the time as to how little water it took to make life more comfortable. In dry climates, like Ariz, swamp coolers use little water and can make your life much more comfortable. For us "senior citizens" relatively cool, dry, air is not a luxury, it may be what is keeping us alive. Seems like in a survival situation using your wash water, irrigation water, clothing washing water, etc to cool you place would have benefit in heating the water and cooling the place. I "temper" the water I use in my greenhouse as the plants don't seem to like 45 degree water from my well when it is 90 + in the greenhouse and the water soluble fertilizers dissolve much better at 70 degrees. Not a stupid question and no simple answer and so much depends on were you live.
     
  20. Witch Doctor 01

    Witch Doctor 01 Mojo Maker

    We used a igloo cooler with a recirculating pump... placed 6 frozen gallon water inside in a water bath.... worked well
     
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