Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

All the water from our evaporative air conditioner goes into the garden and the water from the refrigerated air conditioner goes into the pool. Are these types of water okay for AP. The evaporative would get rid of the chlorine in the water. And the refrigeration get the water from the air.

Don't think so Dufflight, it also picks up all the crap from the air.

Both gnash and I have had no problems using air con water from our evaporatives.

In the navy when the water maker broke, we used the water condensation from the ships aircon to supply water. None of us are dead yet

You may be walking OBO.... but an advertisment......

It's my understand that this water would be almost perfectly pure. It may pick up some elements from air exposure but no more that the water already in your AP setup. The water you're getting from atmospheric vapour is the same H20 that makes the ice that builds up in your freezer and this is your purest domestically available water which is why you melt it and use it for topping up lead-acid car batteries. You can confirm this by seeing if it conducts electricity, PURE water does not conduct electricity. It's the ions from assorted dissolved impurities that allow it to conduct.

Anyway, perfectly safe for AP...probably better than whatever else you're using.

You just have to be carefull of what you spray inside your house. An average AC will take out 1 litre of water form the air per hour. Mines a 6.5hp ducted split that takes five times that from the air.

i think the original question was bleed water from EVAP coolers (aka swampies)


there has been a previous discussion on it. my position has not changed. no way ok (conc. of any salts will be VERY high. the F in particular bothers me.


condensate from refrigerated acs? fine if you dont spray inside the house i guess.

Monkey puncher, completely wrong about nearly pure. it will contain ANY and ALL volatiles that are in the air.

Will be completely free from dissolved solids (salts etc) but WILL contain volatiles.

That why a still works and why water purification by evaporation and condensation still carries over volatiles. There was a case where a navy ship has serious issues whith the drinking water they were purifying on board. from memory it was some contaminant in the water that was actually concentrated. like ethanol in the still.

Well... there's the modern navy for ya... once upon a time they drank rum...

Pansy's can't handle a bit of ethanol..... phhht.....

You tell 'em Rupe

Steve has the right idea, what ever is in the air will get to the water, as the dust is pulled in to the swampy the water washes it down and the bleed off takes it to the system.
We have alot of contaminants in the air here due to the major mine blasting so close to town, dust is always an issue and that dust contains heaps of nasties, ergo it will get into the aqua system.
We also have a nickel smelter 15kms out on one side and a gold roaster 15km out on the other so if the wind is blowing north or south we have bad air.

I would really like to get one of my fish tested to see what nasties it MAY contain, but on the other hand ignorance is bliss

Never mind the fact that all of our water is stored in open top dams exposed to the very same contaminants.

If my fish or I die from this terrible air you'll be the first to know.

LOL OBO, was more talking about dissolved solids in the water supply being concentrated by the evaporation in the swampy.

Eg 1ppm Fluoride becoming 5ppm fluoride.............

Oh, and rupe, my post didnt read right, the ethanol was an example, in the case of the ship i believe it was actually agent orange.................

hehe nothing is concentrated in my swampy, the bleeder runs flatout

So now you're telling me they can't handle their drugs either...... pansy's....

I know I would never user water from air conditioners in ap. The coils are often copper with soldered joints and all kinds of bacteria grow there.

no coils in my evaporative,

nothing wrong with a bit of fluoride steve, the trout will have great teeth

In all seriousness, I will try the bleedoff water in the coming summer, if I have trouble I will join the steve side of the camp. I had no problems last summer with bleedoff water.

My aircon has a continuous bleedoff, that I have set to max so I could get more water for the garden. When I take the aircon covers off once a month ish there is very little solids or dirt in the bottom of the unit.