Hi, I've read your water alternatives on the home page has anyone heard/tried out air to water devices?
I first saw them on 'pimp my ride' (it just happened to be on the tv ), but have been doing a little research http://www.watermakerindia.com/sohomachine.php (cheapest I found at about £400) and it looks like they use A LOT of power 500W+. On the program they were fitting a smaller one into a car - so they must be able to run of battery so solar I guess.
Umm - isn't that just a dehumidifier by another name? In which case, yes, I've used one (in fact I've got one in bits on the kitchen table at the moment).
They work a bit like a fridge, with a compressor driven heat pump giving you a cold element and a warm element. Air is drawn over the cold element, where moisture in it condenses on the cold surface, and collects in a container below. How much water it can produce depends upon the moisture content of the air - a humid summer day will give you more than a cold winter day (warm air can hold more moisture).
You can get small ones for about £75 that use a couple of hundred watts, which claim to condense up to 10 litres a day - probably standing outside near a lake, though.
Looking at the link that you posted, it does seem that the water is filtered and 'oxygenated' (what does that mean?) to make it into drinking water. A dehumidifier won't have more than a dust filter in it. But you could maybe put it through a filter jug to remove any particles. I suppose it is no more than distilled water, so may taste a bit 'flat'.
I guess, pragmatically, you also have to consider that a dehumidifier is not made with drinking water in mind. The water itself should be OK, but I couldn't say that the cooling element isn't painted with something that might leach into the water. And the plastic drip tray and container probably won't have passed some health and safety approval as a container for potable (drinking) water. That's not to say it's not completely harmless, mind.
Muddypause wrote:Looking at the link that you posted, it does seem that the water is filtered and 'oxygenated' (what does that mean?).
G'day Guys,
If you've ever drunk distilled water, it tastes flat, because any dissolved gases come out during distillation, so you can "re-oxygenate" it by pouring from on container to another, or shaking it up somehow. It doesn't affect the safety of the water to drink, but it makes it taste better somehow!
They are essentially dehumidifiers, the only difference is they filter and remove all the bacteria with UV. Apperently even though the water from the dehumidifier is free from most bad stuff, something called micro-bacteria still gets through in the air so you need the UV to kill it.
More detilas here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheri ... _generator
One cool thing I did find was these fridges with them built in: http://www.airwaterfridges.com/ im not sure of the price, but I like the idea.
I cant find any suppliers in the UK, I'd want to try them out before I bought one.
), but have been doing a little research http://www.watermakerindia.com/sohomachine.php (cheapest I found at about £400) and it looks like they use A LOT of power 500W+. On the program they were fitting a smaller one into a car - so they must be able to run of battery so solar I guess.
