Sunny Gardens®

Gardening => Outdoor Gardening => : Sunny Gardens® November 28, 2005, 01:56:39 AM

: Water Conservation
: Sunny Gardens® November 28, 2005, 01:56:39 AM

Collect air conditioning runoff for watering your plants. The water is practically mineral-free (no salt buildup) and you save money.

: Re: Water Conservation
: altyfc January 06, 2006, 04:53:22 PM

Good tip. Is it possible to collect air conditioning run-off from cars, do you know?

Aaron

: Re: Water Conservation
: Sunny Gardens® January 07, 2006, 11:39:18 PM

Not sure about that one, but I am thinking a car air conditioning system may use freon and not water, so there should be no water exiting the system.

: Re: Water Conservation
: altyfc January 09, 2006, 03:42:08 PM

I know with many cars, that if the aircon has been running, you can get a puddle underneath.  This happened with one of my cars recently, and I thought there was a leak, but they were immediately able to re-assure me that it was just the aircon.

Aaron

: Re: Water Conservation
: Sunny Gardens® January 09, 2006, 10:22:35 PM

I know with many cars, that if the aircon has been running, you can get a puddle underneath.

If the car was parked for a while with the air conditioner running, the puddle may have been a little boil-over from the overflow reservoir connected to the radiator. Also, when the car was shut off, the immediate engine temperature rise due to the lack of cooling system circulation may have caused the same phenomena as well.

: Re: Water Conservation
: altyfc January 10, 2006, 04:05:11 AM

Yes, I'm talking about when the engine is shut off.  I guess the amount of water involved is pretty small that it's hardly worth trying to collect it.

Aaron

: Re: Water Conservation
: Sunny Gardens® January 10, 2006, 04:43:21 PM

Yes, I'm talking about when the engine is shut off.  I guess the amount of water involved is pretty small that it's hardly worth trying to collect it.

Also, just in case it is the water/coolant mix and not just water, it may not be a good idea to collect it.  :)

: Re: Water Conservation
: altyfc January 10, 2006, 05:11:36 PM

Ah yes... good point.  ;D

Aaron

: Re: Water Conservation
: Anthropositor June 26, 2009, 09:39:34 PM

Hi Peter,
Actually, in a correctly functioning A/C system, the freon is entirely trapped.  What hits the ground is actually water, precipitated from the cold metal parts, but it is in insignificant amounts.  If you turn off the water stream while brushing your teeth, or while shaving and rinsing your razor, you will save more water.  Or shut off any dripping faucet.

: Re: Water Conservation and watering the plants
: joy99 August 10, 2009, 04:13:23 PM

I have put a little plastic tube like gutter under one of the window ACs here and the water flows off off the wooden porch (that  was my main goal), and now it makes a nice water deposit for the plants at the edge of the porch. 

 I am glad to know that there are no AC/freon juices going into the runoff.  I'm not much of an AC/Heating know it all. :)