Many people are not really aware of what a condensate drain line on an Air Conditioning system is or what it really does. In most homes there is a small pipe (often white) that extends out from one side of the house. It should discharge at least a foot away from the structure, be free of debris and when the air conditioner is running, water should be flowing freely from it. That’s right… you should routinely check this pipe and make sure there is an ample flow from it. If the water is not flowing, it’s flowing out somewhere else inside the house. This is not a good thing, especially if your air handler is in the attic or another part of the conditioned space.
Each day as a part of the normal cooling process, air conditioning systems remove a large quantity of moisture from the air. In some cases, this could be 5-20 gallons or more per day. Generally this can be easily captured and stored. Historically, there has been little thought given to this wastewater, but a couple of things have happened which are causing people to start thinking about ways to use this significant source.
- People are becoming more aware of the importance of conserving our natural resources
- Drought conditions seem to be becoming more prevalent in certain areas
While this train of thought is a good one, there are few things that must be taken into consideration, as this water may not be as pure as expected. Although this moisture is essentially distilled water – mineral free and with a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) level of near zero, it should NEVER be used for human consumption as it may contain traces of heavy metals. It can also be corrosive to most metals such as steel and iron due to the lack of minerals. Some sources recommend only using condensate water for plants not intended for human consumption. Chemicals such as bleach are often poured into the drain lines to help keep them clean, so be aware of what has gone into that system before pouring it on plants.
As with any greywater system, A/C condensate should not be stored for long periods particularly in warmer climates.
With a little care and awareness, condensate collection can be a very effective alternative way to keep landscape plants growing without running up your water bill or depleting natural resources.
Have you got a creative way to use this stuff? Let us know by leaving a comment!
Take a look around your closets at home and what do you see the most of? Hopefully not those ’70’s disco clothes and shoes you’re still holding onto! The most common item found in most closets is the wire coat hanger. The Organic Consumers Association estimates that 3.5 billion wire hangers are used each year by the dry cleaning industry alone. As these are generally made of steel, this amounts to 195 million pounds of steel used for production. Since steel is one of the more easily recycled products, you would think that there was a happy answer here, but the hanger network estimates that about 3.5 Billion hangers end up in the landfill each year. That’s about 60,000 cars! Wire hangers also take about 100 years to decompose in the landfill. So what can we do? Read More
Did you know that 1 ream of paper (500 sheets) uses about 6% of a whole tree? Breaking that down, 1 ton of paper = 400 reams or 200,000 sheets of paper. It takes 3 tons of wood to produce 1 ton of copy paper. 1 tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333 sheets. Although programs raising the awareness of paper waste have made a significant impact, the U.S. remains by far the world’s largest producer and consumer of paper. Per capita U.S. paper consumption is over six times greater than the world average. Read More
Title: Electronics Recycling Event
Location: Tampa, FL
Link out: Click here
Description: This Saturday, 15 Nov, there will be an electronics Recycling Event at Busch Gardens Tampa. For every laptop, computer and cell phone recycled, there will be a contribution made to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.
Start Time: 8:00
Date: 2008-11-15
End Time: 12:00
Many people are taking reusable cloth bags to the stores these days; the only problem is remembering to take them from your car to the store! You can get these bags from most stores for less than $1 but they generally carry the stores advertising. An alternative is to create your own bags, kids love to do this! Buy a bag from your local craft store and give the kids fabric paint or paint pens to create your very own ‘special’ bag. The benefits are that the kids have more ownership in the whole shopping process and may even help by reminding you to take their bag(s) to the stores and it helps teach the children about taking care of the environment. These are great gifts for grandparents too.
And don’t forget, if you do get some of those pesky plastic bags- recycle them (keep a cloth bag somewhere handy (mine is hanging in the garage) and stuff this with the plastic bags when it is full take it with you to the recycle bin at the store; you recycle and have your handy cloth bag with you).
Elaine
At our house, we try to recycle as much as plastics as possible. The best option when it comes to plastics is to try to get the same products packaged in a material which is more easily recyclable and or use less “new” resources, such as tin, glass, or aluminum, or biodegradable materials
from paper or wood. Sometimes it’s just not possible, so the next best course is to pick products packaged in plastics which are less toxic and which can be recycled. Here is the breakdown of the different types. And I used to think that plastic was plastic!
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A variation of Parkinson’s law has to be that “stuff expands to fill all available space. Have you ever noticed that you move out of a small place into a bigger place and wonder how you’ll ever fill up the empty house? The next thing you know, you can’t find storage space for that latest “must have” item you brought home from the store. What to do then? Well, since there seems to be a proliferation of Self-storage facilities, that must be the answer. Or just throw it away and let it end up in the landfill.
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