Getting water from air, even desert air... we need this! :)

[highdesertranger]

I spend most of my time in the desert and I don't have any problem finding water. get real USGS maps not google. there is water everywhere in the desert. highdesertranger

 

[barleyguy]

An atmospheric water extractor is essentially just an air conditioner that's optimized to create water rather than cool the air. Have you ever noticed that your air conditioner produces water? It's exactly the same technology except optimized for a different purpose.

It's also roughly as efficient as far as electricity. Running it on solar would require a pretty large solar array, more like house sized rather than van sized.

Water that comes out of the air is also about as clean as the air it comes from. So you need a filtration system as well. If wanted to extract water and then drink it, best to run it through something like a Berkey or a Sawyer, or at least UV light.

 

[Rabbit]

You-Tube personality Thunderf00t-- a working scientist-- has done several videos on the subject of water-from-air devices. This is a link to only one of them. They're all pretty good in my opinion, like most of his stuff. It's long, lots of data-usage.

link

 

[Cammalu]

I spend most of my time in the desert and I don't have any problem finding water. get real USGS maps not google. there is water everywhere in the desert. highdesertranger

What are you filtering with HDR? That water we get at La Posa South turns your hair into straw rather quickly. I filter but straw it is anyway. We use bottled for drinking and coffee but I can’t help thinking a final rinse after conditioner would make things easier for me. I suppose I could run it through the reverse osmosis system and see if that makes a difference but I really don’t understand what that system does to the water.

 

[highdesertranger]

it really depends where I am at. as to where and how I get water.

I would like to point out that I haven't used one of those .25 cent pre gallon water kiosk's for years. total rip off in my book. instead I will go to the local water company and buy water from them. this is usually in the .02 per gallon range. if they don't sell water they will point you in the direction of someone who sells bulk water.

for spring and surface water I use a Berkey water filter. For drinking and cooking I pre-filter it through a clean cloth like a bath towel. then through the Berkey. I carry food grade buckets for collecting water. for prospecting I might run it through the cloth I might not depending on the water. this was my point with the proper maps you can find water anywhere.

In Q I buy the deep well water, much easier, but for drinking and cooking I still run it through the Berkey.

at my buddies place in Mohave Valley he is on a well, I won't even let the well water touch my Berkey. that water is terrible. it will rust aluminum and white clothes. LOL it really doesn't rust them but stains everything a reddish-brown because of the extremely high iron content. the hard water build up is insane, for his house he runs it through a reverse osmosis and a softener with only limited positive results.

my whole point in my previous post was that you can find water everywhere there is no need for a contraption to get water from the air. seems to me to be a very complicated way to get water.

highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

Cammalu a burr cut works for me! Lol!!! The Berkey filter is probably as good as you will get but for heavy metals and salts you need to use the regular black filter in the top compartment and the add on white filter in the bottom compartment. Many people get the Berkey with only the black filter not knowing there is an additional white filter that can be added on.

 

[Cammalu]

The water in Q is said to be very high in salt. Doesn’t taste like salt but ok.

Never thought of going to the water company to buy HDR. Guess I need to find out where it is in Q

 

[highdesertranger]

in Q I go to the RV pit stop and get the deep well water. they have been charging between 3-5 bucks for about 100 gallons depending on who's working, which comes out to .03-.05 cents a gallon. I think it taste just fine. they also have Reverse Osmosis(RO) water, I think it's about .20 or .25 cents a gallon I can't remember exactly because I have never bought it.

for anybody that doesn't know the RV Pit Stop is on the 95 heading N out of town they have propane and dump stations too. I find their prices quite reasonable, although I see the price of propane has gone up.

https://rvpitstop.com/

highdesertranger

 

[Cammalu]

So HDR. The water at La Posa South - I thought that was deep well?

 

[highdesertranger]

I don't know what that is what that is at La Posa I have never tried it. it should be up to standard I am sure it gets tested all the time.

the RV pit stop says that their deep well water is filtered. I don't know how it is filtered there is one of those cheesy filters on the hose bibs that everybody sells that do little more than remove rocks from the water. there might be more substantial filters in the buildings like I said I don't know but it taste fine to me and no one has ever complained.

highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

I use one of those blue filters in my water hose when I fill. I like the RV pit stop. They are setup to get people in and out quickly. It is setup kinda like an assembly line, propane first (two spots and pay spot also), dump location (4 spots) and 4 water fill stations with water hoses attached. They have a separate area to get water similar to Glacier water with, IIRC 2 spigots at $0.25 a gallon.

 

[Metalartist]

I plan on building and testing some of these water extractors and see how good they work. I will definitely share my results. It’s winter here in my neck of the woods, so it will be awhile.

 

[mdoverl]

Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru were pretty good at it, but... they're not with us any more.

Those moisture Vaporators aren’t going to repair themselves.

[emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Scorpion Regent]

Barley guy has the best water out of the air idea that I have read so far.  Hot air can hold more water than cold air.  So if air is cooled water can be extracted.  Have you ever seen water dripping on the ground under a car idling at a stop light on a hot day.  That is condensation coming off the air conditioner's condenser.  To run such a system just to get water is inefficient.  If you are going to have air conditioning you might as well gather water is the proper approach.  There is another source for water using the same method, refrigerators cool air too.  I rather doubt that using this system of extraction would provide enough water to survive on, but it would reduce the amount of outside water needed.
Any water gathered using these techniques would not be considered clean, dust, mold and mildew would be the most likely problems.  I have been skimming, it's obvious that water filtration has been already discussed.  

There is one thing that bears consideration.  As this thread falls under the Going Green catagory I feel obligated to say that any of this technology will involve the creation of heat.  Global warming is a bad thing yes?  Internal combustion engines create heat too and with some electric vehicle owners aside we are guilty of burning fuel.  I'm just sharing the knowledge, not passing judgement.  Choices should be made based on as much information possible.