If you have an air conditioner installed in your home, you may have thought about whether the water coming out of the unit can be used for other purposes. You may find some people who say that this water is completely safe to be used but some factors should be considered.
Just keep this fact in mind that this water should never be used for drinking because it is full of impurities that are extracted from your home. This condensate water is composed of heavy metals, air pollution, and other chemicals.
Air conditioner condensate water ph stands at 8.6, which is slightly higher than the normal range of water to be used for drinking. There are plenty of reasons that make this water totally unsafe for human use.
The water produced by an air conditioner is just like the water that is formed on a glass of cold water. This water can be safely used for watering the plants in your garden. This water should never be used if you have repaired coils or have cleaned them using some sort of chemicals.
If you have used chemicals for any purpose in your air conditioner unit, the water should be avoided even for watering plants for up to two weeks. This time span will allow the chemical to completely drain out of your AC unit.
After that, the water is safe for plants, grass, etc. Keep on reading this article to know about all minor to major aspects of an air conditioner’s condensate water.
What is AC condensate acidic water?
All the water coming out of the air conditioner is condensate. It is the product derived from the cooling mechanism of an air conditioner.
There is a copper coil inside the air conditioner which pulls the air from inside the environment and these coils have refrigerant inside them.
When air passes through these coils, tiny drops of water are formed on the other side of the coils that look like sweat. This is the water known as condensate water.
This is the water that is drained out of the air conditioner unit once it exceeds its limit. This water is normally not much acidic as it can be used for plants but isn’t considered safe for human drinking.
What is distilled water of an air conditioner?
In simple words, condensate water can be said to be distilled water. Distilled water lacks various types of minerals and solids that make water safe and drinkable for a human being.
Distilled water also has the property to cause more corrosion with non-ferrous metals such as aluminum, copper, zinc, lead, etc.
One of the major indications of distilled water is that it tastes a lot more bitter while drinking. Even if distilled water doesn’t cause any effects on your health, drinking it will never be a good experience.
What makes air conditioner condensate acidic/polluted?
Many factors contribute to making your air conditioner condensate water polluted or sometimes acidic. A couple of the most prominent and most common factors are listed below for better understanding.
- Inside Atmosphere Pollution
- Air Conditioner’s Internal Condition
Inside Atmosphere Pollution
The water that comes out of your air conditioner unit is totally taken from the air inside your room or home. It clearly means that this water will have at least traces of almost all the impurities and gases currently present in your room. This could be a major concern if you have some sort of chemicals in your room or if you smoke.
These are just some common things but actual issues come into existence when this water includes portions of mold, mildew, skin cells, fungal spores, and especially all the chemicals that come out of furniture and accessories placed inside the room.
Air Conditioner’s Internal Condition
All the water is produced due to the working of the cooling mechanism. There is not a single component in an air conditioner that is solely made to deal with this water.
The main aim of the manufacturer is to produce an air conditioner that can dehumidify the air as much as possible. They have no concern about whether the water will be safe to drink or not.
This is the reason that nothing is used inside the AC or on the coils that can protect water from getting involved with other chemicals and substances.
Apart from this, if your air conditioner coils are old, have rust on them, or have been recently repaired using chemicals, condensate water is even more unsafe than it was before. This water should never be used even for watering the plants.
How air conditioner condensate water is safe for plants?
You may have thought that if condensate water has a lot of impurities and even chemicals then why is this condensate safe for plants? Just keep this fact in mind that this water is not only safe for plants but some people even say that they have seen much better results when they use air conditioner condensate water for some of their specific plants.
Corrosiveness of Condensate Water
Air conditioner condensate water is considered to be corrosive when it comes to dealing with metals. This is the only reason that copper coils are used in an AC instead of steel. We all know that corrosive effects are only applicable and can only affect metals and it doesn’t cause any harm to organic materials such as plants.
Do keep this fact in mind that water could be extremely cold while coming out of the unit and it is highly recommended not to put that water directly on the leaves of the plants. You should always pour water into the soil to mitigate the side effects. Apart from all these factors, the air conditioner condensate water doesn’t have all the minerals needed by plants. So, it will be better if you mix air conditioner condensate water with simple tap water or rainwater for adding necessary minerals for plants.
