Do It YOurself Distilled Water

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by CassidyNZ

When you say “tap water”, are you talking if municipal water? Because municipal tap water in our local town is chlorinated to a point where it smells of the stuff. Surely chlorine in batteries is not clever.

In my homes (past 3) we live on rain water. I must test again one day because IIRC our water is up around 50 or 60ppm, can’t remember it ever being anywhere near 10. Perhaps that has something to to do with our roofing.

How does one eliminate/reduce chloride in dehumidifier condensate? How do you even test for it? Maybe the condensate I use is no good for my batteries. Although I used it exclusively in my last bank which lasted nearly 10 years and included two or three “run dry abuses”.

Municiple tap water.


The chlorine you smell is free chlorine (not chloride) and is on the order of 2-3 ppm. Not the same order of magnitude. And we're not going to put that in the battery anyway.


Rainwater off the roof (not clean) will be higher than carefully collected rainwater. 50 ppm TDS sounds typical.


The TDS in the dehumidifier will be partly from chloride (from ocean spray), but also from many other dust sources, as well as dissolved gases. The chloride will probably be in spec. Typically it will test within ASTM spec. Cleaning the receiver and filtering the water through a coffee filter will also help.


You can buy chloride test tapes online, but they are a little hard to find. Generally, using low TDS water and good chemistry common sense (not seawater RO) is enough.https://www.elcometerusa.com/40-x-Ch...st-Strips.html If you got 10 years from batteries, just keep doing what you are doing!

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Shirly, it's much easier to store a gallon of distilled water on your boat.

Agreed. A boat that size should be able to hide away 4-5 gallons easily, which I would think would last a long time.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Shirly, it's much easier to store a gallon of distilled water on your boat.

You spell like me! I'd agree with you, if something is causing batteries to boil off a lot of water there is another problem. Keeping a gallon or two if distilled water sounds easier.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by RiverRat37

I'd be careful with "just rainwater". It travels thru the atmosphere, which these days can be loaded with lots of particulate matter not to mention the thought of "acid rain".
Dehumidifiers collect their condensation on cold pipes -- what are the pipes made of? Can they pass metallic 'stuff' along to the water? Like copper corrosion. And they need cleaning from time to time because they collect 'stuff' from the air too.

Why not go to local grocery store and buy a gallon of "distilled water"?

Cruise far enough, long enough, and one day you will find yourself somewhere without a grocery store. Been there. Often you just screwed up. Everyone does.

Yes, I've tested rain water. Battery water needs to be good, but not perfect, and there are specs (manufacturer and industry) that say how good. For example, Trojan and Exide publish them.

Yeah, stashing a few jugs is simpler than trying to make water. The rainwater comment was for actual emergencies. After my "emergency," I started stashing more bottles. (I store it in 16-oz. bottles because they are easier to use.)

[Tomodore]

In the first world buying distilled water is easy and cheap. Here in Latin America however I have found agua batterie to be anywhere from 4 ppm (great) to 1100 ppm (not even potable by UN standards) The water sold as drinking water in 10 or 20 liter containers is often 10 ppm and cheap.
.

[Mistress Sirena]

Originally Posted by Tellie

Shirly, it's much easier to store a gallon of distilled water on your boat.

What about using purified water such as i buy at wallgreens for drinking water
in 16 oz bottles i have used this in a pinch when out of distilled?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Mistress Sirena

What about using purified water such as i buy at wallgreens for drinking water
in 16 oz bottles i have used this in a pinch when out of distilled?

Nothing like distilled or DI water. Could be nothing more filtered tap water.

[Lepke]

I make water in fresh and salt. When in fresh the tds is almost zero. I save that water for the batteries. But I have the room to store and enter fresh water often enough so battery water always fresh.

[sierramerkur]

Ever heard of a pressure cooker & all that grey misty stuff that comes from the top when it is hissing? Hint! Ever made white lighting? Take off the weight & attach a food grade (silicone)hose that runs into a 2L pop bottle or a gallon jug. You may not even need the ice (helps if end of hose is immersed. Drinking water?-- might get away with single distilled (~5min boils off the chlorine first). For batteries or starting with salt water, you may want to double distill. Make your own sea salt or huge batch of french onion soup. Throw kelp in for vitamins. Works great for winter time heat too. Psst, try to find a stainless steel pressure cooker. (Let me know how it works: sierramerkur@hotmail.com). If you get an electric one (they're bigger) & you have to have electric power. (I'm not sure the top weight comes off). Stove top models go anywhere -gas or elect stove. I've got an 8qt & 12qt. Both Alumin-ium! In a desperate pinch you can distill from a pop bottle over an open flame or use solar in an emergency.

[sierramerkur]

Double distilled means cleaning your pot with distilled and distilling a previously distilled batch again. This is how you remove Ions in DI de-ionized water for batteries. Get a meter you make even need a 3rd distilling.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by Mistress Sirena

What about using purified water such as i buy at wallgreens for drinking water
in 16 oz bottles i have used this in a pinch when out of distilled?

My understating is that buying ”drinking” water in bottles will get you mineral water, a spec that most water bottlers are somewhat proud of. Mineral water will not do your batteries a whole lot of good. The stuff I buy when I do buy battery water is specifically “demineralised” water.

[Tomodore]

Cassidy, No doubt in New Zealand drinking water is also mineral water and not fit for batteries. In Mexico drinking water is often RO water with tds of about 10 and works well for batteries. I never use water that has not been sampled for minerals. When I sail in the US I use purchased distilled water. My point is that what works in one area does not necessarily work for others. Fair Winds

[kish]

Originally Posted by RiverRat37

I'd be careful with "just rainwater". It travels thru the atmosphere, which these days can be loaded with lots of particulate matter not to mention the thought of "acid rain".
Dehumidifiers collect their condensation on cold pipes -- what are the pipes made of? Can they pass metallic 'stuff' along to the water? Like copper corrosion. And they need cleaning from time to time because they collect 'stuff' from the air too.

Why not go to local grocery store and buy a gallon of "distilled water"?

Buy a gallon from a grocery store,??

Too many stores will see this as a $$$ profitable product sale from tap water.!

The condensate from a dehumidifier is by far more reliable.

Apart from atmospheric dust/dirt, there is no issue with contaminants, easily fixed by filtration.

[Sailormantx]

If you have a watermaker run it using your tank water or city water if you are on a dock for the feed . Don't forget to adjust the pressure for the lower salinity .After about 5 or 10 minutes run time you should have acceptable battery water of 1 to 3 TDS. Or go far up a freshwater river for the same effect. I usually make a few jugs to store whenever I do this.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by kish

Buy a gallon from a grocery store,??

Too many stores will see this as a $$$ profitable product sale from tap water.!

The condensate from a dehumidifier is by far more reliable.

Apart from atmospheric dust/dirt, there is no issue with contaminants, easily fixed by filtration.

I have tested distilled water from major stores in the US. It's distilled water.


Dehumidifier water is good, but around a boat part of that dust is salt. You need to check the TDS.