Condensate is certainly an excellent source of water although I'm not sure I'd consider it potable water. As you said, the toilet or your plants wouldn't complain.

Some municipalities will let homeowners meter irrigation systems separately from "household" water to eliminate the sewer charges. I'm sure installing the meter isn't free and there may be some ongoing charges associated with it so one would have to do the math to see if it made fiscal sense.

My report from drought central -

In my area, the largest part of residential water consumption is for outdoor landscape use. Drip irrigation systems can keep plants/flowers/hedges alive and well. Most people have chosen to sacrifice their lawns, part of that is easy because having a green lawn has become somewhat socially unacceptable.

Indoors, other simple solutions include buying newer devices that are more water efficient. Low-flush toilets, low flow shower heads and Energy Star clothes and dish washing appliances often use less than half of the water of older contraptions they replace. By retiring the antiques, you can use these facilities more (as is the case with growing children and families) and still use less water than before.

Building with or retrofitting for grey water systems (that route waste water from sinks, baths and showers to landscaping) has only had limited interest over the years.

Central AC systems have plumbed-in lines to dispose of condensate. As far as lugging water around the house in buckets, that's a lifestyle choice that I think most would opt to take a pass on.

Snidely,

Our dehumidifier has about a 3 gallon tank which takes about 36 hours to fill. So it collects 6 gallons every three days or 2 gallons per day. Lets assume it runs 180 days per year.

Around here water is about 7/10 cents per gallon (ignoring any fees, taxes, etc.). Assuming I used the water from the dehumidifier instead buying water it looks like I would save about $1.80 over those six months.

johnc, I'm with you.

I thought his suggestion was odd, along with the one suggesting washing hands using water from a dehumidifier "if you don't plan to prepare food in the near future".

From other posts, it appears this guy lives in a dwelling that has a rodent infestation and has only water from a contaminated well that is non-potable. Everyone has different standards, clearly his are different from mine.

I don't see using condensate as being a "money saving" tip or at least what many people would consider significant savings that would justify it being called a "tip".

As it turns out we had a full dehumidifier tank and a toilet that needed flushing. Dump the tank into the toilet and it obviously flushes. What doesn't happen is the toilet refill to its previous level. Maybe I need to pour a little slower at the end so all the water isn't pulled down by the siphon action?

Since I wasn't doing anything else that earns money I guess I'm a little over a penny ahead.

A penny saved...

To each his own.

Being retired, my income arrives at my bank account monthly, whether I do anything or nothing, so I have available time, which many may feel that they do not.

While I referred to this as a "money saving tip", I'm also aware that in many parts of the world, we're hugely short of water ... and becoming more so.

For example ... California is the fastest growing state in the union (or was, a while go - my knowledge may be somewhat out of date).

And they ... and Arizona, another fast grower ... are really short of water.

If those who could do so comfortably were to use already-used water again for a less restricted purpose, the total use of water in a city would be somewhat reduced.

I've said to some Canadians, "The crucial liquid of the last century was oil. In this century, it will be water. One of these days, when California, getting really short of water, proposes that we ship some of ours down between the mountain ranges to them ...

... if we say, 'No' ...

Do you know what a Marine's uniform looks like? Do you want to find out?"

The problem is much deeper than we've been considering, up until now.

ole joyful

Ole joyful illustrates what I mentioned in another thread, "opportunity cost." He's not doing anything else (at least the would earn him money) so walking a gallon or two of condensate up from the basement to water his plants is saving money. But certainly not a lot of money.

I would quibble with the notion of dumping that water down the drain as "wasting water." Around here at least, the water water goes in to the sewer system, is treated, and returned to the water supply.

Back to opportunity cost. Let's say I decide to grow cucumbers so I can pickle them. All the time and money in put into growing cucumbers and making pickles is time and money I can't "spend" on something else. It can be a complex equation and certainly it can be clouded with emotion (perhaps I "like" making pickles) but in the end if I can sell my time at x dollars per hour and I invest y hours growing cucumbers and making pickles then the cost of purchasing pickles needs to be less than x * y.

I have two rain barrels. I use the water from those to water plants, particularly the veggies. I couple of years ago I did some experimenting. I used the hose on half the green beans (soaker) and rain barrel water on other half (sprinkling can down low). The rain water plants did a big bunch better.

I use old milk jugs and have 6 filled with rain water. I use those on outside plants and inside plants. We have had lots of rain this summer, so watering the grass is not necessary. However, I have patched some spots in the yard and each one gets a good drink every other day.

Nothing from the hose. Our community also has a rain barrel rebate program. I am allowed 4 rain barrels each year with a $25 discount on each. I don't need anymore, but it shows how much our community encourages water saving.

Jim

Haven't your communities been encouraging people to find various ways of re-using water for a less high quality need?

A number of communities around have been doing so.

Maybe others should consider it.

Good wishes for a great fall ... if you're reading this before winter.

In winter in this area, where it gets really cold at times, the relative humidity in many homes gets about as low as in the desert ... so many feel the need to use humidifiers, to keep their furniture from shrinking so much that it falls apart.

But no one that I've heard of melts snow to obtain the water. A tomato can filled with water sitting by the hot air register helps some.

ole joyful

Hi, I don't actually used our room air conditioner often. If we do, I actually switched it on for about 3 to 4 hours only to save electricity.