The water in evaporative coolers is salty (to various degrees) because it's concentrated from the water running over the pads. 1 - If the evap cooler has a purge cycle, the salts in the water get more and more concentrated because the water is held in the cooler and pumped over the pads. Every few hours it purges brackish water and refills. Bad for most plants! 2 - A "flow through" cooler has a steady trickle of water flowing through it, over the pads, and out the overflow. These are rare because they waste so much water, but if you have one you can use the overflow to water plants with. ========== AC units are producing what is basically distilled water. Collect it in whatever you want and water your plants with it.

I hate to be “that guy”... and thinking now I didn’t see how old this thread was. I’m guessing the water is aces for most all non-edible houseplants.. but I gotta say, I’m not so sure I would feed it to anything (plant-wise) that could be consumed, let alone drink or let my animals drink it.. I would consider the make-up of what it’s condensing off of. If it’s a series of soldered and sweated together copper pipes, which is basically what a condenser unit is made of, you have to imagine nobody during production is concerned about consuming anything when making it. There are many toxic elements found in soldering components. Major amounts of lead and zinc, chromates copper arsenate is a big one, not to mention whatever other elements in the process were used or what the raw materials came in contact with. We are talking about ferrous metals that were handled in a way with no thought of safety for human (or animal) consumption. Just my two cents; non consumable houseplants, prolly A-ok.. I’d seriously consider taking a sample to a local lab, water maintenance facility or there are places online you can affordable mail samples to, that can test it for you before using it for anything else.

We ,also, keep a dishpan in the kitchen sink to collect water to shower plants that are close to the house by tossing it out over the deck rail. This had been our habit for a number of years. A pomegranate that was a recipient always looked deficient, but I didn't know what to do about it. This last year we started brewing Kombucha. Sediment collects in the 16 oz. bottles in which it is stored. I rinse the dregs out into the dishpan, so the amount of microorganisms is diluted in a ratio of 1000s if not 1,000,000s to one. Eventually, I noticed how much healthier the pomegranate had become. The leaves were dark, glossy, and green as opposed to the anemic yellow green they had been previously. It took me awhile to realize that the only differential in the pomegranate's regimen from the previous years was the miniscule amount of Kombucha in the shower water. This spring I decided to foliar feed another pomegranate that is far from the house and that also had looked deficient. It was sprayed as the buds were opening, and, now, in full leaf it has the same appearance as its counterpart on the other side of the house. One of the main constituents of the probiotic content of the Kombucha is Lactobacillus Bacterium. The general idea behind what was observed with use of the Kombucha is reflected in the initials BIM that indicate either Beneficial or Biological Indigenous Microorganisms. A search will turn up additional information, and ways to cultivate local microorganisms. In the last year or so, I also came across information on Effective Microorganisms (EM); the work of Dr. Teruo Higa (http://emrojapan.com/). The work indicates that the addition of EM to septic systems can remediate the tainted water. In one instance, Dr. Higa relates that the effluent from the septic tank at the Gushigawa City Public Library on Okinawa was more pure after passing through its three stage system than it was after rainwater from the library's roof was introduced into the holding tank. The water is then used for irrigation. (p.148 of An Earth Saving Revolution Sunmark Publishing Inc.) From what I can gather, the first two stages of the library's system are equivalent to the systems used in the U.S., while the third stage pumps air into the effluent to, further, the decontamination to the point where it is more pure than collected rainwater. It would seem that the safety issues are eliminated when there is healthy soil around that include the microorganisms to make use of gray water a non-issue, and with the supplemental use of concentrated microorganisms even black water can be made useful. The information that came my way in the last year or so on Kombucha, Effective Microorganisms, and Terra Preta do Indio / Biochar are some of the most hopeful things I have come across in some time. Terra Preta do Indio http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/ research/terra%20preta/terrapretamain.html Terran Here is a link that might be useful: Kombucha

Hi-mom: Go to: www.campingworld.com there are many things to see and buy, and i do think they might have a book that tells you how to operate everything! I have a book like that, don't remember the name of it, but it thoroughly covers most everything. If your hot water tank is 3-way (electric/gas/battery, yoy can keep it on when driving. When you light it on gas, after it gets hot, you could probably turn it down to "Pilot", unless there is a great demand for hot water. I've had mine on pilot for a weekend, but its only used for washing dishes, etc., and not for showers, and only me on board. The campground bathroom shower will help to conserve heated water in the camper! If your fridge is 3 way, you can keep it on battery when driving, but check it occasionally on the way. If it has the house current feature, use that in camp, if available. If not, use the tank gas feature to keep it cold. Air conditioner should only be used on house current, or if you have a generator built into the trailer, or you can carry one on the back bumper, or in a towing vehicle. They grey and black water tanks are not hard to figure out. Keep drain valves closed on both tanks. When you go to empty the toilet (black water), make sure the drain hose is firmly attached to the drain (with cap removed!)and the other end is in the drain at the dump station. After all is ready, open the handle on the black-water tank, and let the stuff run down into the drain! DO-NOT let the hose pull out of the drain! After it is empty, close the drain valve, go inside and run several gallons of water into and thru the toilet drain. Then, re-drain that tank, and reinstall the cap. Then, do the same with the grey water/ sink/ tub drain tank. Rinse out, finish the draining process, stick hose back in storage place, usually the back bumper, hose off the outsides of the drains, and thats done. And, be sure to install the chemical in the black water tank. I can't recommend any certain product, as i don't like any of them since the Gov'ment stuck their noses in there! As for the cook stove, mine lights with one of those clicker lighting guns, or a match. The oven pilot has to be lit once, then it stays lit until the gas is shut off. The furnace usually has a pilot (maybe different now,) that will stay lit, and it will make the furnace operate like the one at home, with a wall thermostat. Hope it doesn't go bad--they cost as much as the one in your house to fix or replace! My motor home is a 1979, so many changes had been made when yours was built. Some advice: Be friendly, smile a lot, talk to anybody who seems to want to talk, avoid the snobs, (yeah, there are a few, who act like Nelson Rockyfeller is their stock manager, but most folks are downright friendly and will help you if you need it. One time, a guy pulled into a nice campground where we had stopped for the night. His older motor home had stalled, and he founmd the battery dead when he went to restart it! In three minutes, he had 3 sets of jumper cables, and 2 batteries offered to help get it started, and a free ride to town next morning to buy a new battery! so, be friendly, don't "put on the dog", talk to folks, and you'll get along great! Why, i even had my turnpike fare paid by some citizen, in Florida!