Does A Dehumidifier Make Distilled Water?

Finding new resources to create water can be convenient, and it’s fair to wonder whether a dehumidifier can serve as a resource for usable water.

Dehumidifiers work to make a home environment less humid by removing water from the air. So does a dehumidifier make distilled water, or is the water not as pure?

A dehumidifier can distill water because the process removes many minerals that the distilling process would remove. However, the dehumidifying process does not remove a lot of the microbes and fungi that are typically removed during the distilling process, making the resulting water undrinkable.

The water gathered by a dehumidifier is often still usable for specific situations.

While we typically pour the water collected by our dehumidifier away, we periodically use the water for other appliances around the house such as the iron.

Dehumidifier Emptying Water
We mainly pour the water from our dehumidifier away but it can have its uses

It’s useful to understand what kind of water a dehumidifier can produce.

Read on to get a better idea of what the purpose of a dehumidifier is and how its process can produce usable, distilled water.

Distilled Water

Distilled water is water that has gone through a process that removes the minerals that you would typically find in tap water.

The purpose of distilling water is to make water drinkable and usable.

The dehumidifying process is more about improving the air quality of your home environment. Distilling water takes a simple three-step process:

  • Boil
  • Evaporate
  • Re-condense

While distilled water removes many of the minerals that would make the water safer to drink, its lack of minerals might make the water taste flat.

The dehumidifying process will also remove many of the same minerals but will not eliminate all of them. Distilled water can be used as more than just drinking water as well.

Most people tend to distill water because it’s considered to produce the purest form of water that can be beneficial to your health. However, the taste of distilled water can be off-putting and if you distill water to drink it, you might be better off drinking tap water instead, assuming the water sources in your area are clean.

If you’re going to drink the water you distill, you should drink it as soon as possible because distilled water can pick up minerals from its surroundings very quickly. Even if your distilled water is in plastic bottles, it can pick up minerals from the plastic if stored for too long.

Is Dehumidified Water The Same As Distilled Water?

Technically, dehumidified water can be classified as distilled water, but it won’t be the same as distilled water and is only comparable to it.

The purity of each is very different:

  • Dehumidified water is only considered distilled because some of the bacteria and minerals are removed during its process.
  • However, for water to be purely distilled, it would have to have all of its minerals removed.

The manufacturers of dehumidifiers did not make the product with the intention of making it a useful resource for distilled water.

If you choose to use dehumidifier water for your day-to-day activities, it can end up being harmful. Be cautious when repurposing the water from your dehumidifier.

Dehumidified Water

Typically, water that is condensed from the air through the dehumidifying process is clean and drinkable if it does not sit around in the tank for too long.

You should clean your tank out often if you intend on drinking the water your dehumidifier collects.

If the water sits around for too long, it can start to collect nasty things that are bad for your health and make the water unfit to drink, including:

  • Bacteria
  • Fungi
  • Pollutants from the air

It can take a while for the tank on a dehumidifier to fill up and the water might be sitting around for a while before it’s full.

Dehumidifier Water Tank
It’s not good for the water to sit around for long periods of time in a tank such as the ones found in dehumidifiers

Although clean water can be produced in the dehumidifying process, drinking the water is not recommended.

If it were not for the added elements of a dehumidifier, its condensed water would not be so different from distilled water. However, the distilling process is quite different from dehumidifying.

While the distilling process boils water to help it eliminate minerals, dehumidifying does not boil water but instead uses the process of condensation to turn water vapor in the air from a gas to a liquid.

So, while technically, the water is considered distilled after both processes, the actual processes themselves are different.

Safe Uses For Dehumidified Water

The point of a dehumidifier is to improve the air quality and remove humidity in places where it is often damp and foggy, where the climate is hot, and humid.

Most dehumidifiers use cold metal tubes to transform water vapor from the air from a gas to a liquid, while other types such as desiccant use chemicals to collect the moisture.

The gas turned liquid can be used for several things as long as the air quality it was produced from is clean.

Keep in mind that if you intend on using the water produced from your dehumidifier, you should maintain your tank and keep it clean.

Dehumidifier Drain Channel
Mold starting to accumulate on the inlet to the water tank in our dehumidifier

Also, do not let the water sit around for too long.

Some of the things you can use this water for include:

  • Watering plants
  • Ironing clothes
  • Water for your windshield wipers

The dehumidifying process will help your air quality improve by reducing the amount of mold and other harmful organisms and bacteria that can typically be found in humidity.

The dehumidifying process distills the water just enough for it to be a viable source of usable water for activities like the ones listed above.

If you do not actively clean out your dehumidifier but still want to turn the stored water into usable water, you will have to find ways to purify it.

There are several options available to purify your water and make it usable during times of water outages or shortages.

How To Purify Dehumidified Water

If you’re purifying your dehumidified water, you should consider how clean your air is and maintain the tank in which your water is stored.

Some of the best options to purify your dehumidified water and make it safe for usage are:

  • Buy a water purifier
  • Use purification tablets
  • Boil water and add bleach

The purifying method you use should be dependent on what you intend to use your water for.

A water purifier will make your water safer to consume and can come in handy if there is ever a water outage or contaminant issues in your area. Many purifying devices will also filter your water as well.

Purification tablets can also make your water consumable but should not be used for longer than six weeks. Purification tablets work the same way boiling your water would work. These tablets will remove pathogens from the water but not chemical pollutants. Consider these tablets when there are water shortages in your area.

Finally, you can boil the water and add about ⅛ tablespoons of bleach for each gallon of water you are purifying. This method will work like a normal distilling method would work, but it will not make your water consumable. Use this method when you are trying to purify your water for other uses besides drinking and watering plants.

Do not use bleached water for drinking or water plants.

Conclusion

Technically, a dehumidifier does make distilled water.

Distilled water is water that contains little to no minerals, but the distilling and dehumidifying processes differ. If you intend on using dehumidifier water for consumption or any other water-based activity, remember to clean out your tank and consider purifying the water before use.

Drinking water from a dehumidifier is not recommended.

However, if you do decide to make your dehumidified water into consumable water, make sure to follow the proper procedures. Distilling your water is not a difficult process so prioritize using simple distillation procedures rather than repurposing dehumidifier water.

Further Reading

Why A Dehumidifier Leaks And How To Fix

Are Dehumidifiers Noisy?