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Well as moisture condenser?

 
Chris Kott
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Hi everyone.  I am posting an update to my land thread presently, but first, I had a thought about dry wells and humid air I was hoping someone had ideas about.

So if I pump hot, humid air down my well when it's drying out, shouldn't the moisture condense out on the sides of the well? Would that not refill my well, and eventually contribute to groundwater recharge? Could the air passing out of the well not then be used to cool my house?

Please note these are broad strokes only. I would appreciate any feedback.

Thanks, and good luck.

-CK

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein

 
Matt McSpadden
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Hi Chris,
It ought to condense... though I'm not sure you would get enough water to really make it worth it. Unless you were electricity rich and water poor.

"The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is." C.S. Lewis
"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis

 
Douglas Alpenstock
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Interesting idea!

If the goal is to chill air for A/C, it has possibilities. I recall that greenhouses using earth tubes use a similar concept. Still, it takes large volumes of air and I'm uncertain if a well would be enough. Lots of variables there. (If you're in a high radon area, not recommended.)

If the goal is water production, I rather doubt you could generate enough to matter much.
 
jack vegas
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Interesting project.  To get air flow into your well you will need a return path for the air you pump down.   To get an idea of how much water you might condense, check out this site:

https://mb-soft.com/public3/water502.html

Also, here is an old thread on Permies that may provide some inspiration:

https://permies.com/t/40/23408/Air-collecting-water-air

Good luck!
 
Eric Hammond
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Your well cap needs to be sealed to prevent bacteria from getting in, pumping air in it could easily make a habitat for some deadly bacteria to proliferate, it’s a terrible idea.  Once your well is installed they bleach it and set the cap so it’s a sterile environment and then pump all the bleach out.
 
jack vegas
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Maybe just do an air heat exchange with the cold water coming up out of the well?  No well contamination risk that way.  Many years ago I ran some calculations that indicated the thermal sink in the cold water coming into my house was adequate to do the lion's share of dehumidifying my small 950 sqft coastal cabin.  I got this idea while cleaning up condensation dripping off the toilet tank and under sink plumbing.  I figured why not use that free "cool" to dehumidify cabin air.  The now slightly warmed incoming water would no longer produce condensation where it wasn't wanted and there should be a useful amount of clean water produced and collected at the water/air heat exchanger.
 
Chris Kott
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Thank you all for your helpful input.

Jack, I love that idea. My cabin is a little smaller than that, so I will see if that can work for us.

Eric, with the high levels of E. Coli we have to treat with UV, I am not too concerned. Were I to pump air down the well, a hepa filter on the intake, and another right before the well, would do just fine.

As a side note, the list of innovations that went on to change the world that were first labelled "terrible ideas" and dismissed is really long. After all, "If man were meant to fly, he'd have wings." I'm paraphrasing, but that sentiment held back human flight for hundreds of years.

I'm not sure the initial concept is one such, but I  like what has developed from my initial post.

Take care.

-CK

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein

 
Gray Henon
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Chris Kott wrote:Thank you all for your helpful input.

Jack, I love that idea. My cabin is a little smaller than that, so I will see if that can work for us.

Eric, with the high levels of E. Coli we have to treat with UV, I am not too concerned. Were I to pump air down the well, a hepa filter on the intake, and another right before the well, would do just fine.

As a side note, the list of innovations that went on to change the world that were first labelled "terrible ideas" and dismissed is really long. After all, "If man were meant to fly, he'd have wings." I'm paraphrasing, but that sentiment held back human flight for hundreds of years.

I'm not sure the initial concept is one such, but I  like what has developed from my initial post.

Take care.

-CK



Curious as to where the e coli is coming from?

https://permies.com/t/161023/biochar-production-tally-thread

 
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