My greenhouse is so humid

[vanda2020]

I run a dehumidifier in my greenhouse. I have it on a continuous feed and the water made drains to the outside. It was very affordable. Open box special on Amazon. It is the kind that sits off the floor. Has kept the conditions healthy. Rodger's Orchids on YouTube had a video of the one he bought, it looks similar to mine. I also run a fan 24/7.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by vanda2020

I run a dehumidifier in my greenhouse. I have it on a continuous feed and the water made drains to the outside. It was very affordable. Open box special on Amazon. It is the kind that sits off the floor. Has kept the conditions healthy. Rodger's Orchids on YouTube had a video of the one he bought, it looks similar to mine. I also run a fan 24/7.

The water running out is essentially distilled. You could collect it and use it for watering your orchids.

[Dimples]

Originally Posted by estación seca

The water running out is essentially distilled. You could collect it and use it for watering your orchids.

I’ve read that regular dehumidifiers don’t shield the condenser coils so the collected water can have higher levels of metals in it. Most also only have a simple dust filter so any smaller airborne particles will end up in the water too. I looked into it when I bought mine as a potential source of emergency water or for watering houseplants, but it seems the suggestion is to toss the water unless the device manual indicates otherwise.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Dimples

I’ve read that regular dehumidifiers don’t shield the condenser coils so the collected water can have higher levels of metals in it. Most also only have a simple dust filter so any smaller airborne particles will end up in the water too. I looked into it when I bought mine as a potential source of emergency water or for watering houseplants, but it seems the suggestion is to toss the water unless the device manual indicates otherwise.

Water from the dehumidifier (or air conditioner) may not meet drinking water standards, but I have trouble believing that trace metals from the coils or what it gets from dust in the air would be toxic to plants. I think that it is plenty pure enough to treat as pure water for the orchids. When the manufacturer says "toss the water" I think that is just corporate CYA.