Water Question...

C

CoggesRailway

Registered
Hello,

I live in a very hard water area, and am not keen on collecting rainwater- I have toddlers who want to climb in water butts and so have got rid just in case on saftey grounds.

We do have a tumble drier that produces lots of water - Would this work?

Ian
 
Or do as i used to do and nick it from the neighbours waterbutt, with agreement
 
It'll work from a tumble drier as long as it's the condensed water not the waste water.
 
<p>I'm no expert on tumble drier technology, but my understanding of the basic principle is that you heat up some air and blow it through the clothes. Because the air has been heated it can absorb more water vapor while the water in the clothes is progressively turned into water vapor and blown out with the exhaust warm air. This technology required a hose to the outside and was unpopular. </p><p> Condensing tumble driers were introduced where the 'damp' warm exhaust air is cooled by tap water in a heat exchanger. The cooled exhaust air can no longer hold so much water vapor and so it condenses. The air can then be reheated and used for further drying. This condensate should be ideal for live steam, but the water you see coming out of the tumble drier is not just this condensate. You will also have the tap water used in the heat exchanger to cool the exhaust air. I'm not certain of the relative proportions but at a (long time ago, educated) guess this waste water is probably going to be mainly tap water with only a small fraction of condensate. </p><p> </p><p> Well that's the theory, as I understand it. Thermodymanics as usual spoils a good idea! That's why I 'converted' to electricity :) Don</p>
 
My tumbledryer at my old student house only has a small compartment for containing the waste water and we didn't have to drain it very often- if it contained the coolant water as well I think our kitchen would have flooded regularly! I'm fairly sure the heat exchanger in the case where the machine has a separate "drip tray" must keep the warm air and cold water separate at all times.
 
<p>Well spotted Steve. I do have a washer dryer. The water here is so soft you could use all the waste water for steam engines. Strange that several people find employment not far away distilling the water and selling it world wide. But they do add a bit of color by leaving it in barrels for years, and there may be some malt involved as well. :rolf: </p><p> Don</p>
 
Just purchased a de humidifier.....After having been given water from a friend before.Was a good purchase.Water coming out of my ears now,suitable for steaming.Would reccommend to anyone a purchase of a dehumidifier

Ade
 
I agree there Steve,my kettle is still clean after 18 months of use and I use it ten times a day seven days a week so I suppose our tap water would suffice for boilers. :)
 
All I can say is I'm glad I live where you can still buy it for 99c a gallon...............
6094-693cfa8d-ad9d-43a8-8766-3fec76dde0bc.jpg
 
Ah yes, but is it really, really distilled water or is it de-ionised water labelled as distilled water? From threads on another forum (RIP) the concensus seemed to be that commercially sold "distilled" water is usually de-ionised water.
Steve
 
So what do they do somewhere like Didcot with big trains? I suppose the pipework is big enough it doesn't matter!? Just curious- would have taken a while top up the flying scotsman with water from my tumble drier....
 
CoggesRailway - 2/11/2009 9:09 PM

So what do they do somewhere like Didcot with big trains? I suppose the pipework is big enough it doesn't matter!? Just curious- would have taken a while top up the flying scotsman with water from my tumble drier....
Click to expand...

No one answer to that.
Some sheds simply exchanged engines between hard and soft water areas from time to time, the theory being the hard water scale would minimize erosion and the soft water would dissolve excess scale.
At the other extreme some installed complex chemical water treatment plants, continuously monitored the water and adjusted the chemical additives accordingly.
 
CoggesRailway - 2/11/2009 9:09 PM

So what do they do somewhere like Didcot with big trains? I suppose the pipework is big enough it doesn't matter!? Just curious- would have taken a while top up the flying scotsman with water from my tumble drier....
Click to expand...

The boilers of full sized engines are periodically 'washed out'. A time consuming process that involves removing small plugs in the boiler and using water pressure to dislodge scale and wash it out. Water additives are also used.
The process of 'blowing down' and engine also helps to remove scale and also build ups of dissolved minerals in the water (that then create the deposits). Blowing down involves opening a tap in the bottom of the boiler and releasing water/steam at full pressure. Noisy and spectacular on some engines.
 
If you collect rain water,as I do,keep it cool and in the dark,it stops algae growing. :)
 
Yes it is, I only buy it if it says produced by distillation................
 
<p><font size="3">Hi,</font></p><p><font size="3">The Durango & Silverton RR loco crews usually do a 'blow down' of their locos on a bridge over the Animas River, then the mud etc gets returned to the river.</font></p><p><font size="3">A good photo of this is viewable at the following link</font></p><p><font size="3"><a href="http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=299656&nseq=16">http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=299656&nseq=16</a></font></p><p><font size="3" /></p><p><font size="3">That may not be the Animas river, (not enough trees and rock around) but it is a blowdown. </font></p><p><font size="3">With the full force of the boilers pressure throwing out the 'mud' and other solids it can be seen why it is spectacular!</font></p><p><font size="3">In the UK I think that the mud doors ( on the bottom corners and edges of the firebox sides) are removed but the boiler is not in use so a waterhose provides the pressure!</font></p><p><font size="3" /></p>
 
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