On Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:47:29 -0400, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Winston" wrote in message
...
...
A spare refrigerator? No, I'm saying that the *only* refrigerator in
the house condenses some amount of moisture out of the air as a
function of doing it's job. The pity is that we allow the fridge to
push that moisture back into the ambient as water vapor. My point is
that we can leave the condensate as deionized water and use it for
non-critical applications rather than allow the fridge to humidify the
house with it, as is the present case.

Good idea, if you can reroute the drain tube out and around the side so
you can reach its reservoir. AFAIK they run straight down inside the
back wall and the condensor coil prevents you from cutting an access
hatch.

They're a few different designs, ranging from a convenient tray that
just slides out the front, to systems that require rocket surgery to
modify. My present fridge has an access panel on the lower back
which has razor-sharp edges, for some reason. AMHIKT.

If one carefully rotates this panel out of the way, one is treated to
the view of a fairly accessible drip tray, under an open fan very near
floor level, next to the compressor. It'd be possible to connect
a little float switch and pickup tube so that water could be pulled
out of there before the fan could vaporize much of it IMHO.

Alternatively, I envision a little plastic dingus shaped like a
pitcher plant flower that would catch the condensate before it hits the
pan. It'd overflow into the pan if it was not pumped dry in time.
One could put it on the arm of a microswitch to signal when it was
time to start and stop the necessary pump.

I run a little 100W dorm room sized unit that needs occasional
defrosting.

Yup. When I use mine, it is difficult to resist the urge to smack
the little ice sheets off the bottom and sides of the evaporator.



--Winston