Friday, June 25, 2010

water recapture for compost

In the spirit of "you got chocolate in my peanut butter", I submit the following:


  1. I have two AC units that both generate a good deal of water from condensation.  My old central air generates about 5gal/day, vented outside via PVC pipe in the style of the 1980s when it was installed.  There's also a window unit in the workshop that I keep barely turned on just to keep temps in there below 90F.  It generates about 1.5gal/day.
  2. My compost piles are quite dry.  I try to remember to water them from time to time but the heat has been incredible. 
So, now I put buckets under the drips and rehome the water to the compost piles.  I'm putting most of it around the periphery as that seems to the be the driest part when I restack piles.   I don't think I'm overwatering the piles because the heat is so bad, and because the piles are stacked in wire mesh cages.  Excess water should flow out the bottom or evaporate out the side.

The stack nearest the 5gal bucket gets a little a day then I dump the rest at the base of the trees in the front yard.  

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