Peltier Cooler (also called TEC or Thermo Electric Cooler) - resting against a hot brick

Video of experiment…

The fuel for the fire was just fallen tree branches that I found on the ground.  The portable battery was charged up by a solar panel.

The Peltier cooler rested against one of the bricks.  The brick got up to 210 degrees F while the aluminum heat sink was about 70 degrees F.  At this temperature difference (140F), the Peltier cooler produced:

• 70mW
• 1.05V
• 67mA

The power generated by this Peltier cooler is comparable to the power generated by a small solar panel on a solar landscaping light.

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Peltier Cooler as Dehumidifier Grows Ice Crystals

Can a Peltier cooler be used to extract moisture from the air using off-the-grid power?

I was wondering how to get water if my local water utility company failed to provide safe and clean water.

In the video above, I also show how you can salvage a 12V fan from a dead computer’s power supply unit.

Salvaging a 12V DC fan from a PSU

Parts used in experiment:

• Peltier cooler (also called TEC or Thermo Electric Cooler)
• liquid CPU cooler
• portable 12V battery
• temperature gun
• 12V cooling fan salvaged from computer power supply
• thermal paste

Water dripping from a Peltier cooler as the ice melts.

My conclusion after testing this is that yes, Peltier coolers can extract water out of the air.  However, I question if this way of getting water is practical or economical.  In my area, my time would be better spent getting water in other ways:

• Digging a well
• Capturing the water from an air conditioning unit
• Distilling water from the lake across the street from my house
• Distilling water from the creek that runs through my property
• Capturing rain water

Because water is abundant where I am located, I will stop testing Peltier coolers for the purpose of capturing water.  (Not sure why exactly I felt compelled to do these tests anyhow… was mostly curious.  Oh yeah, I did have an idea that maybe I could set up a drip irrigation system with these in my garden with a solar panel attached to them.  No need to run pipes and plumbing if the Peltier coolers could drip water directly over plants on my property.)

Anyway, it works and I had fun with this experiment.  Next, I’ll try generating electricty with these thermoelectric devices.

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Peltier Cooler Generates Electricity