You probably want to filter the air you run over the coils. Otherwise you'll have pollen, dust, mold spores, etc. in the water.
Edit: Wow. So sorry this post turned out so long. I really didn't mean to write another book instead of a post.
Yes, thank you. I had imagined it would be wise to have a very high quality pre-collection air filtration system because depending on the reason for the survival situation it could be that even biological, toxic, poisonous and/or radioactive contamination would need filtering and could get into the water collected.
I would hope anything that would filter those hazards should deal with dust and such.
Yes, good point though!
Yet, I imagined they would have it filtering all of the living space or dwelling air. I forgot about shedding skin and other constant internal sources. So yes, one on the unit itself would be wise.
We've pretty much all seen mold growing on the aluminum tubing and coils in the back of an air conditioner. That's part of why I suggested stainless for the tubing material. So regular cleaning of the coils and collection tray or funnel would be less frequent, but I imagine still necessary.
When I saw the original poster informing of the development of a water collection system and no further explanation other than a link. Nice. Yet I figured it would help to make a simple post giving at least the general idea. I mean there are lots of modifications and or improvements that could be done. It's just when I read the post title I pictured how it could easily be done. So I figured I would openly share how. So others could have a better chance of survival. To help my fellow human beings!
Yes I'll admit, I would love to make a big bunch of money and make up for the being set back in life and having to start over, but that's why I'm writing my novel. Hopefully it will do really well. Therefore I can still live by my sense of morality and help.
It may not be as effective as the one the OP mentioned, but what I described could make the difference between survival and death from thirst.
One could even attach a low volume slow movement fan at one end of the coils on a down flow for better collection, but not too fast on airflow because that would do more to dry the coils than move refreshed air through the coils to cool and condense the moisture onto the coils.
I probably should have mentioned the fan, filtration and cleaning in my first post. I guess I was making the mistake of assuming those things would be thought of. lol.
A S S U M E making an "A S S" of "U" and "M E"! Oops! lol.
Edit again lol: Actually I just thought of something.
You would want to put some kind of tube or sleeve around it all with about an inch of clearance and it should probably made of stainless steel sheet to be more mold resistant and to ensure proper movement and replacement of the air through the coils. Also in that case you would want to attach the fan to one end of the sleeve
Otherwise the air surrounding the coils would get really dry and it just stops serving it's purpose. So yes definitely a sleeve and fan attached to it. Make the sleeve removable so it can be cleaned on the inside and make it easier to clean the coils.
Haha! I just realized how valuable bleach would be!
The new gold!
Note to self... Start stocking up on bleach. ROFL.
I've never looked into if it's safe to consume anything that's been in contact with aluminum long term so that's why I keep saying stainless steel. Otherwise aluminum would be better due to it's better thermal transference and similar corrosion resistance, but it would require more frequent cleaning. Stainless would still be better on the mold growth that DrHenley mentioned.
Any ideas or insights?
None the less, again, yes very good point!
Thank you.