# Flow direction and re-use of water? **URL:** \ **Category:** Anova Support\ **Tags:** hardware\ **Created:** [April 16, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124 "2018-04-16T16:59:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Artie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/artie/32/3227_2.png) [@Artie](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Artie)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/1 "2018-04-16T16:59:49Z")
Hi all. New user, 1st post. Can anyone tell me the flow direction in and out of the APC? I have the 900 watt BT/Wi-Fi version. I notice three small openings on the bottom of the plastic bottom, along with a slightly larger opening on the side. Then, there are four slots in the sides of the sleeve. I’m just curious as to which are the inlets and outlets. Also, is it necessary to change the water with each cook? The food never actually touches the water, does it? Could one use, for instance, captured rain water. Here in Florida rain water is relatively warm to begin with. Thanks all. Artie ---
**Author:** ![Ember](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/ember/32/729_2.png) [@Ember](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Ember)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 1:59am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/2 "2018-04-17T01:59:28Z")
Changing the cooking water each time isn’t necessary, if you’ve got the space to have a container of water sitting ready for use. I live in an area with permanent water restrictions, so I keep the same water going until it starts to cloud. As to direction of flow, someone else might be able to assist there. I’ve never bothered to find out because it didn’t seem important. ---
**Author:** ![Artie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/artie/32/3227_2.png) [@Artie](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Artie)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/3 "2018-04-17T02:14:14Z")
Thanks Ember. Mainly, I was curious about flow direction just so I could optimize placement in the vessel. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ember](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/ember/32/729_2.png) [@Ember](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Ember)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 4:23am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/4 "2018-04-17T04:23:22Z")
Ok. Put the circulator in a pot of water and add a drop of food colouring beside it. Switch the unit on and observe the flow pattern from the coloured drop. ---
**Author:** ![Artie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/artie/32/3227_2.png) [@Artie](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Artie)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 4:26am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/5 "2018-04-17T04:26:21Z")
Good idea. I’ll try that. ---
**Author:** ![Bill](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/bill/32/9_2.png) [@Bill](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Bill)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 5:27pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/6 "2018-04-17T17:27:04Z")
Flow comes out of the bottom plastic cap - you can adjust it two ways. 1: Remove the skirt and reattach til the flow is in a direction you’d like or 2: Remove the cap, and reattach til the flow is in a direction you’d like. You’ll see the little exit hole on the bottom of the plastic cap 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AlyssaWOAH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/alyssawoah/32/2946_2.png) [@AlyssaWOAH](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/AlyssaWOAH)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 5:45pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/7 "2018-04-17T17:45:57Z")
Yep, what @Bill said. The water is also sucked in from the larger holes right above the cap. ---
**Author:** ![Artie](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/artie/32/3227_2.png) [@Artie](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Artie)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/8 "2018-04-17T18:03:40Z")
Thanks Bill. I didn’t even realize that those were removable. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![M\_HAND](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@M\_HAND](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/M_HAND)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 10:10pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/9 "2018-04-19T22:10:44Z")
If you keep a tub of water just sitting around, especially in Florida, watch out for mosquitoes! The water gets sucked in through the slots in the sleeve, and it exits through the side hole, in the bottom cap. ---
**Author:** ![rroobbie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/439d5e/32.png) [@rroobbie](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/rroobbie)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 5:26pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/10 "2018-04-20T17:26:53Z")
Just twist the whole unit in it’s mount to direct the out flow. If your package floats to the sidewall of the vessel or goes the other way and contacts the unit, just turn the whole Anova unit till the package finds equilibrium between the two surfaces, and there it will remain. ---
**Author:** ![garydlum](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/garydlum/32/3154_2.png) [@garydlum](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/garydlum)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/11 "2018-04-23T03:32:56Z")
I would be cautious about reusing the water in some circumstances. When using a Food Saver or similar device, if liquid escapes past the sealing line it will be exposed to the circulating warm water. While tap water isn’t a great broth for growing thermophilic bacteria, some will grow and if you wait for the water to become cloudy it’s too late. The water is contaminated. It shouldn’t contaminate the inside of a sealed bag but it may cause problems for your precision cooker if it’s not cleaned properly. The cooking water bath can also remain contaminated unless it is washed properly. ---
**Author:** ![eat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@eat](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/eat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 7:57am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/flow-direction-and-re-use-of-water/14124/12 "2018-04-23T07:57:20Z")
[quote=“garydlum, post:11, topic:14124, full:true”] While tap water isn’t a great broth for growing thermophilic bacteria, some will grow and if you wait for the water to become cloudy it’s too late. The water is contaminated.[/quote] If you really want to keep the water and discourage bacteria you could bring it up to 90°C for a moment. That would kill most. Should be in a suitable container though. Or get an aquarium filter and let that run from time to time when the water is cold. I use mine for the plants. After 9 hours working on the yogurt some of the chloride should be gone. Better than tab water in any case.