Are you concerned about your drinking water being safe for consumption? Are you throwing away money on jugs or bottles of water and you’re ready to start saving some moolah? Are you afraid you won’t be prepared to provide the clean drinking water that you and your family will need in order to survive a catastrophic emergency? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s time for you to consider building and using your own do it yourself water distiller. There are many ways in which utilizing a distiller comes in handy, and making one yourself is easier than you think.
- Buydens, Sharon (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 142 Pages - 09/04/2015 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)
- YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST: This Megahome distiller is UL (Underwriters Laboratory) approved. UL is the trusted independent...
- PUREST WATER: Distills 1 gallon every 5.5 hours. Distills the water at 212 degrees Fahrenheit which is the proper...
- BEST QUALITY: Full 304 stainless steel interior, including the boil chamber, upper steam dome, and stainless condensing...
Why Should You Distill Your Water?
There are a host of reasons why people turn to distilling their water before consuming it, and I’m sure that you’ll have your own personal reasons that propel and fuel your interest and desire to do so. Distilling becomes more and more appealing when you take into account these six top reasons to put your DIY skills to use and give this process a try.
1. Pollutants Lurking in Our Tap Water
Over the years, many have been eschewing the glass of tap water for something a bit more pure. In recent times, most of us are more cognizant of what we consume, and the implications for doing so. The debate rages on whether our tap water is safe for daily drinking and use. Some argue that our health is being endangered with the chemicals that are added to our drinking water supply, such as fluoride and chlorine.
Lead and other metals can also sometimes make their way into our tap water, causing it to be incredibly harmful if consumed. The culprit in this sort of contamination is usually the pipes that the water passes through on its way to your faucet. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, which began in 2014, recently brought this issue to the forefront of our minds. Distilling your water ensures that these potentially harmful chemicals and pollutants don’t remain in your drinking water.
2. Remove Harmful Contaminants
Many people erroneously believe that boiling water alone will clear water of harmful contaminants. The truth is that boiling does not remove substances such as lead or other metals from water, but can actually make the level of contamination rise. Because boiling or heating water doesn’t clear it of heavy metals, they can become more concentrated due to the fact that when heated, some of the water will evaporate, while the harmful contaminants are still left behind. Distillation, on the other hand, works because it vaporizes the water, removing it from the contaminants.
3. Protection Against Water Borne Diseases
An unclean water supply can harbor bacteria and parasites that are ripe for causing and spreading disease in humans if they are consumed. There’s no doubt that regardless if your interest in DIY distilling stems from a want for water cleanliness and money savings, or for survival preparedness, your current and future health are important to you. Especially in the case of a wide-spread epidemic, drinking clean water could drastically cut your own chances of contracting illnesses.
4. This Purifying Method is the Most Natural
If keeping things as all-natural as possible is important to you, than you will surely appreciate distilling. Nearly as close to the process of evaporation in the water cycle as it can get, DIY water distilling allows you to reproduce the ways in which water is purified in nature, but within your own home.
If you’re not familiar with how the distillation of water works, it begins by boiling the water first. This causes the clean water to be converted to steam, while the harmful minerals and chemicals are left behind as liquids. Through condensation, the steam is converted back to its water form.
5. It Saves You Money
Making a DIY water distiller is a money saver no matter how you look at it. If you’ve already determined that drinking tap water is out of the question, or in the event of an emergency, completing the process on your own will save you money, over time, compared to stocking up on distilled or other bottled waters at the store. Once you’ve acquired the supplies needed to complete your set-up, your at-home operation will only cost you expenses for the water you use, and power to operate your stovetop.
- YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST: This Megahome distiller is UL (Underwriters Laboratory) approved. UL is the trusted independent...
- BEST QUALITY: Full 304 stainless steel interior and exterior, including the boil chamber, upper steam dome, and...
- PUREST WATER: Distills 1 gallon every 5.5 hours. Distills the water at 212 degrees Fahrenheit which is the proper...
- YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST: This Megahome distiller is UL (Underwriters Laboratory) approved. UL is the trusted independent...
- PUREST WATER: Distills 1 gallon per/5.5 hours. Distills the water at 212 degrees Fahrenheit which is the proper speed...
- BEST QUALITY: Full 304 stainless steel interior and exterior, including the boil chamber, upper steam dome, and...
6. A Lifesaver When Clean Drinking Water is Unavailable
If you’re prepping for survival during possible future emergencies, knowing how to distill your own water could even save your health and your life. There are a number of methods that you could use in a pinch, even without access to tap water, a stovetop or electric. We’ll explore some of these options later.
Making Your Own DIY Water Distiller
After exploring the existing reasons extolling the virtues of distilling drinking water, I’m sure that you’re itching to get started on embarking on your own distilling adventure. Luckily, there are only a few supplies needed to construct a homemade distiller, and you’ll find that building and using your own system is incredibly simple.
Collecting Your Supplies
I know I’ve mentioned this previously, but you will truly be surprised to learn how few key supplies need to be collected to get a start on building your very own DIY water distiller:
- Dish detergent
- Stove or other heating source
- Tap water
- A large metal pot
- A feed-through fitting made of stainless steel
- A glass jug
- A plastic hose rated for high-temperature use
You likely have many of these laying around your home. If not, a quick online search or a trip to your local home improvement store will prove fruitful.
Assembling and Using Your DIY Water Distiller
No fancy design is needed when putting together your own personal at-home water distiller. In fact, with the materials mentioned above, you can assemble your own effective set-up in as little as an hour or less.
You will first want to use your detergent and warm water to thoroughly clean all of your supplies. Once cleaned, take your large metal pot and drill a hole in the lid. This hole is where you will need to insert your stainless steel feed-through fitting.
Place your pot on a stovetop burner and turn on the heat. When the water is boiling, it will begin to evaporate. Allow it to sit like this for about five minutes, so that the steam can exit through the feed-through fitting. When the five minutes are up, attach your plastic hose to the fitting. The other end of your hose should be placed in your glass jug.
The jug will collect your clean and pure drinkable water, while any contaminants will remain in liquid form in your metal pot. You can choose to store your distilled water however you choose: plastic or glass bottles or jugs are great options. Did you ever think that building and using your very own DIY water distiller could be this simple?
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What About Emergencies?
Hopefully it’s a scenario that you won’t have to encounter, but what if you find yourself in a true emergency situation and need to survive without the tools and comforts of home? Learning methods of distilling water with limited supplies could make the difference between life and death in some serious cases.
The Power of Plants
If you find yourself in an emergency scenario without a drink of water in sight, get creative with just a few simple supplies:
- Green plants
- Any clean container
- Plastic wrap
- A few rocks, including one small pebble
For this method of distillation, gather a collection of any green plants that are available nearby. After accumulating your greenery, dig a hole in the ground that will be large enough for you to fit your container down into. Line your hole with your collected plants, and pack them in all around the outside of your container to fill the space in.
Take a piece of plastic wrap and place it over the hole to completely cover the top. Place rocks around the hole, sitting on top of the plastic wrap, to hold it in place, ensuring that it’s secure enough so moisture won’t escape. Take your small pebble and set it in the middle of your plastic wrap covering, making sure it’s placed over the top of the container in the hole.
Eventually, vapors will form from evaporating water, and they will condense on the plastic wrap. This condensation will serve as your clean water source as it drops into your container where your pebble is indenting the wrap.
Methods such as this one take a considerably long amount of time to accumulate drinking water, so they are really only great options in dire situations. You may want to further prepare yourself for unexpected circumstances by learning about a few different ways to distill water in an emergency. If you have compiled a bug-out bag, you may also want to include a few small supplies that will help you out in utilizing these methods in an emergency.
- Tuttnauer 9000 Water Distiller
- Tuttnauer 9000 Water Distiller
- Each
As you can see, whether in the comforts of your kitchen or facing the possibility of a potentially life-threatening lack of water, there are incredibly simple methods of DIY water distillation available to you. All you need are a few supplies and a bit of know-how.
Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.
Last update on 2024-04-28 at 08:55 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API