Distilled Water Association

Water Education through Science and Engineering

Water Distiller

What is Distilled Water?

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Distilled water is regular tap water that has been purified through a process called “distillation.” This is a scientific process that involves separating the substances inside of water from the water itself. These substances could be toxics, dirt, waste, impurities and even minerals. The process can only be done by vaporizing the water and then collecting its condensation afterwards. You may think this is a new process, but people have known about this process for about 2000 years. Of course, the methods of creating distilled water have changed over the years. The most natural method actually comes from nature itself. Think about where rainwater comes from. Rain is formed when water evaporates into the air and then the air becomes precipitated under gravity to form droplets. These droplets are actually distilled water because the original water vapor does not contain any of the minerals or toxic elements that it originated from. So, if you are able to catch rain in a container then you will actually have distilled water. Of course, if you live in a polluted city then you have to take into account the toxic elements in the air that will hit the rain when it falls. For this, you can use an additional filtration process to take care of those elements. The end result will still be distilled water.

Distillation provides the most purified water out of any other purification method because it completely gets rid of all of the elements in the water. People like to drink purified water because it is a soft water that is easy to digest and does not weigh you down or make you feel bloated. Furthermore, it has helped numerous people lose weight and digest their foods better in their digestive system. Some people even like to use distilled water to wash themselves or their cars. When washing their cars, the softness of distilled water won’t create any water spots like with the regular tap water. As for human washing, people like to now shower with distilled water because they will reduce their chances of getting bacteria and impurities into the pores of their skin while they are washing. These things would usually cause acne, rashes or other skin irritations. Distilled shower water can be created with an automated distillation machine (a Water Distiller) that runs distilled water throughout all the pipes in your home. People are finally starting to rediscover the beauty of clean water, which will certainly help to promote better health and a longer life.

The Future of Distilled Water

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The pollution of the world seems to be a never ending problem. We have air pollution, land pollution and, of course, water pollution. These things are affecting people’s health in a negative way and it doesn’t look like it is going to change any time soon. The only thing a person can really change is the type of water they drink. Fortunately, you can now find distilled water jugs and bottles being sold in local supermarkets in western society and in fact, you can make it yourself at home using a water distiller at a much cheaper rate than buying it at the local store. Of course, they are not always easy to find because of the plethora of regular purified water that has minerals in it. Only those educated in distilled water will know to look for it. Otherwise, you will end up picking any random brand of water off the shelf and stuffing it in your shopping cart.

People are going to have to find a better source of purified water in the future. Now you may be wondering, “What is wrong with the regular purified water that has minerals in it?” It is true that this water does not have impurities, but it still has minerals in it. These minerals are not always healthy for people if they have preexisting health problems, such as high blood pressure and heart problems. Since we live in an age where people eat unhealthy and are on lots of prescription medication, mineral water could actually be detrimental to these people’s health. The only solution is for people to start drinking more distilled water. They will already be getting their minerals from the foods they eat. Even though people don’t eat lots of fruits and vegetables directly, they are still getting them indirectly because they are used as ingredients in lots of other foods. For example, pasta sauce and salsa uses a plethora of vegetables for its ingredients. Sure you are getting spices and salts that are harmful to you, but you are also getting minerals from the vegetable ingredients as well. So, people aren’t ever going to have to worry about mineral deficiency in their diets any time soon.

The only thing stopping distilled water from becoming mainstream are the politics behind it. People keep spreading rumors about it being dangerous to our health so filter companies can keep on selling their filters, so the public immediately gets scared and backs away without doing any research into it themselves. If they did their own research they would find that distilled water is actually better for our health than the rumors suggest. But, the public gets scared easily and this fear is what usually prevents our society for excelling towards a brighter future. Eventually, people will see that distilled water is in that future.

Traveling with Distilled Water

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When we travel to a foreign country we often don’t think about the challenges and differences that will be waiting for us when we get there. Our western society is certainly spoiled with its purified water bottles and sanitary foods. Furthermore, we have distilled water bottle options in our supermarkets, which is something that many countries haven’t even allowed into their stores yet. This can be an unfortunate thing if you travel to a foreign land without being able to purchase your favorite kind of purified water. Your only option in this situation will be to pack your own bottles of distilled water and bring them with you on your trip. Of course, you have to check with the laws regarding bottled water in the country you are traveling to. Some countries do not allow distilled water to be consumed for nutritional purposes. Like in India, you won’t be able to get any kind of distilled water in a bottle. You can get purified water, but it is the traditional kind that still has the minerals inside of it (and in India, you may actually get very sick from drinking water). These are usually sold in the touristy locations, such as central hotels and airports. The rest of the country will force you to rely on local tap water, which is about a hundred times more contaminated than the tap water in the United States. You will most likely get sick from drinking foreign tap water, especially if it is in a third world country.

Fortunately, the distillation process is not rocket science. You don’t have to depend on having distilled water supplied to you in order to get it. You will just have to make it yourself on your trip, which may seem like an inconvenience but it is better than drinking toxic tap water. However, if making your own distilled water on a trip is too much then you may be able to get distilled water in an appliance store. In India, they actually sell distilled water to use with humidifiers. It is not intended on being drinking water, but you can easily use it for such purposes in the convenience of your hotel room. If you have any empty water bottles, then you can fill them up with distilled water and nobody will know the difference. Sometimes, you have to think outside the box when trying to consume distilled water in remote locations. After all, your health is more important than local regulations that have nothing to do with a person’s health and wellness in the first place.

Distilled Water: Glass Bottle Method

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The glass bottle method of distillation is similar to the glass bowl method, but it has a few more advantages. For one thing, when the process is over you will already have the distilled water in a bottle and won’t have to worry about transferring it from a large bowl to a bottle. Also, the glass bottle method uses some different tools as well. Besides the stove, cooking pot and tap water, you will need duct tape, two glass bottles, and an ice pack. One of the glass bottles should have a curved neck on top, while the other can have an ordinary straight neck. You need to fill the straight necked bottle up with ordinary tap water. Leave about five inches of space from the water to the top of the bottle. Next, you need to connect the two bottles together by their necks using duct tape. Make it so the openings of the necks are interconnected in a way to where no water or air can get in or out.

Now you will want to take a cooking pot and fill it up with five gallons of water. After that, place it on the stove and turn on the burner. Let the water sit until it is boiling in the pot and then place the bottle with water inside the boiling water. The other connected bottle will be hanging off the side of the pot, which is okay. You will want to try to tilt the bottle of water at a 30 degree angle because this will help it evaporate better. You should have your hand on the other bottle to adjust the angle. Don’t let go of that bottle because the duct tape is likely going to break. Finally, take an ice pack and hold it to the empty bottle that you have already been holding. This will create a hot and cold effect that will allow the hot water to evaporate and condense into the cooler empty bottle. Continue this until you have enough distilled water inside the bottle you are holding.

The glass bottle method is not traditionally used, but some people find it more convenient using bottles rather than a glass bowl with the lid of a pot. Either method will work find because they both evaporate and condense the water, which is the basic idea behind distillation. But again, either method requires trigger work, with a lot of inconveniences. You’d be better off getting an automatic counter-top water distiller, which besides distillation, it also has a charcoal filter to help clear close to 100% of remaining pollutants.

Distilled Water: Glass Bowl Method

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There are many methods of creating distilled water. One of the most basic (and inconvenient) methods of creating distilled water at home is by boiling water underneath a glass bowl. This might sound complicated, but it is actually quite simple if you follow a few basic steps. The first thing you need to do is get your supplies. This will involve a stainless steel pot that is big enough to hold around ten gallons of water. Also, make sure the pot comes with a lid because this will be a vital part of the distillation process. Besides the pot, you will also need a glass bowl that can fit inside the pot. Try not to use a glass bowl that is too small, but big enough to fit inside the pot without touching the sides. Finally, have a bag of ice on hand because it will help with the condensation effect near the end.

After you have gotten the supplies, you are ready to start distilling the water. First, take your cooking pot and fill it up with five gallons of water. You can use the water from your faucet since it is going to be distilled anyways. The five gallons of water should fill the cooking pot at least half way. If it comes up more than half way then you can empty some of the water out until half the pot is filled. If the five gallons doesn’t fill the pot half way then simply add more water. Next, place the pot of water on your stove and turn the burner on. Place your glass bowl on top of the water and let it float. If the bowl touches the bottom of the pot then you don’t have enough water. In this case, you would fill up the pot some more until the bowl floats without touching the bottom. Either that or you can use a circular baking rack and place it on the bottom of the pot in order to hold the bowl up from the bottom.

Now you just sit back and watch the water begin to build up in the glass bowl. You don’t want the water to be boiling yet, but rather just stay hot. Once water appears in the glass bowl, take the pot’s lid and flip it upside down. Place the lid on top of the glass bowl and then fill up the lid with ice. By this time, the water will be boiling and the condensation will cause distilled water to drip into the glass bowl. After you have enough distilled water in the bowl, carefully take the bowl out of the hot pot and place it down on the counter to cool off. Then just fill up some empty bottles with the water or any other method of storage that you prefer.

As you can see, while the concept is simple, the process is very inconvenient. Make yourself a favor, stop wasting your time, and get an automatic water distiller instead.