This week I picked up a new toy that I’ve had on my Wish List for a few years now. It was a belated Fathers Day present - A Water Distillation unit for the home. The water quality that comes out of the tap here in Australia is not too bad, but like many parts of the world it has some "extras" that our government in it’s infinite wisdom has decided to add to it. Since I’ve lost any trust in government these last few years, having them decide what goes into my drinking water is another thing I’m not super keen on...
The last few years we’ve been renting and 2 of the more rural properties we occupied ran solely off big underground rainwater tanks. At those properties my concern was a bit different because in agricultural areas (like they were in) there can be pesticides and fertilizers that can leech into an underground water tank. Plus there is always the risk of a rodent or other bug drowning itself in there so we were boiling our water before consumption in those places as a small precaution – especially after a few family members (myself included) got stomach aches for a few days after we first moved into that last place. Since then I’ve become a bit over-cautious when it comes to the quality of our drinking water.
At our new house we have rainwater tanks too, but the water collected is not intended for drinking. However with this new water distillation unit drinking the collected water is now going to be an option too. Anything that I can do to reduce reliance on external supply is a good thing as it builds up our household resilience so there is a couple of reasons while I think this has been a smart acquisition.
It’s a pretty small unit and didn’t cost a bomb either. I picked it up from Amazon HERE for only $115 AUD which makes it a very affordable kitchen appliance. You can distil other things with it (ahem, alcohol) but for now I’m just using it for water. The 105 on the left side of the display is the configurable temperature setting (in degrees celsius) and it takes 3.5 Hours to distil about 4 Litres. I plan to run it during the day when my solar panels are peaking out.
The water does taste a little bit different though. I was expecting distilled water to be fairly tasteless and I haven’t yet figured out if it’s picking up something from the carbon filter provided. I’m not really sure what the purpose of the carbon filter even IS, so if anyone has experience with this sort of unit I’d appreciate any advice. Should I just get rid of the carbon filter? If you have distilled your own water for drinking I'd love to hear how you've found it.
Distilled water lacks essential minerals, it will dissolve the minerals you have in you and take those, too.
Drinking it exclusively may not be the best idea.
This shows how to make a still and discusses some about distilled water.
Somewhere in this archive he has another article about distilled water that goes deeper into the pros and cons.
It's probably in one of the survivor volumes, but I forget which one, specifically.
You can down load them in pdf and likely search them for keywords.
Thanks! Really appreciate the insight and the links. I will read up more about it.
i bought a similar machine about 6 months ago and distill 4 litres about 4 times per week which is enough for 2 peeps for drinking water. i only drink distilled water now and think it is the best for health. When it's finished i pour into jugs and stir with a small wooden spoon to create a vortex to energise while singing a mantra to further energise.
i've not changed the charcoal filter yet (tested and it's 3 parts per million so pretty good) and don't notice any issue with taste.
i also add a pinch of Borax to each jug btw. Bicarb of soda is an alternative as Ura commented.
Sat Nam
Excellent. I will look into Borax and Bicarb of soda to try to understand the benefits. Thanks.
You will be amazed re benefits of #Borax.
https://health-science-spirit.com/Healing_the_Body/The-Borax-Conspiracy.html
I have bought a VEVOR too about a month ago. The filter is necessary to clean the water from the impurities. The distillation by itself is not enough. After a while I get used to the taste and it diminishes after about 10 times distillation. Hope this helps...
This is what confuses me. What impurities make it through the distillation process? I only have a high school level understanding of chemistry but it would only be liquid compounds with a boiling point lower than 105? All the dissolved minerals should be left behind when the water boils?
There's a saying when you don't have a water filter, you are the filter. Few people go through life these days without facing a terrible disease and I think it's very wise that we make good choices when it comes to food and water.
Considering the distiller is quite a smart option, I drink more bottled water here but I discovered that keeping bottled water for a long time can also be dangerous.
I do have a distiller but it gets spoiled, so I do more boiling. As for the carbon filter it's very important, the distillation alone isn't enough. But, I really don't know how terrible the taste might be. You can reach out to the experienced, so as to get the best advice.
Thanks for sharing, a good time here 🤗🤗.
Very good. I like that saying. Thanks for the constructive comments.
Yeah, always my pleasure here 😊
It's worthwhile to hear that you have taken the measure to ensure the quality of your drinking water, especially given your concerns about additives and past experiences. Your new water distillation unit sounds like a cooling addition to your home, enhancing your self-reliance and household resilience.
I can relate your curiosity about the taste of distilled water. It's possible that the carbon filter is affecting the taste, as it might be removing some impurities or altering the water's composition. You could experiment by running the unit without the filter to see if the taste changes. Additionally, I would recommend
reaching out to the manufacturer or seeking advice from others who have experience with similar units to get insights into the purpose of the carbon filter.
In all, your proactive approach to ensuring clean and safe drinking water is laudable, and it's awesome that you're sharing your experience and seeking input from others who may have distilled their own water. Cheers to better water quality and household sustainability.
Nice addition to the house. We have a filter on our fridge for water and the water tastes a little different too, but is good and cold. Love it.
A very important step to good health and being self sufficient is to have your own clean water supply. Kudos to you!
Nice addition. I don’t trust drinking water from the town either.
It's a great idea. You don't want to have your family get sick off of well water. If the carbon filter is activated charcoal it shouldn't do to much to the taste. Adding some minerals is what many bottled water companies do to make it taste better.
I think it is an excellent device even though you say that in Australia the water quality is not that bad, it is much better to run it through the distiller so any waste or extra stuff that might be in it is removed, it is a great tool for the home.
Congratulations on your new purchase, it was really a necessary item to get, now you can be sure of the quality of water being consumed by you and your family.
Thats a good thing to have in home.
Thanks for the share
Of course its price is reasonable and this kind of thing is for the daily needs of man so one should buy such things because they last for a long time and help man a lot.
Getting it in Nigeria will definitely cost more I guess
Congratulations to you and your family on your new friend, this will surely help you and your family to stay healthy ;)
That's a great idea. I don't have such gadget at my home but this thing is very useful. But purified water has taste which I don't like
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I have distilled my water for probably over 15 years now. There are a few details that are important to understand:
My solution to these problems is to use pharma grade bicarbonate of soda to raise the PH and to use liquid minerals to remineralise the water (concentrace works well). The end result is very clean mineral water that started out as tap water.
I worked out the cost of this process a while ago and saw that, roughly speaking (at that time), the cost to produce this home mineral water was cheaper than buying quality mineral water from a shop.
There are other ways to distil large amounts of water but they are almost never used. I may look at that in future.
This is excellent advice, thank you. I will definitely look into this more.
No problem, you are welcome!
Randomly came across this old post just now. @ura-soul Is spot on. Would love seeing an update post on this! @buggedout