Water Distiller

[Elwar]

Ok, I've been looking at a way to go off grid for my water supply.

I live right on the gulf of mexico so if I were to build a well it would be full of saltwater.

I was thinking about things in steps since money, as always, is certainly an issue.

I've been checking out water distillers. The stainless steel ones can distill saltwater.

I figured as a first step I might get a cheap water distiller on craigslist that can be connected to a water line. I'd set that up in my garage and just have distilled water go to my drinking water line.

Then from there I could work on getting a line set up to draw water from the gulf (this will be tricky since at low tide the water in my canal is nothing but mud...come on global warming!!).

I've also been looking at large stainless steel water holder (like a couple hundred gallons).

Down the road I could probably buy more distillers to use for more of the house water (showers and kitchen faucet) while working toward using captured rain water for the toilet water and the lawn.

Any thoughts on this approach?

[s35wf]

all of the above sound good.

I bought a Berkey water filter for drinking water; water NEVER tasted so good since :)

[Johnnybags]

Ok, I've been looking at a way to go off grid for my water supply.

I live right on the gulf of mexico so if I were to build a well it would be full of saltwater.

I was thinking about things in steps since money, as always, is certainly an issue.

I've been checking out water distillers. The stainless steel ones can distill saltwater.

I figured as a first step I might get a cheap water distiller on craigslist that can be connected to a water line. I'd set that up in my garage and just have distilled water go to my drinking water line.

Then from there I could work on getting a line set up to draw water from the gulf (this will be tricky since at low tide the water in my canal is nothing but mud...come on global warming!!).

I've also been looking at large stainless steel water holder (like a couple hundred gallons).

Down the road I could probably buy more distillers to use for more of the house water (showers and kitchen faucet) while working toward using captured rain water for the toilet water and the lawn.

Any thoughts on this approach?

capture the rain and filter it, get your mineral intake from food. If you wish, boil the rainwater before drinking it. If not, set it out in a clear plastic pvc pipe in the sunshine for a few hours to UV it. Its better than any tap water.

[Elwar]

capture the rain and filter it, get your mineral intake from food. If you wish, boil the rainwater before drinking it. If not, set it out in a clear plastic pvc pipe in the sunshine for a few hours to UV it. Its better than any tap water.

Ya, I think rainwater would be good for most of my stuff. A quick calculation of my roof and our average rainfall would give me about 90 gallons a day on average to use.

I like the distillers because they are 99.99% pure water (they can't claim 100% just on the off chance that something sneaks through). Plus I have an unlimited source of water to pull from, the only bottleneck being the time it takes to distill the water (I've been looking at distillers that do around 10 gallons per day). I'd probably work on a solar electric supply for the distiller and pumps in case of a SHTF scenario.

I worry about our tap water here, even though it goes through our refrigerator filter. I just see so many people with messed up teeth in the area that I can't believe that all of them are on meth or have horrible hygene.

[Elwar]

How is rainwater for showers and washing clothes/dishes?

[dannno]

How is rainwater for showers and washing clothes/dishes?

Not as good as soapy water

http://eviljwinter.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/groucho.jpg

[Johnnybags]

of course you need soap. Its fine, just filter it for wash,shower needs etc. Boil or UV it for drinking. Prove it to yourself and put a drop under a microscope of tap vs your naturally distilled rainwater. Just make sure the revenuers are not aware, it is illegal in Colorado. I would invest in a good filtering system and possibly a good UV setup if you have concerns but heck, as you say, the animals are not missing as many teeth as much the citizenry down there and they "gots" no flouride. Check out this link.


http://rainwater.org/rainwater_stories.html

[lucius]

Ok, I've been looking at a way to go off grid for my water supply.

I live right on the gulf of mexico so if I were to build a well it would be full of saltwater.

I was thinking about things in steps since money, as always, is certainly an issue.

I've been checking out water distillers. The stainless steel ones can distill saltwater.

I figured as a first step I might get a cheap water distiller on craigslist that can be connected to a water line. I'd set that up in my garage and just have distilled water go to my drinking water line.

Then from there I could work on getting a line set up to draw water from the gulf (this will be tricky since at low tide the water in my canal is nothing but mud...come on global warming!!).

I've also been looking at large stainless steel water holder (like a couple hundred gallons).

Down the road I could probably buy more distillers to use for more of the house water (showers and kitchen faucet) while working toward using captured rain water for the toilet water and the lawn.

Any thoughts on this approach?

Great idea! A few suggestions, add a few grains of rice to water over night before drinking or make brine out of Himalayan rock salt and add a few drops--to replace the trace minerals stripped out. Cooking water is not an issue.

Cobble together a makeshift food dehydrator to utilize the excess heat that the distiller puts off during it's run.

Put two 10"x3" whole house water filters together with a water hammer to pre-filter the water to be distilled [first one for sediment, second one block activated charcoal--good for 10,000 gallons]. The water hammer will cut down the noise of the water-auto-filling in the distiller.

I bought a royal prestige infinity dl, used off ebay for $340 total and have run it continuously for three years. Only maintenance is draining the boiling chamber after every use and then soaking out the deposits with vinegar every 5-6 months--works great for what I want to do.

ps: for your whole house use, I would build a solar distillation unit and also incorporate gravity drip solar water heating for your use/heating.

[Elwar]

Great idea! A few suggestions, add a few grains of rice to water over night before drinking or make brine out of Himalayan rock salt and add a few drops--to replace the trace minerals stripped out. Cooking water is not an issue.

Cobble together a makeshift food dehydrator to utilize the excess heat that the distiller puts off during it's run.
Good idea, I've never done food dehydration. I'll have to check it out.



ps: for your whole house use, I would build a solar distillation unit and also incorporate gravity drip solar water heating for your use/heating.

I ran across this site which shows the pitfalls of solar distillers.
http://www.wholesalewaterdistillers.com/solar-water-distillers.html

Also, as far as minerals go, I ran across this site:

http://www.energiseforlife.com/distilled-water-questions.php

3. Isn't distilled water void of minerals that my body needs?

Another popular myth. The simple fact is that the human body can only use and absorb certain types of minerals (organic as opposed to inorganic) and only from certain sources. The human body is designed to get it's minerals from foods, not from water and so the best thing we can do for our water is make it as pure from toxins and chemicals as possible.

While it is true that the process of distillation removes certain minerals from the water it is highly unlikely that any of the beneficial minerals could be used by the body. Research has shown that the body is unlikely to be able to absorb the minerals from water and one study has even claimed that you would have to drink over 650 eight-ounce glasses of tap water to reach the Recommended Daily Allowance for calcium. The fact that distillation makes water 100% pure should not be of concern.

"The body’s need for minerals is largely met through foods, not drinking water." - American Medical Journal

"The minerals which the human body needs that are in the water are insignificant to those in food… and anyone simply eating a varied diet, not even a balanced diet, could hardly suffer a mineral deficiency." - Dr. Henry A. Schroeder, Dartmouth Medical School

"The only minerals that the body can utilize are the organic minerals. All other types of minerals are foreign substances to the body and must be eliminated. Distilled water is the only water that can be taken into the body without any damage to the tissues." - Dr. Allen E. Banik, The Choice is Clear

[lucius]

...I ran across this site which shows the pitfalls of solar distillers.
http://www.wholesalewaterdistillers.com/solar-water-distillers.html


Agree with most of the argument here, use it as non-potable whole house water, maybe treat it with UV if you are that concerned about water-borne diseases. I would still use a hard-distiller for the day-to-day drinking water and have a Berky as a backup. You will have some redundancy in this approach, which is always good depending on much disruption you may experience during potential calamities.


...
Also, as far as minerals go, I ran across this site:

http://www.energiseforlife.com/distilled-water-questions.php

I have read both sides of that argument, but it seems to taste so much better (if you discover that, stick with the grains of rice then).

[Elwar]

Ok, so I think I need to start getting more serious about going "off grid" with my water.

My wife just got off of the phone with the water company and she told them how rude they were and the lady's comeback was "You aint seen nothing yet".

So...I'm thinking rainwater collection with filters for most of our water.

My question would be, storage. I'm right on the gulf so I'm at sea level. I considered putting several storage containers in the attic and have the rainwater run right from the roof into the attic but I'm thinking that might not be a good idea on several fronts.

Or, if it's on the ground then what happens if the ocean water rises into my yard and I get my tanks full of saltwater...

I think there should be enough rainfall in Florida to switch over with little change in use.

[davidbarker805]

Sorry for retrieving the old thread instead of creting a new one, but we seem to be on the same hunt. I am looking to buy a water distiller. I want one that distills about 8 gallons a day. For now, we are looking for an electric one here (https://www.avidwater.com/reviews/best-water-distiller/), although we also like the idea of a solar one but it's rather expensive. Is solar a better price option (other than the cost of electricity) and how do we buy a solar distiller?