Stainless Steel Water Distiller Design

[MegaMontana]

The following water distiller design is derived from the design that Mike offered on the Troubled Times website. This design, with it's condensing pot, can produce a 1/2 gallon of distilled water every hour, or 1 cup (8 oz.) every 7.5 minutes. The parts are all stainless steel. Water distillation is the one and only method recommended by the Zetas to purify your water. In all likelihood, water distillation will be needed before the hour of the poleshift even arrives. Building a water distiller seems simple but it is not all that easy. An efficient water distiller that can be operated with any heat source, most importanly fire, cannot necessarily be bought, so many look to other ways of water purification, mainly the water filter. It will always be a matter of opinion, but for those with children who will depend on them, it is urged to take a hard look at reality and what a water filter can do for you in the long term. Survival is no easy matter regardless of preparations, but since water is one of the most important aspects of survival, it should be one of the first steps taken.

I've been experimenting with different distiller designs for several years now, all the while I knew Mike's design was the best. I was intimidated by it since I had no metal working skills and wood was hard enough to work with. All the designs I came up with didn't even come close to what Mike's design could accomplish, so I sort of gave up for a while. Finally I got my act together since I don't like giving up, and created a prototype using aluminum and copper parts, since they are easier to work with than stainless steel. There were a number of failures on my part and the feeling that I wasn't going to conquer this task. I do not have welding skills, but I bought a mini kit and soon found out that I can't even keep the flame lit once the oxygen is turned on. After about 10 seconds of trying to weld, the flame would burn out, and make a loud noise at the same time which added to my insecurity. I finally bought a simple and safer propane torch and decided on lead free solder. It took me a while to get the hang of it and I found that you need the soldering flux that plumbers use or the solder will not bond well. But once it's properly done, the connection is very sturdy. Finally I had a complete distiller made of aluminum and copper that performed to my expectations of a 1/2 gallon every hour. Then the complaints came in that distilled water leached aluminum and copper, making it unsafe to drink in the long term. Apparently only stainless steel was acceptable. I didn't buy into this myth because logic and common sense tell a different story (note water tests for proof), but in an effort to appease the crowd and hopefully make a difference in the lives of children that must rely on adults for their future, an all stainless steel water distiller was made which costs more and is a metal that is much tougher to work with.

Plans are provided by Howard based on the specifications given to him and these can be taken to a metal worker if you do not feel comfortable making one yourself. In fact, I would recommend it since welding would be considered stronger and more reliable than soldering. If you choose to solder like I did, it should be noted that solder does not bond well with stainless steel, so all connections will have to be made extra tight to begin with and the solder acts like more of a gasket. But with aluminum and copper, the solder bonds very well.

This distiller utilizes a stainless steel pot to boil the contaminated water. A stainless steel pizza pan then sits on top. By using a pizza pan, it can be used on just about anything that can boil water, making it versatile. The steam travels up the 4 stainless steel tubes, into the stainless steel pie pan, where it hits the bottom of the stainless steel condensing pot that sits on top of the pie pan. The water in this pot creates the necessary temperature change to condense the steam into distilled water, where it collects in the pie pan and empties through the stainless steel drain tube. A high temperature, inert food grade silicone tube can be attached to the drain tube in order to allow water to drain into a collection container of your choice. Make sure the silicone tube has the same OD (outer diameter) of the drain tube, in this case 1/4". If the silicone tube is even just a bit larger, chances are it won't fit tight enough. To enlarge the end of a silicone tube to fit perfectly, heat it up in boiling water and then insert an object such as a pen to enlarge the tube just enough to fit over the stainless steel drain tube perfectly.

The part that will have to be constructed consists of a 16" stainless steel pizza pan, a 9" stainless steel pie pan, 4 pieces of stainless steel tubing - 1/2" OD (outer diameter) - cut to 8" each, and 1 stainless steel tube - 1/4 " OD - cut to 7-8" as the drainage tube. High temperature silicone tubing also comes in handy. It's guaranteed inert for beverages and withstands temps of up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. I use 1/2" OD silicone tubing, split down the middle with scissors, and place it around the lip of the bottom boiling pot to create a better seal so steam will not escape and the system remains pressurized. The top condensing pot provides weight that seems to keep things tight enough so steam will either not escape, or very little escapes. I find that even if a small amount of steam escapes, the production results are the same. If enough steam escapes though, the system won't be pressurized very well and production can be cut in half, which is actually still more water than most electric distillers on the market can produce.

Feel free to experiment if you wish with the design. Whether you make your distiller from all stainless steel, or an aluminum/copper combo, you will have a means of purifying any water source at your disposal in the aftertime. Bacteria and viruses will be killed by the boiling process and all heavy metals including lead and mercury will be left behind as the water evaporates on it's way to the condensing chamber. Further testing will be done to deal with chemicals that also evaporate and condense such as alcohol and petrol chemicals. You will know if this is in your water in any case from both the smell and the sheen it would produce on top of the water. I will be testing to see how long it takes to boil these contaminants off, or if they can be removed effectively enough through regular charcoal and/or sand. All results will be posted and it's encouraged that others try as well and post any constructive ideas.

The following water purity tests were conducted with a TDS meter. TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids which are the total amount of mobile charged ions, including minerals, salts, or metals dissolved in a given volume of water. TDS, which is based on conductivity, is expressed in parts per million (ppm). TDS includes any conductive inorganic element present other than the pure water molecules. TDS affects everything that consumes, lives in or uses water, from fish and plants to plumbing and laboratories. For people, the lower the TDS level in the water you drink, the more efficiently your body's cells are hydrated. The higher the TDS level in water, the greater the probability of harmful contaminants that can pose health risks or hinder the absorption of water. The U.S. EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level of TDS for human consumption is 500 ppm. Though I've seen water testing done first hand at a water treatment plant, and after the first stage of purification, the water was at 500 ppm and it looked dirty and smelled rotten. The purest water after all treatments was 50 ppm and was worthy of any bottled water. After this water made it's way through all the pipes to your house, it would no longer be so pure. TDS meters can be used to check the performance of water filters and ensure your tap water is acceptable.

The TDS meter used for these tests is brand new and I manually calibrated it using a hydroponic calibrating solution set at 342 ppm. When choosing a calibrating solution, make sure to get one that is closest to your target readings to ensure maximum accuracy. For example, 1500 ppm would be too high, but would still give you acceptable accuracy. The TDS meter used in these tests has an accuracy discrepancy of +/- 2%, which is very acceptable. Each water sample was tested multiple times to ensure accuracy as well. Here are the results from round 1 -

Hot tap water stored in a tank - 200 ppm
Iced Tea sweetened with HFCS - 180 ppm
Cold running tap water - 145-150 ppm
Cold tap water run through a Pure Source 2 water filter - 130 ppm
First cup of distilled water from aluminum/copper water distiller - 10 ppm
Second cup of distilled water from aluminum/copper water distiller - 7 ppm
First cup of distilled water from all stainless steel water distiller - 2 ppm
Third cup of distilled water from all stainless steel water distiller - 1 ppm

That is correct. There were only 1-2 particles per million detectable in the distilled water from the stainless steel distiller. It just doesn't get much purer than that. There were a few more particles detected in the aluminum/copper distilled water. The condensing pot used with that distiller was also aluminum. A very old pot that looked questionable but I used it anyway for the sake of science. 7-10 ppm is still incredibly pure and is too small of an amount to cause any long term problems. I would be more concerned about what the 130 ppm is in the filtered water, but still, that is as pure of water as a person really needs.

That leaves one of the final arguments, which is that somehow you will lose minerals by drinking distilled water. This one is hard to prove but I advise would-be survivors to use their common sense here. Nobody can say they rely on water for their mineral intake. You get these from the edible greens around you. Dandelions and Amaranth, for example, have all your minerals. I'm willing to bet that your kidneys will be happy at the increase in your distilled water intake, as you're easing their work load. Here is a link to some information about drinking distilled water and various regions that rely on it. There have never been any tests or experiments that prove distilled water is dangerous in any way. Many doctors say there is nothing wrong with drinking distilled water. The purer the water, the easier it is for your body to utilize and absorb. Your body works hard to purify the fluids it's given and distilled water eases the burden. There will be real problems in your midst that will take all your focus and energy. Having distilled water on hand will only make your life easier in the aftertime.

Here is a full view of the distiller with condensing pot on top. I ended up using the smaller 12 quart pot on bottom and the larger 16 quart pot on top.

Here is the distillation unit that has to be constructed. A 16" pizza pan connected to a 9" pie pan with 4 stainless steel tubes.

Close up of drain tube.

Here is the drain tube connection from inside the pie pan. It must be as flush as possible to allow for instant drainage.

Inside of the pie pan where distilled water collects and drains. Notice how the center has been pounded up and the area where the drain tube is connected has been pounded as flat as possible.

Here is the bottom of the pizza pan that sits on top of the bottom boiling pot.

Here is the 1/2" silicone tubing, split down the middle, being applied to the lip of the boiling pot in order to create the tightest seal.

Here is the silicone tubing fully applied

And finally a pic of the copper/aluminum prototype

Here are the plans provided by Howard that can be used by a professional metal worker or anyone with welding skills that you might know.

[21dtzealcy9r9]

The post of my construction is on the first page of this forum.  OD is 3/8" (roughly 9mm), not sure what the ID is.  Also has the outside covered in vinyl or something for protection.  Doesn't seem effected by heat.  I was just grabbing stuff at Home Depot out of convenience to quickly test out my ideas but getting a good length of that stuff online makes more sense once I have things perfected.

[KM]

Thanks MegaMontana, the blog gave inspiration for making my own Distiller.  Although there was no welding involved, the above tools were used.  the largest philips screwdriver I could find, jewelry pliers, JB Weld, Braddle ( a screw driver type of tool used to poke holes in soft metal or leather etc.), small screw driver, tins snips and a conventional hammer. 
The problem I had was the stainless steel saucepan.  The lid was with a handle and made with Bakelite, so that was screwed into the top.  The screw was fixed into the lid, so used the copper pipe (standard 3/4 inch by 2 inches in length) (used a hammer) to make an indent into the lid to make a mark around the screw where the pipe was to go.  Then used the small screw driver and hammered a starter hole, that took a bit of work, but once through used the braddle to make holes around the indent made by the copper pipe in a circle until all the holes joined. and used the tin snips to cut away the rest of the metal.

Next used the big screw driver to make the hole bigger and the pliers to manipulate the hole to the right size.  Once this was done, hammered the copper pipe into the hole with a small portion hammered into the lid and the rest was protruding from the top of the lid. So there was 1/2 inch into the lid and the rest above it.

The catchment for the water is made from an aluminum pie pan, it's a bit deeper than normal, (got it from a garage sale!) but it was a lot easier to penetrate the metal and manipulate the hole to fit the copper pipe.  Hammered the large screw driver through the base to make a hole which was sized the same way as the lid with the tin snips and jewelry pliers.  the hole on the side at the bottom for the drainage was also done the same way but with the small screwdriver!

Next, was the welding part. JB Weld - have never used the product before, but really good.  Just don't get it on anything else other than what you are using it for! 

For the mixing, used a spare saucer (cup and saucer) chopstick and plastic spoon...

I squeezed out equal amounts of each compound and used the chopstick to stir and apply to the lid first on the bottom underneath, and then on top.  Applied liberally on top to weld the aluminum to the steel when the pie plate was pushed down onto the lid.  next, the JB Weld was applied to the inside of the container around the join. 

the pipe for the drainage was attached afterwards, and in the same manner but had to hold it in place with something while it set over night. 

 

The following day, the distiller was ready...

When it was put onto the stove top to work it was easy to add the water through the centre pipe with a funnel, or remove the lid.  the lid as it turned out was a tight fit when the container for the condensing water was put on top!  the catchment for the water needed to have a tight seal but with a bit of fiddling worked well.  Have to admit that I kept on looking to see what everything was doing so it took a bit longer for the steam to condense, but after about 20 minutes had about 2 cups of distilled water, and even when the stove was turned off, it still kept distilling.  It worked quite well!

The saucepan and aluminum pot were bought from garage sales, for pennies, and the equipment some from garage sales, some bought new for other purposes, but used what was available and to hand.  The copper piping was from a local hardware store.

 

 

[Caren Stevenson]

The steam juicer took 20 days to arrive here in Australia which I thought was good considering the ash cloud.  When I get around to trying it out, I will let you know.  I am really impressed as the unit is large and has a great steam basket/colander in it as well.

Malou (Marie Louise) Geleff said:

Hi Carrie !  - many thanks ! - I DO just trust that it´ll distill water, which is what I´ll be wanting it to do... I´ll be able to try it out on the wood stove + camping gas when I go to Norway with a load next month..

:-)  looking forward to that so much...  I have Katadyn tablets and a small stock of bottled and contained water, which is fine, considering I´ll be right next to a lake...  

[MegaMontana]

Nice work KM. You used some creativity and crafted a mighty fine water distiller. You have proven what can be done.

[Malou (Marie Louise) Geleff]

yes, and thanks also for the brilliant layout of tools !!  I´ll be printing that !

[Lavonne]

I, too, will be printing the brilliant layout of tools!!  Thanks everyone.  Also awaiting to see how Spockymuc's turns out - will be great to see everyone's pictures.  I realize that a pressure cooker would be only as a back-up Malou, but you had mentioned that along with this distiller and a juicer type as well.  Can I please get a little more info on the pressure cooker?  I have ordered the parts for the above distiller but also have a super heavy duty pressure/canner that doesn't use a gasket but seals with metal to metal as well as 7 bolted locks around the top to prevent any chance of mishaps/explosions etc.  It also contains a pressure gauge so you can watch the amount of pressure that is building and stop or turn down at a certain point.  I use this for pressure canning foods with a ph balance requiring more than a water bath processor.  Just thinking this might work as a back up if closely monitored and in a pinch?  If so, What type of tubing should I get?  Ideas?  Wouldn't hurt to know what one has as a back-up.  Thx.

[MegaMontana]

Interesting point Nesh, but I think you will find the pressure created from the tight seal and boiling water ensure that steam rises through the tubes at an acceptable velocity regardless of how far they protrude into the pot. However, everyone is free to experiment and construct their distillers to their liking.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

Guido, your explanation is wonderful.  I know there are many  who have purchased the steam juicer but haven't used it yet. 

This explains everything nicely.  Thank you.

[Malou (Marie Louise) Geleff]

remember that water that you store and save NOW, does not have to be distilled... so if you do have access to storing water or maybe rain water as well UNTIL TSHTF , don´t worry about distilling it, YET...  

(and : by the way (!) : I found 2 coconuts and have planted one sofar...!!)

Raven said:

I have been trying to make my own distilled water and can only gather one quart per day and it takes all day to gather it. We store the distilled water in glass mason jars.Thankyou for sharing this design with us as I appreciate your efferts and will be trying this design in the near future as we will need more than a quart a day. How much water does this design produce and how long does it take? The pressure cooker design is another one we have looked at , going to try that one once we get one, only one I own is for actual canning and is used almost daily throughout the year and is aluminum. All the designs available for purchase is electrical and that just will not do for obvious reasons. I liked the design  Nancy shared with us as well, still looking for suitable pans and pots that are not aluminum. As you can see it is a process that is in the making. Keep the ideas comming, one of them gotta work. Raven

[astrogal50]

Thank you, Raven, for making excellent points!  We should be drinking distilled water now, if possible, and even a basic vitamin/mineral supplement should be sufficient to counteract any alleged side effects from drinking distilled water.

If drinking mostly distilled water were really as unhealthy as opponents to the Zetas' advice to distill all drinking water in the Aftertimes claim, then my son and I should be about ready to go on to our next incarnations.  We have suffered no ill effects from drinking distilled water for many years.  I will not only continue to drink distilled water instead of tap water, I will probably be using my Waterwise distiller before the pole shift too.  How often those who want to argue that the Zetas are wrong about this very important issue fail to note that water distillation solves a lot more problems than removing lead!

It is becoming clear to me that psychology is behind most of the objections to the Zetas' advice.  Sure, it would be easier to not distill water and take a chance with water filters (that will run out), or, worse, doing nothing to treat water in the Aftertimes, but why risk it?

Benjamin Franklin said it best:  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  And this is even more important after the pole shift when there will eventually be no cures or treatments for lead poisoning and bacterial infections.

[Lavonne]

Thanks Raven and Astrogal.  Absolutely.  Raven - can you tell me a little more about your method?  a link?  I am in the process of building the one here, my juicer will be here in two days, and have a pressure canner/cooker with gauge as well.  Waterwise Distiller?  What about your filter?  Thanks.

[0cvy8c5009nff]

I wonder how Moses and his people distilled their water thousands of years ago?