This section answers many of
the most frequently asked questions about water distillation, distillation versus
filtering and reverse osmosis, water quality and the cost of water distillation versus
other water sources.
If you don't find the answers
your looking for, please contact us by e-mail or telephone and we'll be happy to get you
an answer to your question.
1. How does a distiller work?
2. Why do I need a
distiller if I have city water?
3. Is well water safe?
4. Does a distiller kill bacteria?
5. So why not just boil water on
the stove?
6. What about minerals
in water, are they not beneficial to my diet?
7. Isn't reverse osmosis and
carbon filtration just as good as distillation?
8. How
expensive is it to distill water in my home?
9. Isn't
bottled water just as clean as distilled water?
Do you have a question about drinking water quality?
E-mail us, we'll do our best to get
you an answer. And, we may add your question to our 'Frequently Asked Questions'
section. E-mail us at waterdistillersusa.com
How does a distiller work?
Distilling water is a very simple process. As water
is boiled in the boiling chamber, steam rises from the boiling water and enters a
condenser where, with the aid of a fan, the steam cools and returns to its liquid state as
clean, healthy drinking water. The contaminants that were originally in the water before
distilling remain in the boiling chamber as the process continues.
Why do I need a distiller if
I have "city water"?
The city is charged with giving you water that
meets standards set by the EPA. While they usually do a good job of meeting those
standards, occasionally problems occur. For example, in 1993 cryptosporidium found
its way into the municipal water supply in Milwaukee, Wisconsin causing 400,000 people to
get sick. Not only that, chlorine is typically used to control bacterial
contamination in our water. There are many people who believe that consuming
chlorine is really unhealthy.
Finally, let's assume your local municipality does a great
job of removing the bad stuff from your water. The water enters your home through
pipes in the street that may be contaminated or possibly through old lead pipes.
This once clean water is now contaminated and entering your home. Also the pipes in
your home maybe lead or have lead soldered copper. The best way to provide
healthy water for you and your family is to take charge yourself. An in-house water
distiller can ensure a continual supply of healthy, delicious water.
Is well water safe?
Well water may contain bacteria and other
contaminants. The major advantage that municipally supplied water has over well-water is
that it is unlikely to contain (living) bacteria and other micro-organisms.
Does
a distiller kill bacteria?
Yes, the boiling process kills bacteria and other
micro-organisms.
So why not just boil my water on the stove?
Convenience is one factor. Do you really
want to boil all your consumable water on the stove? More important is the fact that
as you boil the water the concentration of contaminants can be increased! Example:
If you take a gallon of water that contains a teaspoon of sand and boil away half of the
water, the end concentration of sand to water will be a teaspoon to each half
gallon...twice as much as you started out with! All of the pure water escaped as
steam and many of the contaminants, like lead, mercury, iron, calcium, magnesium etc.
still exist in the pot of water..
What about those minerals, are
they not beneficial to my diet?
The dietary benefit of the minerals found in water is
the cause for a good deal of debate. Some feel that those minerals are essential for
good health. Others believe that those minerals are not readily absorbed by the
body; and that the best ways to get essential minerals is with a healthy diet and/or high
quality vitamin/mineral supplements. The problem with relying upon your water to
provide minerals for your health is that it is an "all or nothing"
proposition. If you drink water that you think contains the minerals you
desire, there's also the possibility that you're consuming the minerals that are harmful,
like lead or mercury. Therefore, we recommend distilling your water to remove the
contaminants and then supplementing your diet with only the minerals you want to
consume. This way you really take control of what you put into your body.
Isn't reverse osmosis and carbon
filtration about the same as distillation?
Not at all. Carbon filters are designed
to control pesticides, chlorine and other hydrocarbon based chemicals; and they do that
very well. But these methods are not very effective at removing metals, bacteria or other
micro-organisms.
Reverse osmosis is quite effective at removing metals but
will not kill microorganisms. In fact, bacteria can begin to grow on a reverse osmosis
membrane or on activated carbon. Both systems require regular replacement of
elements or membranes. The moment you place a carbon filter or reverse osmosis system into
operation, its efficiency begins to drop off. A distiller kills bacteria and removes
metals and many other contaminants consistently. As long as your distiller is running and
properly maintained it will produce the same, high quality water forever.
Isn't it expensive to distill water?
Doesn't a distiller use a lot of electricity?
Not really. It takes about 3
kilowatt hours to make a gallon of distilled water. A kilowatt = 1000 watts, a
kilowatt hour is 1000 watts per hour. The power company sells you electricity by the
kilowatt; the average kilowatt cost is about 8 cents. Since the distiller will use three
kilowatt hours to make a gallon of water the cost is about 24 cents per gallon. That
is a whole lot cheaper than bottled water and your sure of its purity.
Isn't bottled water just as clean as distilled?
The bottled water you buy may not be any better than your tap
water. In most states water bottling companies are not required to meet any
government regulations unless the bottler ships the water across state lines. Some
bottled water is simply bottled tap water. Also, if you buy 1000 gallons of bottled
water a year at 89 cents a gallon, compared to distilling it yourself can save you $600 or
more a year; and you'll have water that you know is of the highest quality.
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