What’s the best way to get clean water? It’s a question we don’t really have to think about very often here in the western world. But there are parts of the world where this is a very real question and it’s awesome to read of projects like The Water Project and Slingshot Water Purifier that are making progress in making sure everyone has access to clean water.
But back to the question about clean water. Until we moved to this house, we used to have a fridge with a water filter, so most of the time we used to drink filtered water. Now filtration works by passing water through charcoal in order to remove VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) like pesticides and solvents. That’s an improvement on plain old tap water, but it’s not the ultimate in clean water.
I’ve had the chance to test out the Deluxe Water Distiller that JD Harris have on the market. Distillation works by boiling water and then allowing it to condense leaving any impurities behind. This is the first stage in JD Harris’ Water Distiller process, followed by the carbon filtration process described above. This gives you really really really clean water, the cleanest you can find around.
What are the downsides? Well, the process isn’t trivial; boiling and condensing water takes time; in fact the Deluxe Water Distiller takes 5-6 hours to prepare 4lt of water. You also need to clean the gunk out of the distiller when you’re done; and believe me normal tap water isn’t as clear as you think it might be. The final thing is the taste. Pure water is tasteless, which is quite different from the water you may be used to. It comes as a bit of a shock at first, but the difference in taste is quite surprising.
So, if you’re after getting your own distilled water, have a look at JD Harris’ Deluxe Water Distiller page. It’s currently retailing at £149.00, which is £50.99 cheaper than the retail price; and if you use coupon code WATU you can even get free UK shipping. Check it out!