Distilled water FAQ - how to distill absolutely pure drinking water
Distilling water - we have compiled the most common questions and answers here along with the myths and misunderstandings on home distillation.
Home distilling FAQ
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Will boiling water also distill it?By just boiling water you will kill biological contaminants - bacteria, virii and parasites. You will not get rid of salts, heavy metals and many other chemicals that might be present. A problem here is that these will actually still be there and in even higher concentration because some water has evaporated. What exactly IS removed with distillation?Distilling water will kill all biological contaminants - bacteria, virii, parasites etc. It will also remove both organic and non-organic chemicals, volatile gases (chlorine etc), heavy metals (most common are copper, lead, iron) and other contaminants. Distillation is the only water purification system that will remove virtually all contaminants. What contaminants will not be removed by distillation?Some volatile organic contaminants (VOC) such as some solvents and pesticides have a boiling temperature below or near that of water which means there is a risk that a small amount of these can be carried over. For removing these special substances it is necessary to combine distillation with an activated carbon post-filter. This is included in your SmartStill to guarantee the highest possible purity no matter what source of water you have. What is distilled water good for?Drinking water is the obvious use, but also in general cooking, for making coffee, tea, juices, mixing baby food. Photographers often need distilled water for darkroom use. It is required in car batteries, for contact lenses and in many places where you want to avoid limescale building up - steam irons etc. Which is best - distilled water or bottled water?Some really good bottled water is actually distilled water but there are unfortunately many cases where bottled water is tap water with some filtration only. It is difficult to know, which in itself is a good reason for distilling your own water. Cost is also in favor of distilling your own water, it is much cheaper. Finally, it saves you from carrying heavy water bottles from the supermarket and you will never run out if you have your own distiller. Will distillation remove fluoride? Isn't that necessary for dental health?Distillation removes fluoride as well as everything else, leaving only absolutely pure water. Fluoride is often added to municipal water supplies because of the dental health advantages. However - there is some controversy and some advocate avoiding fluoride. In fact - fluoride has its best effect on young patients and if you use mouthwash and/or fluoride tablets instead - you can control the amount to each individual more precisely and avoid over-use where not necessary. What do I need to do to maintain my SmartStill in good condition?Much like a kettle or coffee maker, there will be a build-up of limescale and other solids in the boiling chamber after some use. It is important to remove this on a regular basis, typically every 3-4 distillations. Use SmartClean cleaner/de-scaler which is optimized for the SmartStill and will not damage it. Do NOT use strong mineral acids or cleaning agents containing such acids as they will damage your distiller. In order to avoid bacterial growth in the cooling duct (inside the lid), it is recommended that you run the distiller without the fan (just unplug the fan cable) for 5 minutes if the distiller has not been used recently. This will let steam through the cooler and sterilize it. Then just plug in the fan again and you can distill as normal. Can I use a water softener instead - will that do the same thing?Water softening is something completely different. A water softener use a ion-exchange resin which is a very specialized and expensive method that will replace minerals like magnesium and calcium with the "softer" sodium or potassium. Softened water will result in less limescale but it is not obviously better to drink. A problem can be the addition of sodium which is unsuitable for people with any kind of heart condition. Water softening will not remove or affect other contaminants. |
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