Many people (and I fall into this trap as well) refer to distilled water as if all distilled water was the same. It’s not. Yes, distilled water in general can be counted on to be quite pure, but there are many things that can cause differences in the quality of distilled water.
The Quality of the Distiller. Like any good manufacturer, we try to get samples of competitive distillers on the market. We operated them and dissect them. We want to stay aware of what’s going on in the industry. We are quite frankly shocked at the design of some distillers. The designers obviously have no idea how to make a good distiller, nor do they know some of the key features of a distiller. There are some distillers on the market that produce sub-par distilled water.
The quality of the storage container. A key element of a good distiller is the quality of the material that the distilled water comes in contact with. You have to be careful what you store high-purity water in, because water is a solvent. We store the fresh distilled water in high-quality glass or stainless steel. Some companies store the water in plastic. We’ve even seen a distiller that allowed distilled water to come into contact with copper and brass! Distilled water gets a bad name because most people’s experience with distilled water is buying bottled distilled water in low-grade plastic bottles (like milk jugs).
The freshness. To continue on with the point of the container, freshness matters! There is no way that distilled water stored in low-quality plastic containers will taste good, especially when you consider that it often sits in those bottles for months or even years! So, when people tell me that distilled water tastes funny, I have to ask if they are drinking it from cheap plastic jugs. [Learn more about distilled water uses …]
Removal of gases. Another aspect of the distillation process is the removal of volatile gases (VOCs) and any substance that vaporizes at a lower boiling point than water. It sounds weird, but these gases can pass over in the distillation process and contaminate the distilled water, and yet the distilled water remains very pure. These VOCs can add a bad taste to the water though. We have a patented twin volatile vent holes that release these gases and we also incorporate a carbon post-filter, which is extremely effective at removing these gases. Lower end distillers don’t necessarily do this and bottled distilled water (if it’s for irons and not drinking) may still contain these gases.
Whether it boils dry. Finally, I have to mention a very common element of countertop distillers. The easiest and cheapest way to make a distiller is to allow the boiling tank to boil dry. When a heating element boils dry it super heats very quickly because it was the water that maintained the constant temperature. There are safety issues with this of course, but it also affects purity. The reason is simple, when the heating element is submerged in water the temperature cannot rise above 212ºF, which means that any chemical in the water that has a boiling point that is higher than 212ºF stays behind in the boiling tank. But as soon as the heating element boils dry and the temperature super-heats, it can vaporize those chemicals. Our water distillers are controlled by timer and are designed to never boil dry.
Would you use an ayurvedic copper water bottle to drink distilled water out of for a few hours? I don’t mean storing it in copper, but just filling up a copper bottle, and drinking it over a few hours. I admit I have done this before, and my distilled water tastes absolutely magical out of my ayurvedic copper bottle. I’m just worried about leaching too much copper into the water. I really appreciate any insight or advice you might have on this.
We don’t recommend storing or drinking distilled water out of anything aside from lead free glass or stainless steel. Distilled water is an incredibly effective solvent. We have not done specific studies to show how quickly things can leach from soft metals or plastics but we know that it does occur more quickly than with standard tap or filtered water.
Can I store my home distilled water in a rinsed plastic bottle?
No. Do not store distilled water in plastic as distilled water is an extremely efficient solvent compared to tap water. It will leach chemicals from the material. Store your distilled water in either lead free sterile glass or stainless steel containers.
I have not use my charcoal filter/distiller in awhile should I replace it or am I right to continue using it for the length of a month or more
It may be beneficial to start fresh. At the very least you will want to rehydrate the filter in distilled water before using it again as the carbon can settle over time and may not allow the water to flow properly. Here is a short video showing how to prep a filter for use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2mxXckBjZI
So I’m a little confused. So are the VOC gases in the final distilled water? I have had issues with the carbon filters and am not currently using them. Is that bad?
There is a small chance of a few VOCs sneaking through the distillation process but the carbon filter will help catch them on their way out. A majority of the VOCs will be vented off at the beginning of the distillation cycle due to their tendency to have a much lower vaporization temperature than water. What sort of issues have you had with the filters? It is not an issue to not use them, the main purpose of the filter is to act as a final catch for any VOCs and also act as a flavor softener for the distilled water to make it more palatable.
When you mention that all your distillers have a VOV gas vent at the top, shouldn’t there be ventilation instead of breathing these in? If not in your water, why breath them in through the air is my logic. I’m wondering because I have the distiller in my room instead of the kitchen and was concerned .??
The VOCs that are vented off are lighter than air and disperse quickly in most areas. It is no different than boiling a pot of water on the stove. The concentration of VOCs can differ depending on what contaminants are in your source water but typically will not be in high enough levels to cause any ill effects. The fan blowing through the condensation coil aids the dispersal process as well.
Store brand and premium brand distilled water in one gallon plastic jugs has shreds of plastic in it, no doubt about it. I pour in through a coffee filter to get some of it out but I probably drop fiber from the filters in it. I may a small distiller which would pay for itself in a year or two.
Is purchasing distilled water in glass bottles an impossibility these days during the age of plastic (this is where the invention of plastic is a bad thing I’m 60 and I remember glass)without buying a distiller and how do I find out what companies do this and thank you
As far as we have seen, there is no company that sells or delivers distilled water in a glass jar. It is for this reason, we recommend distilling your own water and into a stainless steel container like our automatic units or a glass jar like our countertop models use.
I too am looking to purchase distilled water in glass containers. I need a one gallon size, which I haven’t found yet. However, in my search, I was told that Mountain Valley Spring Water out of Hot Springs, Arkansas makes distilled water and sells it in 5 gallon glass containers.
Incredible information. I will clean my Waterwise every use now. So simple. Thank you so much!
AHHHHH, that’s why my water tastes good when I distill after cleaning my bowl. lol THANK YOU!!!! I use to just leave it and distill water over and over and the taste got worse each time I could smell it even…Interesting.
Fantastic, glad we could help get your distiller working even better!
My daughter has a kidney issue due to a wreck her and my wife was in, and now the doctor says that in order to help this is to have her drink only distilled water. I did not know a whole lot of difference in this, I could not believe my eyes when I started my research on the differences in the differences in water. I now know that anything in plastic is contaminated with BPA’s and I found out that our so called faucet water I will not even give to my pets. I need to know where I can order the best distilled water in glass bottles.
THANK YOU, MICHAEL KELLEY
Hello did you ever find out where or how to get distill water in bottles
Thank you,
Kim Robinson
I need to know the same Michael Kelley
There are numerous bottle delivery services out there but most are going to be in Plastic jugs. This is why we recommend distilling the water yourself at home. It gives you complete control in how your distilled water is stored. A Pure Water Distiller is the perfect answer to your question
The last point is on the money , i have one of those distillers and if you dont clean it everytime : what happens is that it heats the impurities that have stayed at the bottom of the distiller.