Distilled Water

[mom_of_jcchlsm]

The water in our city tastes nasty, and by all reports is full of yucky gunk that shouldn't be there. We go through bottles of distilled water at our house pretty quickly. I'm looking at buying a still so we can make our own distilled water. They range in price from $100 to $400 depending primarily on capacity and versitility (some plug into the wall, others can be used over any heat source from electric or gas range to a campfire). Since we spend at least $200 a year on distilled water, I figure it will pay for itself if it stands up to heavy use. Does anyone out there have any experience with these things? Any product recomendations?

[shanstress70]

The water in our city tastes nasty, and by all reports is full of yucky gunk that shouldn't be there. We go through bottles of distilled water at our house pretty quickly. I'm looking at buying a still so we can make our own distilled water. They range in price from $100 to $400 depending primarily on capacity and versitility (some plug into the wall, others can be used over any heat source from electric or gas range to a campfire). Since we spend at least $200 a year on distilled water, I figure it will pay for itself if it stands up to heavy use. Does anyone out there have any experience with these things? Any product recomendations?

My in-laws have one, and they love it. I'll get the details from them when I see them tonight. The water tastes very pure. I prefer distilled to any other type of water.

[StrawberryFields]

WOW I have never thought of doing that let us know what you find out.

[Heather]

We use a water softener/purifier and reverse osmosis system. I think it's important that the water flowing through your appliances and pipes is clean as well, else you'll be replacing them at some point down the line. We've had ours for 4 years now and love it. The system we got was $3000 though, but well worth it in my eyes.

[shanstress70]

I talked to my MIL about this just now. They have a WaterWise distiller. They have actually given up and no longer use it because it takes 4 hours to make a gallon of water. Also, the filters are a pain to change.

I looked it up, and I'm not sure which model they have (they've already left), but it seems pretty standard for them to all take that long. Of course if you have the time to spare, it wouldn't be a big deal. Just check into the ease of filter changing.

** She just called me to tell me yet another downfall... although it is not loud, it does make a noise... the noise should not be a problem. The problem is that it creates steam and makes the room quite hot, so you would want to use it in a room besides the kitchen, or where you spend a lot of time. They had theirs in the sunroom for this reason.

[Jason]

Hey Mom...do you have any idea how many times the water you get has been used by the time you actually drink it?

It's been first used way up north, then reused time and time again until you finally get some.

That's why I live in Wyoming folks. We're first users...everyone else is just downstream. (nasty).

[prisonchaplain]

The water in our city tastes nasty, and by all reports is full of yucky gunk that shouldn't be there. We go through bottles of distilled water at our house pretty quickly. I'm looking at buying a still so we can make our own distilled water. They range in price from $100 to $400 depending primarily on capacity and versitility (some plug into the wall, others can be used over any heat source from electric or gas range to a campfire). Since we spend at least $200 a year on distilled water, I figure it will pay for itself if it stands up to heavy use. Does anyone out there have any experience with these things? Any product recomendations?

We were using bottled spring water, but it got pricey ($6.50 per 5-gallon bottle). So, we switched to a company that uses top-grade commercial filters, and now pay $1.80 per 5-gallon bottle. We stick them on a water cooler/heater. Very convenient, and only costs us about $5.40 per month (vs. roughly $20 before).

Perhaps another option, is to get a nice water filtration system, minus the distilling. Cheap, but probably still a lot tastier and cleaner.

[john doe]

I am on my second water purifier, the maker of the first one went away, or I would still be using it. I bought my second one last year on eBay from a company called Pure Water Planet. It mounts under the kitchen sink and has a separate spigot to dispense next to the tap. I use it for drinking and cooking and have it hooked up to the icemaker on my refrigerator as well. It does a good job, and I have been slowly helping my wife get over her addiction to Diet Coke with it. I paid $135 for the one I got, and the only thing you have to do once it is installed is change the filters every so often, which are available from the company. The one I got has the capacity to make 75 gallons per day, which is more than my family will use to drink. I love it and refuse to drink water straight out of the tap. The closest thing to the taste is Aquafina, which is also filtered by reverse osmosis, and it tastes much better than Dasani, which tastes like dirt in my opinion. To check them out, click here.

[Sugarbay]

Hey Mom...do you have any idea how many times the water you get has been used by the time you actually drink it?

It's been first used way up north, then reused time and time again until you finally get some.

That's why I live in Wyoming folks. We're first users...everyone else is just downstream. (nasty).

Here too. I have a well that was drilled through granite to an aquafir that gives the sweetest, coldest water. I hope this filtration system works for you. Nothing nicer than good cold water and nothing worse than nasty water. B)

[mom_of_jcchlsm]

We drove to a family reunion in Montana a few summers ago and I actually remember drinking the water in Wyoming - it was SO GOOD!!! The water and that funny-shaped mountain that was featured in the movie about aliens. That's what I remember about driving through Wyoming.

[StrawberryFields]

I am on my second water purifier, the maker of the first one went away, or I would still be using it. I bought my second one last year on eBay from a company called Pure Water Planet. It mounts under the kitchen sink and has a separate spigot to dispense next to the tap. I use it for drinking and cooking and have it hooked up to the icemaker on my refrigerator as well. It does a good job, and I have been slowly helping my wife get over her addiction to Diet Coke with it. I paid $135 for the one I got, and the only thing you have to do once it is installed is change the filters every so often, which are available from the company. The one I got has the capacity to make 75 gallons per day, which is more than my family will use to drink. I love it and refuse to drink water straight out of the tap. The closest thing to the taste is Aquafina, which is also filtered by reverse osmosis, and it tastes much better than Dasani, which tastes like dirt in my opinion. To check them out, click here.

Thanks John, this is something I will look into. I like that fact that it fits under the sink too.

[BenRaines]

You can make a still yourself. Ask any moonshiners you know and they can tell you how. :)

[Knee-fy]

Early Death Comes From Drinking Distilled Water </span>

During nearly 19 years of clinical practice I have had the opportunity to observe the health effects of drinking different types of water. Most of you would agree that drinking unfiltered tap water could be hazardous to your health because of things like

parasites

chlorine

fluoride

dioxins

Many health fanatics, however, are often surprised to hear me say that drinking distilled water on a regular, daily basis is potentially dangerous.

Paavo Airola wrote about the dangers of distilled water in the 1970's when it first became a fad with the health food crowd.

Distillation is the process in which water is boiled, evaporated and the vapour condensed. Distilled water is free of dissolved minerals and, because of this, has the special property of being able to actively absorb toxic substances from the body and eliminate them. Studies validate the benefits of drinking distilled water when one is seeking to cleanse or detoxify the system for short periods of time (a few weeks at a time).

Fasting using distilled water can be dangerous because of the rapid loss of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, chloride) and trace minerals like magnesium, deficiencies of which can cause heart beat irregularities and high blood pressure. Cooking foods in distilled water pulls the minerals out of them and lowers their nutrient value.

Distilled water is an active absorber and when it comes into contact with air, it absorbs carbon dioxide, making it acidic. The more distilled water a person drinks, the higher the body acidity becomes.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Distilled water, being essentially mineral-free, is very aggressive, in that it tends to dissolve substances with which it is in contact. Notably, carbon dioxide from the air is rapidly absorbed, making the water acidic and even more aggressive. Many metals are dissolved by distilled water."

The most toxic commercial beverages that people consume (i.e. cola beverages and other soft drinks) are made from distilled water. Studies have consistently shown that heavy consumers of soft drinks (with or without sugar) spill huge amounts of calcium, magnesium and other trace minerals into the urine.

The more mineral loss, the greater the risk for osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and a long list of degenerative diseases generally associated with premature aging.

A growing number of health care practitioners and scientists from around the world have been advocating the theory that aging and disease is the direct result of the accumulation of acid waste products in the body.

There is a great deal of scientific documentation that supports such a theory. A poor diet may be partially to blame for the waste accumulation.

These and other junk foods can cause the body to become more acidic:

meats

sugar

alcohol

fried foods

soft drinks

processed foods

white flour products

dairy products

Stress, whether mental or physical can lead to acid deposits in the body.

There is a correlation between the consumption of soft water (distilled water is extremely soft) and the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Cells, tissues and organs do not like to be dipped in acid and will do anything to buffer this acidity including the removal of minerals from the skeleton and the manufacture of bicarbonate in the blood.

The longer one drinks distilled water, the more likely the development of mineral deficiencies and an acid state.

I have done well over 3000 mineral evaluations using a combination of blood, urine and hair tests in my practice. Almost without exception, people who consume distilled water exclusively, eventually develop multiple mineral deficiencies.

Those who supplement their distilled water intake with trace minerals are not as deficient but still not as adequately nourished in minerals as their non-distilled water drinking counterparts even after several years of mineral supplementation.

The ideal water for the human body should be slightly alkaline and this requires the presence of minerals like

calcium

magnesium

<span style="color:#FF0000">Distilled water tends to be acidic and can only be recommended as a way of drawing poisons out of the body. Once this is accomplished, the continued drinking of distilled water is a bad idea.

Water filtered through reverse osmosis tends to be neutral and is acceptable for regular use provided minerals are supplemented.

Water filtered through a solid charcoal filter is slightly alkaline. Ozonation of this charcoal filtered water is ideal for daily drinking. Longevity is associated with the regular consumption of hard water (high in minerals). Disease and early death is more likely to be seen with the long term drinking of distilled water.

Avoid it except in special circumstances.

[Cal]

I have to agree with the post warning y'all about distilled water. As a science teacher, I had my students do experiments where they place vegetables in distilled water. The vegetables become very ridgid because the cells fill up with water, as the electrolytes in the cells exit the cells into the low-electrolyte concentration around them. This can happen any time ANY cells are exposed to distilled water, including cells in your digestive tract, leading to a depletion of electrolytes in your body.

Secondly, I hear a lot of myth-saying here. In most US cities, the tap water is perfectly fine to drink. The minerals in tap water are actually good for you. They include mostly Calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate and a very small amount of a few other minerals. The hysteria over bacteria, or chlorine or flourides in the water is mostly promoted by the botttled water interests, and I think you can figure out their motivation. Calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate are good for you, they are often taken as mineral supplements to diet. The small amounts of chlorides and flourides have never been proven to do any damage. And if you are worried that your water has dangerous levels of either bacteria or heavy metals, all you have to do is contact your the Water Authority in your area and they will be pleased to send you all the print outs of the water tests they do DAILY.

This bottled water thing is really just a waste of money for most people. If you don't like the taste of your tap water, then just buy a cheap tap water filter. The taste is due to the small amount of chlorine used to kill bacteria, and some of the carbonate in the water, which are harmless.

One other little tid bit---a lot of people think that since substantial amounts of say lead, mercury or other toxins are harmful, that therefore, ANY amount is harmful. It might sound logical, but its not true. Immunologists have done studies on the effect of very tiny amounts of toxins on living things, and they discovered something totally unexpected. Yes, substancial amounts can damage cells, trigger cancer genes etc. HOWEVER, in tiny amounts, the only effect of most of them is to stimulate the immune system against the effects of a later exposure to the large dose. This is akin to the way the body reacts to vaccines. An exposure to an inert or very small amount of the disease causing agent actually helps immunize you against the larger exposure.

So, it is not surprising that even though tap water may contain trace amounts of a lot of things, none of it is likely to do you any harm, and may even be doing you good. Remember, you can always check the status of our water supply since the Water authority is a public agency and must provide you with a water report if you ask for it.

[BenRaines]

What me worry?

If you want to worry about something I was watching a show on Mythbusters. They were trying to see if fecal matter ends up in the air in your bathroom. They left toothbrushes in holders near the sink, like we all do. After two weeks they took them each to a lab and had htem checked. They also kept one in the kitchen just to check the air there. All toothbrushes showed fecal bacteria on them.

So worry about your water. I will worry more about where my tooth brush is kept. LOL

[Cal]

What me worry?

If you want to worry about something I was watching a show on Mythbusters. They were trying to see if fecal matter ends up in the air in your bathroom. They left toothbrushes in holders near the sink, like we all do. After two weeks they took them each to a lab and had htem checked. They also kept one in the kitchen just to check the air there. All toothbrushes showed fecal bacteria on them.

So worry about your water. I will worry more about where my tooth brush is kept. LOL

Right on! We all have to accept that the bacteria were here first and we just have to live with that. Again, even a small amount of almost ANY bacteria can't do you any harm, since it takes a critical minimum number of bacteria to get into you before they can multiply in sufficient numbers to take hold; otherwise your immune system just gobbles them up before they can do any multiplying. So I wouldn't even worry too much about the fecal bacteria in the air---just don't start drinking out of the toilet, if you can avoid it. Leave that to Rover.

[Knee-fy]

I've also read that its a good idea not to stand over a toilet when you flush because the rush of water returning to fill the bowl can send "stuff" sailing over 20ft into the air.

[Guest bizabra]

I used to live out in the boonies where I had a well. I LOVED the taste of the water, beCUZ it had disolved minerals in it. I lived in a highly granitic area, and the water would delvelope a mineral sheen on the top if you left it out all night, say in the glass beside the bed.

I had it tested periodically, and it NEVER had any pathogens in it. It was awfully hard water and would clog the hot water tank on a regular basis.

I dislike most bottled water since it has very little mineral content. Our city water here in Spokane is very good, no noticable chlorine taste like in Seattle.

Water right out of the earth is the best, in my opinion. Silly to spend money on filtered or bottled or distilled water. Though, I would NEVER use anything else in my steam iron BUT distilled water!

[mom_of_jcchlsm]

I've also read that its a good idea not to stand over a toilet when you flush because the rush of water returning to fill the bowl can send "stuff" sailing over 20ft into the air.

so, who has 20-foot ceilings in their bathroom?

[prisonchaplain]

This bottled water thing is really just a waste of money for most people. If you don't like the taste of your tap water, then just buy a cheap tap water filter. The taste is due to the small amount of chlorine used to kill bacteria, and some of the carbonate in the water, which are harmless.

Why we buy bottled water:

1. Yeah, it's the taste. Our tap water tastes nasty. I actually wished it didn't, because we have little ones who would benefit from the flouridation.

2. It's about health. Having cheap bottled water, readily available hot/cold out of a dispenser makes it easy to drink. Most people need to drink more water. I sure did.

3. Filters are a great idea for do-it-your-selfers, but folk like me--convenience counts too!