Water Wise Distiller: Model 1600

Who Needs It?

The Water Wise Distiller, Model 1600 are for those who desire the highest level of purification of any type of system and who don't mind the slowness of the process. Given the different kinds of distillers, this one is for those who don't want to depend on electricity as their only source of heat for boiling the water to vapor and then condensing it back to water, i.e. distilled water. This model works with any source of heat: charcoal or wood fires, gas or electric stoves. It's particularly useful for providing you with pure drinking water when camping or if you live in a part of the world where you don't have electricity or you can't depend on the electricity.

It's Claim to Being "Very Good"

Collin Ingram, an expert on all aspects of drinking water, in his book The Drinking Water Book, gives this Water Wise Distiller, Model 1600, a rating of "Very Good", his third highest class rating out of four, for filters. His system of rating filters runs from "acceptable" to "good" to "very good" to "excellent".

It's Features/Advantages

• It is entirely stainless steel, with no moving parts.
• It is the size of a large cooking pot, 12" high, 12" diameter and weighs 9 pounds.
• It distills 1 gallon of water in 1.5 hours, which is very fast for a distiller.
• There is a small, separate, digital timer that comes with it to remind you to turn off the heat.
• There is a stainless steel collector reservoir for easy portability and storage.
• With the optional continuous collection kit, multiple cycles are possible without having to turn off the heat to empty or replace smaller collectors.

Disadvantages

Remember that every kind of filter has disadvantages of one kind or another. The Water Wise Distiller, Model 1600, has several disadvantages in common to all distillers. 1) They tend to be more costly than other forms of water filtering. The cost per gallon of distilled water will depend on the cost of your heating fuel. With the use of electricity for heating, a gallon can cost anywhere from 25¢ to 45¢. 2) Because of the process of boiling and then condensing water to distill it, it is a very slow process. Most distillers will distill 1 gallon of water in 4 or 5 hours. This one distills 1 gallon in 1.5 hours. Compared to some filters, however, that can filter 1 gallon in 1 minute, even this model is very slow. You are trading "the highest level of purification" for speed in this case. 3) An added disadvantage of this distiller is that it does not have a carbon filter as a part of it and hence cannot remove the volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) by this means.

What Contaminants Does It Remove?

Distillers can remove nearly all impurities from water. They remove sodium as well as those compounds that cause hardness in water, namely, calcium and magnesium. They remove other dissolved solids such as iron and manganese. They are one of the few kinds of purifiers that remove nitrates. They destroy microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and cysts. Add to this they remove many organic compounds, heavy metals such as lead, chlorine, chloramines and radionucleides.

Here's a list of just some other contaminants that this distiller removes: Arsenic, Asbestos, Benzine, Fluoride, Mercury, Nitrate, Radium, Radon and Trichloreothylene. It also removes unpleasant tastes, odors and colors from the water.

Cost

• Initial Cost: $329 to $429
• Cost per gallon: depends on the cost of your fuel

Where to Purchase?

Amazon.com

At a Glance

For Further Information

To learn more about water distillers go to Water wise Distiller.