DIY Solar Water Distiller

Distillation uses evaporation to purify water by heating contaminated water to form steam. The evaporated water is pure because it leaves behind inorganic compounds. Distill your own water efficiently without much effort by using natural sunlight to transport water between two containers.

Things You'll Need

• Two plastic bottles
• Plastic hose

Instructions

1. Punch a hole in the cap of one plastic bottle, making it large enough for a plastic hose to fit into.

2. Pour water into this plastic bottle.

3. Place the thin end of the plastic hose into the hole you punched. Leave as little of the hose as possible inside the cap to ensure that water flows evenly and condenses well enough. Place this bottle with the cap straight up facing toward direct sunlight. Both the end of the hose and the bottle should be hit by the sun.

4. Make a hole in the cap of another plastic bottle just big enough for the other end of the hose to fit in.

5. Place the other end of the plastic hose into the cap and move this other bottle to a spot lower than the previous bottle and away from any direct sunlight. Condensation travels through the hose into this bottle and, as the water condenses further, it gets trapped in the bottle. In the end, you have two plastic bottles facing directly upward, one under direct sunlight and one under shade. The one under direct sunlight will be above the one in the shade, and both will have a hose connecting them.

References

• DoItYourself: Distillation Water Treatment
• The Farm: Solar Distiller