How to Use the Sun to Filter Sodium Fluoride out of Your Water
Ordinary water filters remove most impurities from your drinking water, but they do not eliminate sodium fluoride. If you have a health condition that is sensitive to fluoride, additional filtering will be required. Reverse osmosis filters can do the trick, but they are very expensive. Avoid spending potentially hundreds of dollars on a specialized filter by making your own solar distiller.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Black spraypaint
- Dark metal pie tin
- Patio glass replacement
- Plywood
- Styrofoam sheeting
- Silicone glue
- PVC pipe, 1/2" in diameter
- Hack saw
- Drill
- Putty
- Screws
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1
Cut nine pieces of plywood and four sheets of Styrofoam into squares 3' wide.
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2
Choose two sheets of plywood and one sheet of Styrofoam to be the front of the still. Cut an inch off the one top of these pieces. Sandwich the Styrofoam between the plywood sheets, holding it in place with glue. Drill a hole the diameter of the PVC Pipe in the top right corner of that assembly. Choose two more sheets of plywood and one more sheet of Styrofoam to be the back of the still, and assemble them in the same way.
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3
Choose four sheets of plywood and two sheets of Styrofoam to be the sides of the still. Cut a slant one inch high off the top of these sides, producing a trapezoid. Assemble the sides as in Step 2.
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4
Cut a 2 1/2' length of PVC pipe in half lengthwise with the hacksaw to make a trough. Cut the right end of the trough at a 45-degree angle, so that the diagonal runs from the lower left to the upper right when viewed from above. Cut a 2" section of pipe at a 45-degree angle as well, which will act as a dispenser. When oriented so that the cut end is pointing up, the diagonal should run from the upper right to lower left. Glue the cut ends of the pipes together.
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5
Assemble the sides, back and front into a box shape, sealing with silicone glue. Drill 8 screws into the sides to connect them to the front and back. Glue the last square of plywood onto the bottom. Spraypaint the inside of the box black.
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6
Glue the PVC pipe tray and dispenser to the front of the box, with the trough inside the box and the dispenser exiting the box through the hole. Tilt the trough slightly so that water that collects in there flows towards the dispenser. Fill the pie tin with water to be filtered, and place it inside the solar still.
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7
Place the patio glass on the top of the box and seal it in place with the putty. Ensure that water that collects on the glass drips straight into the tray. Put the still in the sun. The water will evaporate out of the bowl, condense on the glass, drip into the tray, and exit through the pipe.
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1
Tips & Warnings
For a less expensive--if less durable--solar still, replace the glass and putty with a sheet of plastic wrap and duct tape.
Distilled water from a solar still may have long-term health complications such as mineral deficiencies. It readily absorbs carbon dioxide in the air and becomes acidic.
