Cheap desalinators

Posted By: Tom H.
Date: 11/14/06 3:45p.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: Thanks (JD Adsit)

Getting fresh water from salt water is a balance between time and/or effort and/or money. The cheapest way I know, other than bringing it with you is to change sea water to water vapor and then back to a liquid. Survivalist publications may provide you some interesting stuff. It is quite easy to make a desalinator by simply digging a shallow hole in moist sand, placing a container near its center then covering the hole with a plastic sheet and then placing a small stone on the plastic, just above the container. As the air temperature in the hole rises past the dew-point, water will begin condensing on the underside of the plastice sheet, run down and drip off the sheet at its lowest point (created by the small stone), into the container. How much water one collects is a function how humid the air in the hole is, how much the temperture raises above the air's dew point and the size of the plastic collector...or how many stills one constructs. Another method is to use an old aluminum pressure cooker and install a heat tolerant tube on the stem, that is located on the lid. The heat tolerant tube should be long enough to allow steam to sufficiently cool as it runs the length of the tube to change back into water and reach a water collection container, propelled by the pressure of the steam as the water boils. The length of this tube may have to be longer if air cooled or a bit shorter if it is being cooled by, for example being cooled by running along a length covered by moist sand or perhaps through an area covered by a shallow pool of sea water. To use this desalinator simply put sea water in the pressure cooker, put the lid on, heat the pressure cooker to a boil, let the steam cool as it travels through the tube and fresh (albeit) distilled water will come out the other end of the tube as it cools. Do some research, reading and then do some experimentation before you are put in a position of "do or die". Remember to practice, practice practice... Some of this is really quite interesting and even a bit fun do do.