DIY Solar still

[incspir]

So, I finished hammering together a solar still in my garage and took it outside for a test run in the sun. Hoping that it will distill enough water to keep my still miniscule collection of CPs alive and happy...
I fill it up with regular tap water through a small opening in the back. The inside is coated with black silicone, keeping it waterproof and allowing it to withstand the heat necessary to evaporate the water. The sun evaporates the water, which then condenses on the glass panel and runs into a PVC pipe at the front, which in turn drains through some plastic tubing into an empty bottle.
Pretty cool, huh? Has anybody else ever tried this?

 

[mylesG]

id be interested to know just how much water it can distill. very cool idea

 

[scottychaos]

very cool! looks like should work well..
One thing I read awhile back..if you put some gravel in the main bin, it provides more surface area for the tap water
to evaporate off of, getting you a higher collection rate..(if you need that..which you might not..)

Scot

 

[dueoka]

Very interesting! Seems like it could have some algal problems due to the combination of light and water. Please keep us updated on how well it works. I might need to make one!

 

[incspir]

Today I got about 1 quart (for those metrically inclined: about a liter) of distilled water. I haven't really fine tuned it yet. I would need to seal up some of the openings around the PVC pipe and fix the sheet of glass more firmly to the base. So far no leakage problems, which means the silicone is making a nice seal inside.
Hadn't thought of the algae, but good point--I will keep a lookout for that.

 

[Plant Planter]

...Hadn't thought of the algae, but good point--I will keep a lookout for that.

Algae is one thing you don't want in your plants' water, especially if it gets light. The stuff can ruin huge amounts of water in a really short period of time. It's good that you're keeping an eye out for it.

Just a quick suggestion: Do you have a dehumidifier? The water from that should work. They are, essentially, distillers; they capture water vapor from the air and condense it.

 

[Plant Planter]

Double post twice today? Sorry.

 

[DragonsEye]

Algae is one thing you don't want in your plants' water, especially if it gets light. The stuff can ruin huge amounts of water in a really short period of time.

If the temperature inside the contraption gets hot enough, algae might not be a big issue.

Just a quick suggestion: Do you have a dehumidifier? The water from that should work. They are, essentially, distillers; they capture water vapor from the air and condense it.

Unfortunately, you then run into the issue of fungi/molds. Dehumidifiers also pull in spores and dust particles which can result in a fungi infested "soup". I suspect that the distillery might be the wiser way to go.

 

[incspir]

I built a drain into the side, and the water that I let out of there is uncomfortably hot to the touch. How hot is enough to inhibit algae growth?

 

[scottychaos]

I bet it will be hot enough inside the box that algae wont grow..
just be sure to store your "distilled" water in a cool dark place..

I was worried about mosquitoes in my rain barrel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Qq7g-PFvGjQ

But its solid black, which absorbs heat..
its not in full sun all day, but it gets some direct sun for maybe 3 hours a day..
that makes the water warm enough that I had zero mosquitoe larva..
no algae either, but I wouldnt expect that with the solid black cover..

I think decent heat should cure both mosquito and algae issues..
and I suspect you will have that inside the still..
actually, making sure its sealed up good, from air-flow, might be a benefit..
normally we want good ventilation, but in this case, we want things inside the box
to die! not live! so less ventilation would be a plus..

Scot

 

[incspir]

I've also thought about doing the rain barrel thing to catch rain from the gutters, but was worried about things leeching into the water on the way down. Is this every a problem with that kind of setup?

 

[scottychaos]

I've also thought about doing the rain barrel thing to catch rain from the gutters, but was worried about things leeching into the water on the way down. Is this every a problem with that kind of setup?

I have been collecting rain water for my CP's for 19 years..haven't had a problem yet.

Scot

 

[SubRosa]

I just set up a rainwater collection system last week. To avoid getting crap into the water I flushed out the gutters of my house first, and have the raw water from the roof go into a 5 gal bucket. There's a 2" drain near the bottom of the bucket buried in gravel, with filter pads on top of the gravel. Above the filter pads is a gutter outlet which drains away. The drain at the bottom of the bucket is connected to a ball valve to control flow into the collection container. When the valve is closed water will back up in the bucket and drain out. That way I can let the roof wash off a bit before I begin collection.