A Distiller

[IanA2]

For health reasons I am going to need a regular source of distilled water.

After a bit of Googling about I have discovered:

a) It's surprisingly difficult to source

and,

b) It's expensive

Can anyone suggest a decent distiller that's not going to cost a fortune?

Thanks.

[C0ffin D0dger]

These are supposed to be pretty good:

https://www.home-brew-online.com/equipment-c40/sti...

You can make moonshine too but of course you wouldn't as that's illegal

[IanA2]

C0ffin D0dger said:

These are supposed to be pretty good:

https://www.home-brew-online.com/equipment-c40/sti...

You can make moonshine too but of course you wouldn't as that's illegal

Thanks.

Have you used that? I've seen many different types some more Heath R than others and few have reviews.

It would be nice to hear from folks who've used one....

SWMBO has suggested boiling tumble dryer water. Might be an idea.

Sadly, I really do need distilled water :-(

[drmcw]

Would a dehumidifier provide distilled water?

I know ours can squeeze out a lot of water out of the air pretty quickly and while it cost £100 you can get cheaper ones with fewer facilities.

[IanA2]

drmcw said:

Would a dehumidifier provide distilled water?

I know ours can squeeze out a lot of water out of the air pretty quickly and while it cost £100 you can get cheaper ones with fewer facilities.

In the same way as a tumble dryer I guess, but again would need to be boiled, bit of a faff....

[gregs656]

Is it to drink or to go into some kind of machine or equipment? How much will you be using?

They sell it for batterys. 5L at halfords is 3.50 apparently, and if that is halfords price you could definitely get it cheaper - or even cheaper from them if you have a trade card.

[IanA2]

gregs656 said:

Is it to drink or to go into some kind of machine or equipment? How much will you be using?

They sell it for batterys. 5L at halfords is 3.50 apparently, and if that is halfords price you could definitely get it cheaper - or even cheaper from them if you have a trade card.

It's for medical equipment and it will be ingested so has to be BP standard really. Halfords sell de-ionised water which is not distilled. Probably using about two litre a week.

[RTB]

What's your budget? How pure do you need your water? What volumes do you need?

You could pick up a 2nd hand MilliQ lab system and a new cartridge set for 500/600 quid and it would give you thousands of liters of 18 megohm-cm water before the filters needed changing.

[IanA2]

RTB said:

What's your budget? How pure do you need your water? What volumes do you need?

You could pick up a 2nd hand MilliQ lab system and a new cartridge set for 500/600 quid and it would give you thousands of liters of 18 megohm-cm water before the filters needed changing.

As above "BP standard really." & "about two litres a week" Would prefer no to spend so much.

[dudleybloke]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bobbys-Healthy-Shop-BBS-3...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B079X2YQ12/ref=ss...

Any good?

[Robmarriott]

For such a small quantity of water, would you not be better off just buying some chemistry glassware from eBay or somewhere?

All you need to do is boil and condense some water, that's a simple enough setup with some basic lab equipment.

[RTB]

IanA2 said:

As above "BP standard really." & "about two litres a week" Would prefer no to spend so much.

Ingested how? Up until April 2017 water for injection needed to be distilled. Now the EMA are happy with RO and ultrafiltration (0.2micron).

If you're only using a couple of liters a week then I'd just buy 10l bottles of medical grade distilled water for 20 odd quid. It would probably be cheaper than trying to maintain a still at home or paying big money for an MilliQ water unit. You'll also have the peace of mind that it's all been done to GMP standards. Water loves to get contaminated and you're in no position to be able to check what you're making is of a good enough standard.

https://www.pureklenz.co.uk/purified-water-10-litr...

Edited by RTB on Thursday 2nd May 16:00

[IanA2]

Robmarriott said:

For such a small quantity of water, would you not be better off just buying some chemistry glassware from eBay or somewhere?

All you need to do is boil and condense some water, that's a simple enough setup with some basic lab equipment.

About a hundred litres a year on an ongoing basis That mounts £££££ up.

I may well be digging out an old retort and looking for a condenser. Now where's that bunsen.....?

[IanA2]

RTB said:

IanA2 said:

As above "BP standard really." & "about two litres a week" Would prefer no to spend so much.

Ingested how? Up until April 2017 water for injection needed to be distilled. Now the EMA are happy with RO and ultrafiltration (0.2micron).

If you're only using a couple of liters a week then I'd just buy 10l bottles of medical grade distilled water for 20 odd quid. It would probably be cheaper than trying to maintain a still at home or paying big money for an MilliQ water unit. You'll also have the peace of mind that it's all been done to GMP standards. Water loves to get contaminated and you're in no position to be able to check what you're making is of a good enough standard.

https://www.pureklenz.co.uk/purified-water-10-litr...

Edited by RTB on Thursday 2nd May 16:00

It has to be BP standard.

I think it might be possible to get a machine for about £200.00

I am confident that the sterile technique at home will be fine.

I've still got a bit more researching to do.

[Gareth79]

Might be worth asking at a larger pharmacy? I imagine they will be buying it in for various reasons and the price might be quite reasonable.

[Nimby]

Reverse osmosis (RO) water can be as pure as distilled and you can get it in bulk from good aquarist shops.
Last time I bought, it was only a few pounds to refill a 25l container.

Should be fine for drinking, maybe not for hypodermic use!

[IanA2]

Gareth79 said:

Might be worth asking at a larger pharmacy? I imagine they will be buying it in for various reasons and the price might be quite reasonable.

Large chemists, including Boots, (for example) don't sell it.

Even in larger size containers are still pricey and in any case I wouldn't want large amounts standing about.

So, to be clear. I have given up the notion of buying water and am concentrating on finding the wherewithal to make it.

[IanA2]

Ok, I've spent a fair bit of time on this and it looks like a Megahome deluxe will do the job for £160.

Thanks for all the help/advice/suggestions

[Bill]

I'm fascinated as to what it's for? If you'rr ingesting it then unless you're not eating or drinking anything else why does it need to be distilled??

[RTB]

IanA2 said:

Ok, I've spent a fair bit of time on this and it looks like a Megahome deluxe will do the job for £160.

Thanks for all the help/advice/suggestions

Let us know how you get on. My only concern would be endotox levels if you're going to be injecting (if not you'll be fine). Just because something is sterile doesn't make it low endotox.