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How to Tap Distilled Drinking Spring Water

Tap, distilled and spring waters are all drinking water. Tap water is processed to the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act and comes from ground water (wells or springs) or surface water (rivers, lakes).
Spring water comes from an underground aquifer that naturally comes to the surface. It may be drinkable straight from the ground or require softening (removal of high mineral content) or disinfection.
Distilled water may come ground or surface water. A quantity of source water is heated, releasing water vapor. The vapor is cooled and the condensation is collected, with the contaminants left behind.

Things You'll Need

  • White plastic pan 10-inch diameter or greater with side walls 4 inches or higher, with tightly fitting clear (preferably domed) lid.
  • Black plastic pan (at least 1 inch diameter smaller than white pan) with side walls at least 1/2 inch lower than the larger pan's side wall.
  • Soap
  • Spring water
  • Collecting container (plastic jug or bottle one quart or greater)
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Instructions

  1. Simple Solar Still

    • 1

      Thoroughly wash the white pan, dome lid, black pan and collecting container in soap and clean water.

    • 2

      Place the lid-less white pan in a flat location which will be exposed to direct sunlight for several hours.

    • 3

      Fill the black pan to within an inch of the rim with spring water.

    • 4

      Place the black pan in the center of the white pan, being careful not to spill any of the source water into the white pan. If any water is spilled, go back to Step One and repeat the sequence as the white pan has been contaminated.

    • 5

      Place the clear, domed lid onto the white pan, making certain it is a tight fit and that no source water has spilled out of the black pan.

    • 6

      Leave the solar distiller for the rest of the day. Water vapor from the black pan heated by sunlight will condense on the clear dome and drip down the sides to collect in the outer pan.

    • 7

      An hour after sundown, carefully remove the domed lid and black inner pan. (Do not spill any of the source water into the outer pan or your distilled water will be contaminated.)
      Pour the distilled water collected in the white pan into your clean collecting jug or bottle. The distilled water is safe to drink.

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