DIY: How to Build a Solar Water Distiller Do It Yourself Make a Solar Still for Distilling Water Without Electricity Or Water Pressure

Build a single-basin style solar water distiller yourself to purify water without electricity or water pressure. Beware using potentially poisonous materials in your solar still--even 100% silicone is toxic unless it is food-grade. This book covers how stills work, the easy, better, and best solar stills, commercial stills, kits and plans that are available, and how to build your own cheap and easy for simple water purification using just the sun's energy.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (chapters, page numbers):

INTRODUCTION 2

SOLAR DISTILLER BASICS 5

What is a Solar Distiller/Still?

How Does it Work?

Solar Distiller Plans

Where do I Place it?

Finding Solar South

HOW SOLAR STILLS WORK 15

How Good is the Water?

Storing Distilled Water

Beware of Bottled Water

The Superior Solar Still

WHERE STILLS ARE USED 24

EPSEA Solar Still Projects

Colonias and Developing Nations

IS CITY WATER SAFE? 37

SOLAR WATER DISINFECTION 43

Solar Ovens for Solar Water Pasteurization

MATERIALS & TIPS 51

Materials

Materials to Avoid

Mistakes People Make

THE CHEAP SOLAR STILL 58

Emergency Solar Still

Condensation Trap Solar Still

THE BETTER SOLAR STILL 63

The Multi-Level/Troughed Still

The Wicking Still

THE BEST SOLAR STILL 68

Single Basin Still

Important Rules for Making a Still

COMMERCIAL STILLS 80

Multi-Trough or Array Style Stills

Single Basin Passive Solar Stills

Hybrid Family or Industrial-Sized Solar Distillers

Hill Kemp Solar Still Interview Notes

BEYOND DISTILLATION 100

Fog Collection

Geographical Considerations for Fog Collectors

Mimicking Nature for Fog Collectors and Distillers

Dew Collection

ABOUT SOLAR WATER DISTILLER CONSTRUCTION PLANS 109

PROBLEMS IN TEXAS COLONIAS 112

Sharon Buydens first served on the Board of Directors as Secretary and newsletter editor for the El Paso Solar Energy Association (www.espea.org) starting in 1989 (under her previous name). After learning about passive solar home design, and teaching workshops, attending events, promoting solar on Earth Day committees, she designed and built a passive solar straw bale house in Nebraska. Upon returning to El Paso in 1999 she became EPSEA's Project Manager for three bi-national and EPA grants to install solar water distillers in border colonias; she was first female EPSEA President in 2001. Today Sharon writes books and teaches others about the many practical aspects of solar energy.