Best Water Distillers for Home Use (Countertop) – Reviews & Guide 2019

Properly distilled water is the cleanest water possible. Level of water purity: Above 99%.

Basically, water is heated to the point it rises as steam. The steam leaves all contaminants behind, cools down, condenses back into water and is collected in a carafe.

The benefits of water distillation are that

• You can use almost any water source – even salt water – to feed the process.
• All microorganisms are destroyed.
• You get rid of fluoride, lead, radium and other toxic substances.
• Even after taking into account the cost for electricity, you still end up paying much less for distilled water than you would buying (contaminated) bottled water.

The only problem: How do you find the best water distiller for your needs and not waste your money? Well, you came to the right place…

On This Page You Will…

• Find our best water distiller comparison table
• Learn what features to look for in a reliable product so you don’t end up wasting your money
• Find our countertop water distiller reviews
• Find more useful information on water distillers

Considerations

What do you need to consider for choosing the best home water distiller?

1. Materials

A water distiller heats water to the boiling point, so about 100 °C (212 °F). Therefore, you should double check that the water distiller you buy has a boiling chamber made from food-grade stainless steel. Plastic or aluminum will result in even more contaminants leaching into your water.

Above that, water should not get in contact with any plastic parts along its way to the carafe in order to rule out possible recontamination and not compromise purity – even if the plastic is certified food-grade and BPA-free.

Another advantage of stainless steel is that it’s robust, it doesn’t rust and it’s much easier to sterilize and keep clean.

The carafe or water collector should be glass for the same reasons.

Stainless steel and glass might be a little pricier but are well worth it. Better to spend more now than pay with your health later on.

2. Filtration

Why is a charcoal (carbon) post-filter necessary when using a water distillation system? Because chances are that volatile chemicals that could be lurking in your water – think chlorine and VOCs – would otherwise end up in the distillate due to their low boiling point.

An activated charcoal filter made from organic coconut shell is ideal to trap these impurities.

By the way, this has nothing to do with improving water taste as many online sources claim erroneously.

3. Water Distiller Certifications

NSF Standard 42, 53 and 401 are for regular water filtration systems. For distillation units you want to look for NSF/ANSI Standard 62 certifications. The standard was specifically established to determine the quality of home water distillers and safeguard drinking water by ensuring material safety and optimum system performance.

In addition to that, you might want to pay attention to further certifications for the carbon post-filter stage that many water distillers come with, although it’s not that important.

4. Power Consumption

Conventional water distillers run on electricity. Keep that in mind if you are planning to use yours around the clock. Otherwise you might get a heart attack when checking your next electricity bill.

Does it makes sense to go with a lower-watt water distiller in order to save money? Not really. The thing is that the lower the wattage, the longer the purification process is going to take. Energy consumption doesn’t change much. For example:

• A 0.58kW distiller might distill 1 gallon of water within 5½ hours. 0.58kW x 5½h = 3.19kWh
• A 0.75kW distiller needs 4 hours to distill 1 gallon of water. 0.75kW x 4h = 3kWh

Paying 12 cents per kWh, you end up with

• 19kWh x 12Cents/kWh = 38.28 Cents for water distiller A versus
• 3kWh x 12Cents/kWh = 36 Cents for water distiller B.

In the end, the cost difference per gallon is about 2 cents. Consuming half a gallon of distilled water per day, you’ll pay $3.65 more/less per person and year.

5. Capacity

Distillation is slow, very slow. The average unit will supply you with a gallon of distilled water every 5 hours. Larger machines might achieve 6 gallons in the same time period – not fast by any means.

As a result, you have to be patient no matter which model you choose. Now obviously the size of your family plays a major role here. Will 2 to 3 gallons of water a day be enough to satisfy your needs?

Pro tip: Start your water distiller right before you go to bed to wake up to a full gallon of pure drinking water in the morning. This is where the automatic shut-off feature that most models come with really pays off.

Best Water Distiller Reviews

Best Countertop Water Distiller: Nutriteam Megahome MH943SBS

Our #1 Top Choice: Megahome MH943SBS Water Distiller
Price:	$$$
Power:	580W
Materials:	Steel + Glass
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	~4.4 GPD
Our Rating Check Price on Amazon

What We Like

Megahome by Nutriteam is the most popular brand for water distillers around. Nutriteam, Inc. has 20+ years of experience in the field of air and water purification and the high-quality MH943SBS is the company’s flagship when it comes to distillation:

• Outstanding customer ratings
• UL (Underwriters Laboratories) approved for highest safety standards
• Watts: 580
• Capacity: 1 gallon per cycle
• Cycle length: 5½ hours

To start the distillation, simply fill up the stainless steel kettle with plain water and push the start button. That’s it!

But what we really like about this water distiller is not its simplicity – most units are pretty simple to operate to be honest. It’s the fact that your water won’t touch any plastic parts during the purification process. Thus, recontamination is out of the question.

Above that, an additional activated charcoal filter traps volatile chemicals that still might be present in your water before it’s stored in the carafe (6-month filter supply is part of the package).

Which, by the way, is made from glass instead of plastic making it look a lot better than a cheap PP collector.

580W sounds like this water distiller uses a lot of energy, right? Nope. 580W equals 0.58kW which means that if you let the system distill 1 gallon of water each day, you will end up paying between $10 to $15 per month, depending on your price per kWh.

FYI: For the same amount of drinking water, you’d have to spend $45 per month on bottled water, so 3x to 4.5x as much.

What We Don’t Like

The Megahome MH943SBS shuts off automatically once all the water has boiled out. There is no on/off switch. Meaning that if you want to avoid the headache of dealing with burned deposits which are oftentimes difficult to clean, do yourself a favor and buy a timer switch.

Set it to approximately 5 hours which prevents the distiller to run until all the water has vaporized. This will also increase the unit’s lifespan.

Our Verdict

In our opinion, the Megahome MH943SBS is the best water distiller on the market. It might not be the cheapest option out there, however, it’s well worth the price tag.

Megahome’s MH943TWS Water Distiller

Best Selling: Megahome MH943TWS Water Distiller
Price:	$$$
Power:	580W
Materials:	Steel + Glass
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	~4.4 GPD
Our Rating

What We Like

Let’s make this quick:

The Megahome MH943TWS distiller is very similar to its older cousin, the Megahome MH943SBS (see above).

The only differences are that the former comes with an enameled metal exterior instead of stainless steel. This makes it slightly more affordable. Customer feedback is equally positive.

What We Don’t Like

The bad news is that for some units, it seems that there is a problem with either plastic or another material that gets in contact with the water making it smell and taste unpleasant.

Assuming that you don’t want to run the risk of receiving one of these, we recommend you opt for the MH943SBS.

Another issue is the tank that started to leak for some customers after a couple of weeks/months use.

Our Verdict

We would have liked this Megahome water distiller even more, if there wasn’t the issue with the unpleasant water taste and odor. Therefore, the Megahome MH943SBS remains our top choice.

Mophorn Pure 4L Water Distiller

Cheap Water Distiller: Mophorn Pure
Price:	$
Power:	750W
Materials:	Steel + Plastic
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	~6 GPD
Our Rating

What We Like

The Mophorn Pure is a 4-liter home distiller with the most important selling point being that it’s super cheap. In fact, as the cheapest distillation unit we could find, the model is simple to use & clean and can treat up to 1 gallon of water in a 4-hour cycle.

Compared to both Megahome distillers on top, you get your distilled water much faster. At the same time, the Mophorn also requires more power (750W). If you do the math, the cost for electricity is about the same.

Lastly, the built-in charcoal filter takes care of any volatile and potentially harmful substances for even better water quality. The filter requires changing every three months.

What We Don’t Like

The outside is white enamel, the inside tank is made from stainless steel – which is all well and good if it was not for the cheap plastic water collector.

It might be food-grade, BPA-free polypropylene, however, our research has shown that it will make your water smell like an old tire in the sun and taste even worse.

And no, thorough cleaning does not solve the problem. The only solution is to discard the plastic container and replace it with one made from glass.

Another issue we read about was single units breaking down completely and without warning for no apparent reason within months after first use. Either the fan motor failed, or the switch stopped working, the temperature sensor malfunctioned, …

Our Verdict

For our final verdict, we are torn between a thumbs up and a thumbs down.

On the one hand, we have a solid distillation process combined with an unbeatable price. On the other hand, we have a plastic water collector that’s complete junk and a handful of serious system issues. You can take care of the former but not the latter. Decide for yourself if you are willing to take that bet.

Review: ROVSUN Water Distiller

ROVSUN 4L Countertop Water Distillation Machine
Price:	$
Power:	750W
Materials:	Steel + Glas
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	up to 6 GPD
Our Rating

What We Like

From a quality and price perspective, this water distiller by ROVSUN has all the good features that also come with the Mophorn, plus a shockproof glass container on top, while not being as expensive as an original Megahome.

You get an anti-rust stainless steel interior including extra cleaning powder for longevity, 3 activated carbon filter sachets for the removal of volatile water impurities – think chlorine and chlorination byproducts – and a 1-year warranty.

As far as we can tell, the seller is responsive and offers a full refund for malfunctioning units.

What We Don’t Like

There are two things that we have to criticize:

1. The instruction manual is poorly written. And although the distiller is by no means complicated to set up, it would be nice to have something that actually provides value.
2. It can be hard to get rid of the obtrusive rubber taste. In some cases, even after a couple of distillation cycles, it just won’t fade. We believe this has something to do with the oily residue inside the distiller that could be leftover from the manufacturing – quite disgusting and probably not healthy at all!

Our Verdict

A solid price meets quality design. The only issue is the oily deposit that some customers are struggling with. However, the majority of users is happy with their purchase. Our verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars!

H2o Labs Water Distiller – Unrated

H2o Labs Water Distiller – Unrated
Price:	$$$
Power:	565W
Materials:	Steel + Glas
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	~5 GPD
Our Rating

What We Like

The H2o Labs stainless steel water distiller has the best ratings among all distillation systems listed on amazon.com. In fact, there are so many 5-star reviews and almost nothing else that one could get the idea that there might be a couple of fake ones among them (no accusations, just saying).

This is why we decided not to rate this distiller. It’s probably best if you decide for yourself whether or not you think this is a good purchase. As for the product features & benefits:

• Overall good quality (made in Taiwan).
• We have the standard food-grade stainless steel interior in combination with BPA-free plastic parts to guarantee water quality and safety. Large openings allow for easy cleaning.
• The standard 565 watt heating element needs about 5 hours to distill one gallon of water at a time. Single-button start – check. Automatically turn off – check.
• A porcelain nozzle insert is part of the deal that prevents the distilled water from getting in contact with plastic.
• For efficient removal of VOCs, the distiller features activated charcoal filter pods that fit inside the spout. Filters have to be changed every 60 gallons or 60 days – whichever comes first. You get a whole year’s supply at initial purchase. More filters available at seller’s website.
• Glass carafe to safely store your water.
• Including cleaner to remove hard water scale.

What We Don’t Like

The seller is unresponsive at times.

Our Verdict

Like we said, we are not going to rate this distiller.

WaterWise 3200, 4000 & 9000 Water Distillers

Next we are going to review 3 different water distillers all manufactured and sold by WaterWise:

• The WaterWise 3200
• The WaterWise 4000
• The WaterWise 9000

WaterWise 4000 Water Distiller

WaterWise 4000 Water Distiller
Price:	$$$
Power:	800W
Materials:	Steel + Glas
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	up to 6 GPD
Our Rating

Let’s begin with the WaterWise 4000, since it has a similar design to the distillers we’ve already reviewed above.

Actually, there is not much to say here. It features an easy-to-fill and clean stainless steel condenser and a glass water jug (upgraded) to guarantee that the distillate remains contaminant-free.

What’s more, an activated carbon filter takes care of any remaining VOCs. 1 extra replacement filter is included in the package. Lifetime: About 2 months depending on your usage. For replacements, visit waterwise.com.

The distiller shuts off automatically after each cycle that provides you with a full gallon of distilled water every 4 hours.

What we don’t like is that we heard from customers complaining about bad water taste/odor when using the distiller for the first time. So make sure to thoroughly rinse it before you hit the start button.

Also, using the glass carafe, you have to pour the water very slowly or otherwise it will spill all over the place.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact the WaterWise cs team. These guys are super helpful and just one phone call away.

Our verdict: 4 out of 5 stars!

WaterWise 3200

Highest Capacity: WaterWise 3200 Water Distiller
Price:	$$$$
Power:	800W
Materials:	Steel + Plastic
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	~6 GPD
Our Rating

The first thing that comes to mind when looking at the WaterWise 3200 is that its design is entirely different.

It’s a little bit bigger than the previous distillers due to the fact that it comes with a docking station for one of the two 1-gallon water collectors.

Why two? Because one stays inside the station for water collection while the other can be placed in your refrigerator for cooling – pretty smart actually!

The 800W machine produces one gallon of steam distilled water within 4 hours with a maximum capacity of 6 gallons per day, enough even for larger families. The system shuts off automatically after each cycle.

Thanks to a seamless stainless steel boiler with a large opening, filling and cleaning is a breeze.

Furthermore, the system also combines distillation with charcoal post filtration for highest water purity. In fact, the distiller was tested and certified against NSF/ANSI Standard 62.

A 6-pack of charcoal post-filters is part of the deal. Replacement frequency: Every 2 months or 60 gallons.

What we don’t like? Both water carafes are not glass but Tritan copolyester (BPA free). We would have preferred the former.

Our verdict: An excellent product that is worth its price tag. No leaks and no issues with malfunctioning units. The only suggestion for improvement from our side would be to swap the 2 plastic water collectors with some made of glass.

WaterWise 9000

WaterWise 9000 Water Distiller with Dispenser Bottle
Price:	$$$$
Power:	750W
Materials:	Plastic
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	~5 GPD
Our Rating

Last but not least, the WaterWise 9000. Again, we have a unique design with a system that produces up to 6 gallons of clean drinking water in 24 hours, so you never run empty.

Assembly or installation prior to first use are not required. Simply fill the boiler with tap water and press the reset button. The distiller will shut itself off when finished.

In terms of maintenance, all you have to do is replace the carbon post filter cup every once in a while – easy.

Any drawbacks? Yep!

First of all, the boiler is made from thermoplastic. Now the good news is that the plastic won’t coat with scale and other mineral deposits.

And although the inside above the heating element is metal, we would have preferred stainless steel to ensure that no plastic can leach into the water.

Secondly, the dispenser bottle is plastic, too. At least both elements are WQA tested and certified…

In conclusion, this is not our favorite distiller machine quite frankly.

What irritates us is the use of a boiler and water collector made from plastic. If it’s too difficult to manufacture a glass version of both elements due to their shape, maybe this unit could do with a redesign.

Pure Water Mini-Classic CT Counter Top Water Distillation Unit

Pure Water Mini-Classic CT Counter Top Distiller
Price:	$$$$$
Power:	800W
Materials:	Steel + Glass
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	~5 GPD
Our Rating

What We Like

Looking for a countertop water distiller made in the USA? Then the Pure Water Mini-Classic CT should be your first choice!

It’s relatively compact and perfect for small families, apartment buildings and RVs.

The water distillation capacity is 3 liters (.75 gallon) in a three-and-a-half-hour-cycle or about 5 gallons in 24 hours.

The metal interior and glass container ensure that the distilled water does not come in contact with any plastic. A charcoal post-filter eliminates volatile organic compounds for added water safety.

Another benefit that makes this system stand out from the crowd is that it’s backed by a 15-year manufacturer warranty, which covers the distiller itself meaning the steel parts. There’s a 2-year warranty on the electrical elements, such as the fan.

In order to make the Pure Water Mini-Classic CT last for many years, make sure to clean the steel pitcher with hot white vinegar about once a month – especially when you are on well water with lots of hardness minerals.

If you experience any problems, simply can contact the manufacturer support line. Pure Water Inc. is a family-owned, Long Island-based company that provides excellent customer service.

What We Don’t Like

Nothing except the ordinary here. Individual units leaking or breaking down due to a defect heating element for example. Replacement parts are shipped at no cost.

Our Verdict

Overall good quality and manufactured in the U.S., thus the higher price – a little too high for our understanding. The best home water distiller for sale? Probably not, but a solid product.

SteamPure 110V Countertop Water Distillation System

SteamPure 110V Countertop Water Distiller
Price:	$$$$$
Power:	700W
Materials:	Steel + Glass
Filter:	Carbon
Capacity:	~3.2 GPD
Our Rating

What We Like

Want something a bit more robust? How about the SteamPure 110V Countertop Water Distiller with all 304 stainless steel made in the USA?

The unit produces 3 liters of distilled water every cycle (5½ to 6 hours) which only comes in contact with stainless steel tubing.

In the end, the distilled water is stored in a glass jar after running through an additional VOC carbon filter stage.

All this guarantees highest drinking water purity to protect the health of your family.

The unit even offers a steam sterilizing option to kill any bacteria and other microorganisms that might accumulate over time.

What We Don’t Like

No issues at this point other than the fact that the SteamPure takes up more space on your kitchen counter than other water distillers.

Our Verdict

Another solid USA made distillation system that comes at a premium price. We will have to wait and see how it will position itself on the market in the long run.

Bonus: Stove-Top Non-Electrical Water Distilling Equipment Kits for Camping, Survival and Emergency Prep

Because our readers asked us to also include stove-top/non-electrical water distilling equipment kits in this review guide, we decided to add this short bonus section where we would like to introduce to you the GRAVI-STIL and the D-STIL Lite sold by survival and emergency supplier SHTFandGO LLC.

GRAVI-STIL

Best Non-Electric Water Distiller: GRAVI-STIL
Price:	$$$$
Power:	–
Materials:	Steel
Filter:	Ceramic
Capacity:	up to 20 GPD
Our Rating

First the GRAVI-STIL:

The GRAVI-STIL is an emergency survival distilled water maker-gravity filter combo. At a closer look, it becomes obvious that the creators of this beast actually use their own products.

Wait, what? Emergency survival distilled water maker-gravity filter combo – how is that supposed to work?

It’s quite simple: You can use the GRAVI-STIL either as a distiller or convert it to a high speed gravity water filter. You can’t use both at once. And distillation doesn’t require gravity filtration anyway.

As a gravity filter, the GRAVI-STIL produces up to 4 (5) gallons of filtered drinking water per hour. First, the feed water runs through a 10-micron pre-filter to remove any large debris.

Then it enters the storage tank through a .2-micron ceramic silver impregnated bacteriostat for disinfection. Both last for up to 2,000+ gallons.

As a non-electric distiller, you can expect anywhere between 8 to 10 cups of water in the same amount of time (up to 20 gallons per day). Naturally, the heat source and temperature will directly affect the output.

What kind of heat source can you use? Anything really, from an electric stove-top, gas range or wood furnace to a rocket stove or barbecue grill.

The GRAVI-STIL is made from 304 stainless steel with a stainless steel dispenser and valve as well as high-temp gaskets, hoses and fasteners – so no reason to worry!

On a side note: The portable unit also comes with a storage bag for easy carrying.

Plus the auto fill system allows you to run the distiller continuously. Just keep adding new feed water to the condenser pot which will automatically fill the boiler.

D-STIL Lite

D-STIL Lite – Portable & Non-Electric Distilled Water Maker
Price:	$$
Power:	–
Materials:	Steel
Filter:	–
Capacity:	up to 20 GPD
Our Rating

Which brings us to the highly portable D-STIL Lite, a DIY emergency survival still (distiller) also made from solid stainless steel. Why DIY? Because you can use it with your own pots, which saves you money.

What you need is any boiler pot from 8″-12″ graduations.

For the condensing pot, you can use any pot larger than 10″ in diameter and you are good to go.

Again, as a heating source you can use gas, wood, charcoal – you name it.

Thanks to its compact size, you can take the kit anywhere you want, such as your next camping trip.

Production capacity is 8-10 cups per hour. High temperature medical grade silicone hose and gaskets provide for longevity.

Wrapping it up. We highly recommend both the GRAVI-STIL and the D-STIL Lite. They might be pricier than you’d expect, but this is because they are U.S. made by a family owned business in Burlington, Wisconsin which offers great customer support.

In case you are not 100% sure how the distillers work, check out this video by SHTFandGO.COM. Also, you can find many more videos on their YouTube channel:

Water Distiller Comparison Chart

Still haven’t found your favorite water distiller? This comparison chart might help. It lists all water distillers reviewed in this guide.

More on Home Water Distillers

• How does a water distiller work?
  • How much electricity does a water distiller use?
• Water distiller types and costs
• What contaminants does a distilled water machine remove?
• How to clean a water distiller
  • Further maintenance
• Distilled water vs filtered water
• Distilled water vs purified water
  • Distilled water vs RO water
  • Distilled water vs deionized water
  • Distilled water vs nursery water
• Distilled water vs boiled water
• Distilled water vs sterile water
• Distilled water vs spring water
• Distilled water vs tap water
• Distilled water vs bottled water

How Does a Water Distiller Work?

In the review section above, we talked about the best water distillers. What we haven’t covered yet is how water distillers work and what they actually do. So here’s an explanation:

First of all, let me say that home water distillers are really simple devices. They are not nearly as complicated as a reverse osmosis water filter system or a water softener for example.

The important elements that every water distiller requires are:

• A heat source
• A boiling chamber
• A condenser
• A water collector

The distillation process works as follows:

1. You fill (contaminated) feed water into the boiling chamber and turn on the heating element.
2. The water starts to heat up. At about 100 °C (212 °F) the water has reached its boiling point and vaporizes.
3. The hot water steam rises out of the boiling chamber leaving all the contaminants behind.
4. The water enters the condenser where it cools down back into liquid form.
5. The pure water is then collected in the water collector.

A few notes:

• You can use almost any kind of heat source as your heating element, from a campfire to a stove (see non-electric water distiller). Conventional water distillers use a boiling plate which runs on electricity.
• 100 °C is the boiling point of water at sea level. The exact boiling point depends upon the surrounding environmental pressure.
• Most contaminants have a higher boiling point than water. Take minerals and heavy metals as an example. However, there are contaminants like chlorine and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that are highly volatile and condense at lower temperatures. This is why almost all conventional electric water distillers come with an additional charcoal filter stage. Activated charcoal is a great means of trapping these volatile substances.
• It’s possible that there are contaminants lurking in your water with a slightly higher boiling point than the water itself. This is why it’s important that you use the minimum temperature required. Too much heat may cause undesirable chemicals to end up in the distillate.
• A conventional distiller also has a built-in fan to discharge undesired gases.

How Much Electricity Does a Water Distiller Use?

This depends on the individual model. The water distillers listed above have somewhere between 500W and 800W, meaning that they use about 0.5 to 0.8 kilowatt per hour. If you pay 12 cents per kilowatt-hour as is the U.S. average, then you spend about 40 cents per cycle and gallon.

Water Distiller Types and Costs

There are three types of water distillers for sale:

1. Household water distillers – Can be placed on your kitchen counter at home or the office. You have to manually refill the boiling chamber after each distillation cycle which provides about 1 gallon of water every 4-6 hours. Costs: Up to a few hundred dollars.
2. Plumbing water distillers – Can be installed into your home’s plumbing system or at a point of use. Distillation is on demand and cost-effective. Costs: A few hundred to $1,000 and above.
3. Commercial water distillers – For commercial/industrial use. Costs: Price on request.

What Contaminants Does a Distilled Water Machine Remove?

Distillation is the most effective water purification method used today. Properly distilled water is free from

• Taste and odors
• Heavy metals such as lead, iron
• Both forms of arsenic
• Fluoride
• Bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms (which are destroyed in the heating process)
• Asbestos
• Benzene
• Nitrate
• Radioactive elements like radium
• Organic contaminants including pesticides and herbicides
• + many more substances

How to Clean a Water Distiller

Hardness minerals and other contaminants will cause scale buildup in the boiling chamber of your water distiller. This is why you have to remove the scale from the heating element regularly.

Luckily, it’s not difficult to clean a water distiller at all, and it doesn’t require much of your time.

Cleaning can be done with a commercial descaler like Kleenwise or plain white vinegar.

If you opt for a commercial descaler, usually citric acid powder, here is what you need to do:

1. Unplug the water distiller.
2. Insert about a third of a cup of the descaler into the boiling chamber.
3. Mix with room temperature water or warm water (not hot).
4. Let the mixture sit for 6-8 hours.
5. Drain out the distiller.
6. You might have to rerun the process or give everything a good scrub. A plastic scrubber or sponge works much better than a toothbrush. Remember to wear gloves to protect your skin from acid.

Caution: NEVER turn on your water distiller when there is cleaner inside. You might wipe out the heating element.

For cleaning with white vinegar, follow these steps:

1. Add 1 part white vinegar to 1 part water. Make sure to add enough to cover the whole deposit.
2. Boil for 1 hour and/or let it sit overnight. The heavier the build-up, the longer you’ll have to wait. The mixture will loosen the scale.
3. Give everything a good scrub. A plastic scrubber or sponge works much better than a toothbrush. Remember to wear gloves to protect your skin from acid.
4. Rinse out.
5. You might have to rerun the process.

Further Maintenance

Remember to also disinfect the water collector every once in a while.

In addition, if your water distiller features a carbon post-filter stage, change the filter about every 3 months or so – as per manufacturer instructions. This prevents bacteria from growing inside the filter and ensures that all volatile substances are properly removed from your water.

Distilled Water vs Filtered Water

Both water distillation and water filtration are methods of water purification with the goal to remove suspended solids, chemicals, gases and biological contaminants from water.

In water distillation, heat is the agent of separation. Water is usually more volatile, and thus easily vaporized, compared to the impurities it can contain, for example salts. As the water vaporizes, it separates from the less volatile substances. Then the distillate condensates, turning back into its liquid form a.k.a. water.

On the other hand, in water filtration, gravity, pressure or a vacuum is used to force water through one or more filter layers. This can also be granular filter media such as charcoal.

Properly distilled water is the cleanest water possible. And when we compare home water distillers with any type of home water filter, distillation always comes out on top in terms of achieved water purity.

Distilled Water vs Purified Water

As described above, water distillation is one of the many different ways to purify water. Filtration and sedimentation are other physical water purification processes. Other ways to purify water include biological (e.g. slow sand filtration), chemical (e.g. chlorination), and electromagnetic radiation (e.g. UV light treatment).

Distilled Water vs RO Water

RO water, or reverse osmosis water, is water that was purified by the use of reverse osmosis technology. Reverse osmosis belongs to the group of physical water purification processes. How exactly does it work?

Reverse osmosis is the opposite of a natural process called “osmosis”, where a solvent moves from a low concentrate solution to a high concentrate solution through a semipermeable membrane. External hydraulic pressure is used to overcome the osmotic pressure and the flow of the solvent, in our case water, is reversed resulting in purified water. But not all of the water can be purified. The remaining concentrate goes down the drain or is fed back into the water supply for recycling.

RO water is one of the purest which is why bottled water is often treated with this method. Also, reverse osmosis is most commonly used to desalinate sea water in areas where fresh water is hard to find. It is also used in commercial water treatment plants.

Distilled Water vs Deionized Water

Deionized water, or DI water, is water that was stripped of most of its minerals and dissolved ions and is thus often synonymous with demineralized water. Water deionization can be achieved with chemical cation and anion ion-exchange processes.

The most important difference between distilled water and deionized water is that the latter may still contain uncharged substances – think viruses or bacteria.

Distilled Water vs Nursery Water

Nursery water is produced using a combination of water distillation, water filtration and water ozonation. Whether or not this really results in more high-grade water is questionable.

Distilled Water vs Boiled Water

Boiling water is sufficient to kill pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoa, making boiled water a valuable alternative if you have no access to bottled water. The problem with boiling, however, is that the concentration of non-volatile contaminants in the water may actually increase due to the fact that some of the water vaporizes.

Distilled Water vs Sterile Water

Sterile water is water that is free of bacteria, fungi and all other microorganisms which explains its role in medical research. Still, the big difference between distilled water and sterile water is obvious. Produced by steaming and condensation, distilled water is basically pure H₂O, whereas sterile water may very well contain salts, heavy metals, etc.

How to sterilize water? With the help of a pressure cooker: Boiling the water for roughly 20 minutes at 121 °C does the trick.

Distilled Water vs Spring Water

Spring water is water commonly used as bottled water and originates from a natural spring. This has the benefit that it’s one of the best for drinking purposes. Spring water contains many naturally occurring essential minerals and tastes fresh. However, there is no guarantee that spring water is free from toxins which may leach into the water source from groundwater.

Distilled Water vs Tap Water

Plain tap water contains all kinds of impurities. Not all are harmful – in fact many are beneficial – but some can be. Tap water in the U.S. is either chlorinated or chloraminated so that it’s usually microbiologically safe. But there are other issues. For one, there is water fluoridation which many Americans try to opt out of. And there can and have been other water quality issues. One prominent example is the Flint Water Crisis, where toxic levels of lead were found in the tap water of Flint, Michigan residents.

Personally, we advise against the use of unpurified tap water for drinking and cooking.

Distilled Water vs Bottled Water

How about distilled water vs bottled water? Well, there is not one kind of bottled water. There is

• Spring water – For more information on spring water, see above.
• Artesian water – Artesian water comes from an aquifer, a layer of porous and permeable rock or sand which stores the water.
• Mineral water – Water that contains at least 250 ppm total dissolved solids is defined as mineral water. The high mineral content is why mineral water is a popular bottled water.
• Sparkling bottled water – Sparkling only means that water contains carbon dioxide. There are different types of sparkling water, such as sparkling mineral water, sparkling spring water or simply sparkling drinking water.
• Purified water – For more information on purified water, see above.
• Tap water – Of course, we all know what tap water is. But did you know that some U.S. bottlers fill plain tap water into their bottles and sell it as premium bottled water at a premium price? Two prominent examples for this kind of bottled tap water are Aquafina Drinking Water which uses various public water sources and Dasani which uses tap water which undergoes various filtration steps before it is packaged.
• Well water – As the name suggests, well water originates from an underground well.

If you have any questions about water distillation machines or any other type of water purifier, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!

And don’t forget to come back to this page from time to time as we are going to add new countertop water distiller reviews occasionally.

More Water Treatment Guides