DIY Solar Water Still ( Survival Distiller ) Purifier

thingiverse

This project has been my primary focus for quite some time now. I've designed and experimented with a Survival Solar Water Still that accepts two Wide Mouth Mason style canning jars, the shorter ones. Now, I'm turning it over to the community to see if anyone can improve upon its design and make it more efficient at producing distilled water. Will this device pump out lots of clean drinkable water and save you in a survival situation? Not exactly. By adding a fan to the Condenser and a Solar Absorber within the source water container, I managed to generate a whopping 2 tablespoons of decent water in an 8-hour day of full sunlight. I say decent water, but an ozone taste is normal for water that spent the day in sunlight. And that was tending it every other hour. So, not necessarily a life-saving device. You could employ several together to increase the output. After all, they are quite cheap to make! To complete this project, you'll need the following items: 2 short Wide Mouth Mason Jars (Ball works too). The quart size will be too big. 1 4-oz Standard Mouth mason jar to accept the lid. (or a cup will do) 10 inches or so of 1/4 OD Refrigerator Ice Maker supply line. 1 80mm or 92mm computer fan. (air flow is upward) 1 12-volt power source. A solar panel, battery, or plug-in power source will do. The Main Body: The Solar Water Still main body is designed to collect the condensed moisture that runs down the glass jar on top and direct it to the 1/4 OD outlet into a collection jar. I used 1/4 OD refrigerator ice maker supply line, and it fits snugly. The raised cup in the center is to catch the moisture that forms at the concave portion of the bottom of a typical Mason canning jar. Normally, this would drip back into the source jar. Print this in some safe plastic like PETG or PLA if you're worried about cancer. (Not my main concern if I'm dying of thirst, but everyone has their limits.) The Condenser: I got better results with the larger (92mm) lower CFM fan than the high-flow (80mm) server fan. It was much quieter, too. Don't know why. The Condenser is designed around the Bangladesh air cooler principle and has graduated air inlets to accelerate the air before it reaches the glass of the Mason Jar. Reference here: https://inhabitat.com/this-amazing-bangladeshi-air-cooler-is-made-from-plastic-bottles-and-uses-no-electricity/ Of course, my version isn't using circular holes, but the principle should be the same. I can confirm that the glass inside the condenser gets quite cool even on a hot day while the fan is running, thus increasing its ability to condense the moisture within the Mason jar on top. It can accept an 80mm or 92mm computer fan, which can be connected to a solar panel or other 12-volt power source. The Absorber: I added this to absorb sunlight and heat up the source water to help the evaporation of the source water along. This should be printed in black PLA or PETG, or painted black. I printed this in vase mode to save time and filament. Alternatively, you could paint the bottom 1/4 - 1/3 of the source jar black as well to absorb more sunlight. I tried both, and the Absorber seemed to do better. The Base: This is self-explanatory, but it was made specifically for the jars I had on hand. It may or may not work with the more square-shaped ones. Adjust to meet your needs. The Collection Lid: This is designed for the small 4-oz sized Standard Mouth Mason jar (also known as the small jelly jar). A cup will also do as an alternative. You want to have the collection jar covered or sealed, though. This way you don't lose your precious water to evaporation back into the atmosphere. It's also a good idea to put the collection jar in the shade. Well, there you have it. The Solar Water Still. Good luck, and enjoy!