Forest, I don't have any chemistry experience and only know a little about distilling water. If your water is contaminated with a chemical, as you have pointed out, it would firstly depend on the boiling point of that chemical. Lets say benzene which is highly dangerous and undesirable, which I believe has a boiling point lower that water and would be the first to distill into a vapour. Commercial distilling equipment I've read on the net, has some sort of valve system that supposedly catches/out vents the contaminants with lower B-point. What happens in the case of higher B-points - I don't know.
I have been considering making my own distilled water, say 5 litres a week on my kitchen stove powered with our town natural gas which is relatively cheap. I was proposing to use plastic pipe for the condensing coil, this has been pointed out to me, may not be a good idea, because of contaminants in the plastic. I'm told that plastics, a generic term, could be dangerous and one may have to find some material/plastic that under no circumstances leeches into the distilling water. I proposed to find merchant of second hand lab equipment and find the appropriate glass utensils including a glass coiled pipe for the condeser. Again, having no background in science or chemistry, I'm assuming such merchant/s exist in Sydney. Since these thoughts, I have come across a supermarket product that they term demineralised water, where 4 litres/7piints costing $1.40. Quality filtered/distilled water here in Sydney normally costs $3.50 for 5 litres which is expensive compared with the cost of water in Paducah, Kentucky, which is probably half this Sydney price - I visit there sometimes from here and my only recollection about the price of water in the States. In Paducah one has to buy drinking water as the tap water is all ground or bore water, loaded with who knows what. Anyway, back to the Sydney's supermarket demineralised water (aimed at the laundry steam iron or motor car battery market). I rang the firm/people and spoke to the production manager and he was helpful and explained their method which was essentially a sophisticated filtering process. My Beck device's lamp does not glow, so its pretty pure. Interestingly the PM told me that he now uses ithis type of water in his Toyota 4WD and Misubishi sedan, having replaced the recommended coolants. He has found that generally and even in light freezing conditions of our snow country, that radiators will last longer and not rust with this purer water. Sounds like cheaper and more environmentally friendly type of coolant. Of course, we dont get a lot of heavy low temperatures like many parts of the US. Tell me about it - I visited Mineapolis two years ago, and thier cold was for me a real shock coming from mild Sydney. Regarding your sometime greyish brew with water that is not as pure although quite drinkable - I too have only had the golden CS with only the best or cleanest water. 9 out 10 of the filtered supermarket waters here will only deliver greyish CS, including my expensive reverse osmosis gear under the sink at home. Now your BAD habit of microwaving the water to heat it. Can I suggest you do some reasearch about the micro wave process in relation to food and water. Yes, there are millions upon millions of MW ovens being used around the world, probably to the detriment of the users/eaters of the food processed therein. This is another story and there is not alot of information except from a maveric swiss researcher, whose name I will have to look up. Switzerland has banned him from talking in public legally. He does travel to other parts of Europe where he is free to talk about his research, which essentailly says that food is nutrionally destroyed by heating from the inside with radio waves, and in turn affects your blood chemistry very subtally. Yes this is probably another story and the work of another list. I personally have not used my MWO for many years. I store my CS in its dark interior, now having papered over the oven's window and because I've been too lazy to have it fixed and to sell it. Regards Douglas Haack.au Silver freak/streak aahh!! wooosh!
