What is a water distiller? What is the best water distiller available in the UK?
- Josie Shillabeer
- Aug 31
- 5 min read
Learn more about the oldest and best water filtration option, water distillation. Plus, check out our top recommended water distillers available in the UK.
What is a water distiller?
A water distiller is a device that filters water through the process of distillation. Distillation is ‘the action of purifying a liquid by a process of heating and cooling it‘. The best real-world example of this process is rain. As the sun heats water on the earth's surface, it turns the water to steam and evaporates. The evaporated water rises until it meets cool air and forms clouds made up of water droplets. Once the clouds become heavy, the water falls as rain.
Purifying water using distillation dates back to the Egyptian times, expect today, thanks to modern technology, there are now easy-to-use countertop systems. While designs vary, a water distiller typically comprises a large boiling chamber, a cooling system and a water collection container, such as a glass jug.
How does a water distiller work?
Tap water is added to the large internal boiling chamber.
The tap water is heated using electricity to create steam.
Contaminants, including PFAS (forever chemicals), organic and inorganic chemicals, toxins, heavy metals and other pollutants, are left within the boiling chamber trapped within limescale.
The best distillers have a small hole drilled in the condenser's top tube to help chlorine gas and many VOCs to escape. The best distillers have also been calibrated to heat water for the optimal balance between filtration speed, time for off-gassing and energy consumption.
VOCs with a boiling point above 100℃ will be left behind in the boiling chamber.
VOCs with a boiling point below 100℃ will either off-gas or be caught by the activated carbon filter.
Once the steam enters the cooling chamber found at the top of the device, it turns back into a liquid.
In the best distillers this water then runs through an activated carbon filter before entering the water collection container. This final stage of filtration acts as a backup, helping to remove any contaminants that may not have been removed through the distillation process.
Before refilling the boiling chamber with more tap water, users should give the chamber a quick rinse to remove the unwanted contaminants. Then, either monthly or bimonthly, depending on whether you live in a hard or soft water area, users should give the boiling chamber a thorough clean to help maintain the distiller.
What are the benefits of a water distiller?
After testing and reviewing many water filters, it has become quite clear that the benefits and limitations of water distillers far outweigh other forms of water purification. Here are some reasons you should opt for a water distiller as your water filter of choice:
Very pure water: Water distillers are known for producing the purest drinking water of all water filtration devices.
Very low risk of leaching: virtually zero risk of leaching contaminants, unlike other forms of water filtration. This is because water distillers do not require water to be forced through filters that may reduce
Easy to clean: The whole device is easy to clean, and you can utilise natural cleaning chemicals, such as white vinegar and citric acid.
Easy to repair: Many companies provide all the parts needed to rebuild or repair your water distiller.
Cheap, natural and easy to replace filter: The activated charcoal filters are low cost, made of natural materials, easy to replace and can be composted.
Low wastewater: While some water is lost through steam, the device does not produce large amounts of water waste through the filtration or cleaning process.
Sustainability: less wastewater, easy to repair, no plastic filters and compostable filters.
Low running cost: As a distiller has very cheap filters, the largest cost of running a distiller is energy usage. If you have solar panels, this can help to reduce running costs considerably.
What are the limitations of a water distiller?
Long filtration time: Devices can take up to four hours to filter four litres of water. This is much more time consuming than other filtration methods.
Noise: With the fan running continuously for up to four hours, this can provide unwanted noise pollution within your home. A way around this is to put the device on before you go to bed, so that you are not affected by the noise and wake up to lovely purified water.
Heat: As a water distiller works by heating water, the device gets very warm. This can increase the room temperature. While this is unwanted in summer, it can provide extra warmth in the colder months.
Strong smell: After using the device for several distillation cycles, the boiling chamber can develop a strong smell because of the buildup of contaminants. However, you can only smell this when the device is open during refilling and cleaning.
Heavy containers: You need to lift and manoeuvre 4L of water, something that may be difficult for some people.
Who is a distiller best suited for?
A water distiller is best suited for those who are looking for the purest drinking water available. It is easy to clean, repair and produces very low waste, making it a more sustainable option than other filtration devices. The water distiller is not suitable for those who have high electricity bills, but is a fantastic option for those with solar panels or who are looking to avoid expensive replacement water filters.
The best countertop water distiller
Best overall & best distiller
The best water distiller available in the UK is the H2O Labs Stainless Steel 300SSE model with glass carafe. It has all the features you need, and water doesn’t come into contact with plastic at any point during the purification process. Plus, H2O Labs sells unique carbon filter pods that are easy to use and last longer than others on the market.
To be able to run this service free of charge we rely on donations and the use of affiliated links. Affiliated links have been used for many of the products within this directory. There will be no additional charge or noticeable differences for you, by clicking on some of the links within this directory and making a purchase we may receive commission. All donations and commission goes towards the growth and development of our free services. Please contact us for further information. Thank you for your support.
This article is made up of text taken from two previous post from The Health Puzzle. The first is https://www.thehealthpuzzle.co.uk/post/the-best-type-of-water-filter and the second https://www.thehealthpuzzle.co.uk/post/the-best-countertop-water-filters-uk.
Comments