Jug water isn’t always distilled. A lot of work goes into distilling large quantities of water. Because of this, manufacturers make a smaller amount than they would other types of water. There’s a smaller demand for distilled jug water because it’s typically flavorless. When people drink distilled water, they tend to think it has a wet feeling but it doesn’t provide the same kind of refreshing experience as other types of water.
Another reason some people avoid buying jug distilled water is that it lacks minerals. While some minerals are good to avoid, others are useful to help build strong bones and keep you healthy. Without minerals, you’re not fortifying yourself. It’s why distilled water isn’t always recommended to drink solely.
That being said, you can find some jugs of water that are distilled. They should have a label that informs the buyer that the water within the jug is distilled.
Types of Jug Water
There are a few different types of water that jugs can possess. They are:
- Filtered
- Purified
- Spring
- Distilled
Each type is likely purified or filtered in different ways based on the brand. Some might also add minerals or certain flavors to make their water more appealing to consumers.
How Can You Tell If The Water Is Distilled?
There are a few ways to tell if your water has been distilled. The first is to examine the label. The manufacturer should include somewhere on the product that the water jug contains distilled water. They need to warn consumers in order for them to make informed decisions about the kind of water that they buy. Water jugs aren’t just for drinking, after all. Many use them to keep their cars cool or to run small-time lab experiments at home. In these instances, they need to know if the water they’re buying is distilled or not.
Besides looking for a label, you can run a test on the water. Distilled water is classified as being water that doesn’t contain any minerals or impurities. It’s done by boiling water. As the water boils, water vapor forms. Some device or method is then used to collect the water vapor and condense it back into its liquid form. The resulting liquid is the water that can be drunk or used.
If you run a test on your water and find that it has minerals or impurities within it, then the water likely wasn’t distilled.
Difference Between Distilled Water, Spring Water, Filtered Water, and Purified Water
There are a few key differences between each type of water. Distilled water, as explained beforehand, is water that doesn’t contain any impurities or minerals. It requires a specific process in order to reach this level of purity. Many consider distilled water to be the purest form of water. It’s also relatively tasteless and isn’t favorable to many people.
Distilled water, instead of being used to drink, is primarily used to cool car engines and in lab experiments. Experiments, in particular, prefer to use distilled water because it ensures there isn’t any mixing of reagents and minerals that were leftover from a wash in the sink. If there are minerals left in a beaker or a test tube, then it could ruin the experiment.
Spring water is another type of water that goes through a filtration process. It’s first collected from natural spring sources across the country, if not the world. Because it’s collected at the source, it often contains many impurities and bacteria or viruses that reside within the water source.
Certain spring sources that are by oil fields or other environmental hazards can taint the water that’s collected. Large trucks then take the water and deliver them to bottling facilities. It’s at the facility where the filtration begins. First, chlorine is added to kill some of the impurities that may reside in the water. It’s also possible that the water may be ozonated instead.
The water is then passed to another part of the facility where carbon filtration takes place. This removes the chlorine from the water. Once it passes this final filtration, it’s placed in jugs and taken out to the markets.
Filtered water is another kind of type of water that may be jugged. This is similar to spring water except for the source from where the water comes is different. Filtered water comes from the tap at your local municipality. The water shares a similar filtration system. Chlorine is added to the water to kill any impurities. The water is also ozonated.
Then it passes through carbon filters to remove the chlorine and ensure the water tastes good enough to drink. It’s then bottled and taken to the local markets. Whether you enjoy tap water or taking water from its natural source, that’s the only key difference between spring water and filtered water.
The final type of water that is typically jugged is purified water. This type of water primarily focuses on the filtration system rather than where the water was sourced. It goes through a rigorous filtration cycle that begins with adding chlorine to it. Instead of just being ozonated then passing through a carbon filter, however, it actually goes through a few more phases.
Reverse osmosis is one of the first steps it goes through. This procedure involves pushing water with high pressure through a specialized membrane. It removes impurities in the process.
After it passes through the membrane, another step it typically takes is ionization. The minerals that exist within water carry with it a charge. That charge is called an ion. Some minerals will have a positively charged ion while others will have a negatively charged ion. Deionization works by passing the water through a chamber that has a cation resin and anion resin. Each resin will attract the ion that is opposite of its charge. In so doing, it can remove the minerals from the water.
One last step is distillation. Purified water can also then distill its water to create a water jug free from impurities.