Water is distilled to remove impurities and dissolved particles. This makes the water better suited for use in an aquarium, in batteries or car radiator systems, for lab work, and specialized manufacturing that requires ultra clean water.
When it comes to water, there a few different varieties. Among them is distilled water. It’s different from other kinds of water because it removes both impurities and minerals. It’s also harvested in a different way. Distilled water is created by first boiling the water. Instead of taking the water from the pot, the distilled water is actually collected from the steam that the boiling water gives off. That steam is then condensed and allowed to turn back into a liquid form.
There are a few uses of distilled water. Here are some of them.
1. Drinking Water
Some people prefer to drink distilled water over other varieties. The primary reason for this is because they believe it’s cleaner and healthier. Because it doesn’t contain any minerals or impurities, it can actually help to remove toxins from your body.
Regular water, like that from your tap, may contain impurities and contaminants. It likely also has minerals in it. This is largely determined by where your water comes from. Well water, for example, is collected via groundwater. Water is cast down in the form of rain and trickles through the soil. While this can make the water purer in a form, it can also collect other harmful bacteria and minerals on the way.
If your well is exposed to lead, for example, you could be drinking it in your water. If you don’t clean up after your pet, for example, then the bacteria and parasites that exist in their waste could be taken up by the water and enter your well for you to drink.
Those who receive their water from the city experience cleaned water. It goes through several processes to ensure it’s clean from contaminants and other pollutants. However, not even city water is as clean as distilled water.
Those who are wary of drinking distilled water claim it’s because it leeches minerals from the body. While this isn’t entirely true, it is true that it doesn’t introduce other minerals that can be useful for your body to have.
2. Aquariums
Because sea life depends on certain minerals and needs purified water to be as healthy as possible, distilled water is often used to fill them. Without pollutants or impurities in the water, fish are able to remain healthy. Yet because fish do require some minerals for their health, minerals are often fed back into the aquarium water later.
Distilled water is also useful in cleaning acquariums. When algae and other messes start to accumulate in the aquarium, distilled water is helpful in providing a clean rinse. Fish owners don’t have to worry about the water leaving behind any residue that can make cleaning pointless.
3. Car Cooling Systems
A car’s engine relies on a precise network of certain chemicals. The introduction of other minerals or pollutants can make the operation of the engine difficult, if not impossible. To ensure the engine is cooled in a safe way, distilled water is often used. Instead of adding just any water to your car’s cooling system, you should consider using distilled water instead.
Without minerals in it, the rest of the cooling system, such as the antifreeze or coolant, can react well with the water. With minerals present, the coolant may have an adverse reaction.
4. Laboratory Experiments
One of the common places for distilled water to be used is in the lab. When scientific experiments require precision and accuracy, they can’t have unknown variables like minerals and pollutants to factor in. Distilled water is used in experiments as well as to clean tools and containers. Using regular water allows minerals to interact with any remaining reagents within the glass. That could have dire consequences.
Is Distilled Water 100% Water?
Because distilled water removes impurities and water, you may wonder if it loses that which makes it water in the first place. The answer is no. In fact, distilled water is probably the purest form of water that you can drink. It’s 100% water without any mineral content making up 1% of it.
Is Boiled Water The Same As Distilled Water?
Many confuse boiled water as the same as distilled water because boiling water is the first step to creating distilled water. However, they’re vastly different. For one, boiled water is simply taking water and bringing it up to its boiling point. At this juncture, most bacteria and impurities that would make a human ill are destroyed. The water is then safe for human consumption.
However, boiling water doesn’t do anything for the minerals that exist within it. The boiling temperature isn’t enough to destroy minerals. It requires physical separation to be rid of its mineral impurities. That’s where distilled water comes into play.
The physical separation of water from its impurities is what creates distilled water. This is done by collecting the steam from the boiling water and cooling it back into a liquid state. In this case, the water has left its mineral impurities behind and exists solely as 100% purified water.
Can We Make Distilled Water At Home?
It is possible to create distilled water at home. It’s also relatively easy. You’ll need a large cooking pot and a small one. You’ll also need the large pot’s lid and some ice to speed the process up.
Begin by first putting water into the large pot. You’ll want to fill it a good amount but not all the way to the top. Then place the smaller pot inside of the large one. It should be floating.
You can turn on the stove at this point. You don’t want to boil the water outright. Instead, simmering the water is ideal. To collect the water vapor, you’ll place the large pot’s lid upside down on it. The curve of the lid should lead the vapor droplets to drop into the small pot.
Add ice on the top of the lid, the part which is facing you and not the small pot, in order to create contrasting temperatures to speed the process up.