Distilled Water
For many years, distilled water was the subject of controversy. A lot of questions are seemingly unanswered. A lot of rumors exist. Many inventions proclaim opposite facts on this type of water. Why? Probably because not everyone can realize the simplicity behind scheme how to make distilled water. A lack of understanding, in turn, causes fear – out there you can find a lot of horror stories about distilled water. Doubtful questions are many as well. Does boiling distilled water? Is it true that drinking distilled water is harmful? Is it dangerous to use distilled water? Distillate – it is bad? Why use distilled water? Can I drink distilled from children?
Up to today we persistently hear the same old myths and erroneous opinions, and no matter that ten or fifteen years passed since those opinions introduction, misconceptions about distillation and distilled water are widespread.
Clarification of these misconceptions about distilled water will benefit sellers of water and distillation equipment, and the general public. So, let’s start with basic and principal concepts.
Q: What is distilled water principally?
A: Distilled water is the most common water in regards to chemical structure. We can say that it is even more “watery” than water, for particular, than water from rivers. Naturally water does not occur in distilled state very often though.
Still, in nature there are many manifestations of distilled water – for example, cloud formation and rainfall. Rain is distilled water (omitting the fact that in the last 20-30 years it falls with admixture of nitric and sulfuric acids, but anyway…). Physically, when the steam condenses on cold surfaces, a bit of distilled water appears. Another example: if a plant is covered with clear plastic or tin film, water droplets will be formed. It is also distilled water.
Speaking in general terms, distilled water is water that is initially evaporated, further turned into steam. But then cooled and settled in the form of a liquid on some surface.
Evaporation takes place in nature under the influence of solar heat and convection by the wind. For example, electrically boiled water evaporates as steam. If steam gets cooled down on the pan of cold lid then distilled water condensates on top.
Water in nature is cooled in the sky, where clouds are formed. Or on colder surfaces. Or just without any surface – when the water evaporated a lot, in order to settle in the form of drops, the cooling is not needed.
Dew – it’s distilled water. Snow – it’s distilled water. Rain – it’s distilled water.
Q: What is the difference of distilled water from that flowing in the pipes? Or that which flows in the river? How stands distilled water vs spring water?
A: The most striking difference is the fact that distilled water does not contain almost anything but water. That is, it is very, very low on impurities. Why? Because the water takes no impurities with it during evaporation. Water evaporates at a lower temperature than the impurity. That’s the whole difference.
Accordingly, the distilled water is used where the need clean water – in technology, science, and for heating, cooling, cleaning polluted water. The spring water has a complex structure of salts and minerals dissolved and adhered within. Despite of its transparency, it can not be called clear in chemical terms. These impurities can even render water unsuitable for certain scenarios.
Q: Isn’t it dangerous to go for drinking distilled water regularly?
A: Similarly, you can ask – is it safe to drink clean water? No, not dangerous. When did these rumors about probable harm from distilled water come from? As usual, the source of the gossip is not known or relates to “crowd mind”.
However, one suggestion can be made about origin of information about the dangers of pure water. So if a person is sweating profusely – in the sauna, with hard work, sunbathing on the beach – then he gradually loses salt from the organism. A human body is sensitive to changes in salt balancing work load. If during the sweating salt content becomes low (not regular table only, but also potassium, and in this respect is very good sea salt), then the heat stroke probability multiplies. Dizzy, nauseous… if you sit down in the shade, away from heat and eat a little sea salt, then the symptoms will be held immediately.
Further, when a person sweats, he often drinks a lot. The more drink is consumed, the more he sweats. And the more the body loses salt. In principle, we can not have salt as a pill. You can add some salt water. This partially compensates for the loss of salts. But if the water does not contain salt, such as distilled water, the body simply loses salt through sweat without replenishment. But no matter, whether the person was drinking distilled or salt water – if he then loses a lot of salt, the symptoms of heat stroke occur the same way.
Please note: I’m not speak that distilled water leaches salt. This is false and untrue. Water can do nothing to wash out of the body – either distilled or regular, so there’s no reason to doubt, can you drink distilled water or not. Man loses salt through sweat and does not make a loss – out of stupidity or ignorance. And that gets an imbalance of salts and, in extreme cases, dizziness and nausea. And that’s definitely not because he drank distilled water.
Q: What is distilled water ph?
A: It has a standard clear water ph index of 7.0.
Not only distilled water can be very helpful, such as in extreme conditions, when no water is. For example, distilled water can be obtained even in the tourism campaign – more on that you can read the article, “Distillation of sea water on the march”
So what’s the conclusion? Distilled water – it is the most common, water. It differs from the river, etc. that does not contain impurities. And, since distilled water – water is the most common, then, of course, it boils – in its respective 100 degrees Celsius. And to clear it up again as a bottom line: is distilled water safe to drink? – Yes, yes it is!