Turn Salt Water Into Drinking Water
Desalination is the process of removing salt from saltwater. This article will teach you several different ways of removing salt from water and turn it into drinking water.
Contents
10 Second Summary
1. Place a heat-safe cup into a large pot.
2. Pour the salt water into the pot. Don't let anything get inside the cup.
3. Place the lid upside down on the pot.
4. Bring the water to a slow boil.
5. Watch the pot as the water condenses.
6. Use the water collected in the cup.
Steps
Using a Pot and Stove
- Get a large pot with a lid and an empty drinking cup. The glass should be big enough to hold a fair amount of fresh water.
- Make sure the glass is short enough that you can still put the lid on the pot.
- A Pyrex or metal cup is safest, as certain types of glass will explode when exposed to heat. Plastic may melt or deform.
- Make sure the pot and lid are suitable for using on a stove.
- Slowly pour some salt water into the pot. Do not overfill.
- Stop well before the water level has reached the mouth of the glass.
- This will make sure no salt water splashes into the glass while boiling.
- You don't want to get any salt water into the drinking glass, or your newly made fresh water will be contaminated.
- Place the pot, cover upside down on the pot. This will allow the water vapor as it condenses to drip into the drinking glass.
- Position the pot lid so the highest point or handle is facing down directly above the glass.
- Make sure the pot lid is providing a good seal along the edges of the pot.
- Without a good seal, a lot of the steam will escape and diminish the supply of fresh water vapor.
- Bring the water to a slow boil. You will want to boil the water slowly over low heat.
- A violent full boil can contaminate the drinking water by splashing into the glass.
- Too much heat can cause a glass to break.
- If the water is boiling quickly and violently, the glass may shift away from the center of the pot and the handle of the pot lid.
- Watch the pot as the water condenses. When water boils, it becomes pure vapour, leaving behind anything that was dissolved in it.
- As the water becomes vapour, it condenses in the air as steam and on the cover's surface as water droplets.
- The droplets then run down to the lowest point (the handle) and drip right into the glass.
- This will probably take 20 minutes or more.
- Wait a little while before drinking the water. The glass and water will be very hot.
- There may be a small amount of salt water left in the pot, so be careful when removing the glass of fresh water not to splash any salt water into your fresh water.
- You might find that the glass and fresh water will cool faster if you remove it from the pot.
- Be careful as you remove the glass so you don't get burnt. Use an oven mitt or potholder to take it out.
Using Solar Desalination
- Collect salt water in a bowl or container. Make sure you don't fill it up all the way.
- You will need some space at the top of the bowl so that the salt water doesn't splash into your fresh water receptacle.
- Make sure your bowl or container is watertight. If it is leaking, your salt water will drain away before it can form steam to condense as fresh water.
- Make sure you have plenty of sunlight as this method takes several hours.
- Place a cup or smaller container in the center. Do this slowly.
- If you do this quickly, you might get some salt water splash into your cup. This will contaminate your fresh water as you collect it.
- Make sure the lip of the glass remains above water.
- You might need to weight it down with a rock to prevent it from sliding around.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Make sure the wrap isn't too loose or too tight.
- Be sure that the plastic wrap has a tight seal on the rim of the salt water bowl.
- If there are any leaks in the plastic wrap, steam or fresh water vapor might escape.
- Use a sturdy brand of plastic wrap so it doesn't tear.
- Place a rock or weight in the center of the plastic wrap. Do this just above the cup or container in the centre of the bowl.
- This will cause the plastic wrap to dip in the centre, allowing fresh water to drip into your cup.
- Make sure your rock or weight isn't too heavy or it will tear the plastic wrap.
- Make sure the cup is in the centre of the bowl before continuing.
- Place the salt water bowl in directly sunlight. This will heat the water and cause condensation to form on the plastic wrap.
- As condensation forms, fresh water droplets will drip from the plastic wrap into the cup.
- This will allow you to slowly collect fresh water.
- This method takes several hours so be patient.
- After you have enough fresh water in your cup, you can drink it. It is safe and completely desalinated.
Turning Seawater into Fresh Water for Coastal Survival
- Find your life raft and any other debris. You can use parts of your life raft to construct a system for making fresh water from sea water.
- This method is most helpful if you are stranded on a beach with no fresh water.
- It was developed by stranded pilot during WWII in the Pacific.
- This is a helpful method, especially if you do not know how long it will be until you can be rescued.
- Find the gas bottle from your life raft. Open it and fill it with sea water.
- Filter the sea water through a cloth so you don't get too much sand or other debris in the water.
- Don't fill the bottle up too much. You will want to avoid spilling the water out the top of the bottle.
- Carry the water back to an area where you can make a fire.
- Find the hose and leak stoppers from the life raft. Attach the hose to one end of the leak stoppers.
- This will provide a tube for fresh condensed water vapor to travel out of the bottle of sea water as its heated.
- Make sure the hose is free of kinks or clogs.
- See that the seal between the hose and leak stoppers is strong. This will help you to avoid any fresh water leaking out of the hose.
- Plug up the top of the gas bottle with the leak stoppers. Use the opposite end of the leak stoppers from where you've attached the hose.
- This will provide a way for water vapour to travel from the bottle as its heated into the hose to transport fresh water.
- Make sure the seal is tight to prevent leaks.
- If you have any twine or tape, you can reinforce the seal with these items.
- Build a bank of sand and bury the hose. This will keep the hose steady as fresh water travels through it.
- Keep the end of the hose exposed. This is where fresh water will trickle out.
- Don't bury the gas bottle or leak stoppers. You will need to have this exposed to keep watch to make sure there are no leaks.
- Make sure the hose is relatively straight and free of kinks as you bury it.
- Place a pan underneath the exposed end of the hose. This will collect water the fresh water.
- Make a fire and place the gas bottle directly above the flame. This will boil the salt water in the bottle.
- As the water boils, steam will condense in the top of the gas bottle and travel into the hose as fresh water.
- As most of the water boils, the condensed steam will travel through the hose and into the pan.
- The water collected in the pan will be desalinated and safe to drink.
Tips
- This method of evaporating and condensing water is called distilling. It can be used with normal tap water whenever distilled water is needed.
- It may help if you can cool down the cover while the water boils so, as to make the condensation occur faster. You can use cold salt water, and just change it when it becomes warm.
- Solar methods take a longer period of time and might not be adequate for making lots of fresh water quickly.
Warnings
- Take care in what you are doing. Do not fill the pot too high. You don't want to be drinking salt water that has splashed into the center glass.
