Megahome Countertop Water Distiller, White, Glass Collection

We've had this little puppy for just over six weeks now, and my wife and I have used it daily since its arrival. We really love this distiller, and feel it's perfect for our needs. We simply set it up on our kitchen counter and let it run until the automatic shut-off pops (which works every time, and shuts off the instant the last drop of water has been distilled / evaporated). We purchased the unit to supplement an under-sink filter we installed that removes chlorine and other contaminants, yet leaves dissolved solids in the water. Only a distiller or Reverse Osmosis unit can do a good job of eliminating the solids (something that became important to me after I had a kidney stone, which is an adventure I do not want to repeat). After doing a great deal of research (that is, looking at other models' specifications and reading numerous online reviews) we settled on this model of counter-top distiller, and we couldn't be happier. It makes great tasting water, and in our case we don't even use the optional charcoal filter. Admittedly the use of pre-filtered water may be the reason we don't need to use the charcoal to (as some say) "polish the water" and improve the taste. In any event, the distilled water we get from the unit tastes great. We went with an under-sink filter (purchased separately) and distiller combination in place of a Reverse Osmosis (R/O) unit we had been using in our old home for the past 10 years as a better option for the apartment we recently moved into. On the whole we felt it would be too much of a production to hook up the R/O unit in the apartment, and we kinda missed distilled water anyway (which we used to drink over a decade ago when we had a bulkier, less "modern" unit). We're using a filter because (in our view) there are some contaminants that filters (good ones) are a little better at removing (oddly enough). The last distiller we had was a monster in size, and was a nightmare to clean due to its exposed heating coils (the coils sat in the water at the bottom of the tank). I love the fact this unit is as small as it is (it couldn't be any smaller and still hold one gallon of water), and that it is so easy to clean compared with the exposed coil type we used to have. We clean the unit's stainless steel chamber after each use by pouring in a small amount of vinegar and letting it soak for an hour or so. A quick brushing with a dish brush followed by a rinse, and it's ready to go again. You don't have to clean the unit after each use if you want to immediately make another gallon -- we just choose to do it that way to avoid any significant build-ups of solids. As for the noise of the fan, we don't find it too loud at all. To us it's no louder than our dishwasher, and we hardly notice it. If it was an issue we'd simply run it in our laundry room by setting it on top of our dryer (which is where we store it if we're not using it to avoid taking up kitchen cabinet space). The glass collection container is great (you really don't want to place distilled water, which is also called "hungry water" because it has no dissolved solids in it and will rapidly leach chemicals from plastic containers as a result) in anything other than glass or stainless steel. If you do store distilled water in plastic you'll find the water quickly tastes like the plastic it has been stored in -- which means you're drinking the chemicals leached from the plastic, a known health hazard. So as you can tell, we're delighted with the unit, and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants an easy, fool-proof way to make high-quality distilled water right at home. If you've ever had kidney stones, then distilled water (in my view) is definitely the way to go. Some evidence has shown the tap water can add to the mineral composition of kidney stones and/or increase the risk of susceptible individuals developing kidney stones. Many practitioners recommend distilled water (which is water in its purest form with no dissolved solids) as both a treatment and a preventive measure. In my view, you really can't go wrong with this little device. It's quick, easy, and simple to set up and use -- and at this point we'd rather not drink anything else. We're so hooked on the great, clean taste of the water that we take it with us (in stainless steel bottles we also bought on Amazon.com) wherever we go -- even to restaurants, which generally serve city (tap) water with all its usual contaminants. If you do purchase one of these units, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I recently wrote another Amazon product review for the Baby Brezza Temperature Controlled Water Kettle, which I use to keep water at body temperature for nasal irrigation. Shortly after I started using that product, I realized that I was growing tired of worrying about the possibility, albeit a remote one, of getting an infection of the amoeba "Naegleria fowleri" from my well water, and was also tired of always running out of gallon jugs of distilled water from the store just when I needed it. Besides occasional nasal irrigation, I also have some backup sump batteries that need topping off with distilled water in the colder and dryer months, and I also run some chemical processes in my home laboratory that require distilled water for best results. I started looking for a small distiller intended for home use, and Google searches led me to this MegaHome unit. It had mostly good reviews so I bought one from Amazon. The product comes with the boiler/condenser unit, a glass pitcher of about 1 gallon capacity, a box of six activated charcoal packets, and a jar of citric acid pellets. The product arrives in a box that at first seems to have only the boiler/condenser inside, but on closer inspection it reveals a sort of Russian doll scheme where the glass pitcher, with handle removed, is inside the boiler tank, the handle parts, citric acid and charcoal filters are inside the pitcher. You need to assemble the handle to the pitcher, which involves wrapping two stainless steel straps around the pitcher (they fit into recessed grooves in the glass), then screwing the handle onto nuts that are welded to the straps. A plastic cover snaps onto the handle to cover the mounting hardware. You also need to assemble the condenser which is comprised of a small glass funnel and a plastic housing for the funnel, and this snaps onto the discharge end of the condenser. One packet of activated charcoal fits wadded up inside the glass funnel, and it removes any residual chemicals that might have been distilled along with the water; in practice this makes distilled drinking water taste better. The assembly snaps off to change the packet. The boiler/condenser is in two parts. The boiler rests on the counter top, shelf, or other suitable flat surface. It consists of a stainless steel tank that holds a bit more than one gallon, with an electric heating underneath. An integrated circuit breaker/thermostat on the side of the boiler turns off the heater when all the water in the tank is boiled off, and also protects against overloads or other faults. It does not work as an on/off switch. The condenser rests on top of the boiler, and stays in place because a lip along the edge keeps it centered on the boiler. A gasket seals the two together, although it is only gravity at work and no hardware is used to latch it in place. The condenser consists of a stainless steel dome that collects the steam created from the boiling water below, and the steam exits the dome through a hole that leads to a double coil of stainless steel tubing that wraps around inside the condenser. An electric motor with a fan is mounted in the middle of the coils of tubing, and draws in cool air through side vents, past the coils (cooling the steam inside and condensing it back to water), and exhausts through vents in the top. An electrical cord runs down from the condenser and plugs into a socket near the base of the boiler, right next to where the power cord comes in. This makes it easy to unplug and detach the condenser from the boiler for cleaning. The citric acid is used to clean the stainless steel when it gets funky from minerals and other impurities bake onto the surfaces after some use. You just make a batch with some citric acid in it, then drain and wipe clean. In practice, you lift the condenser from the boiler and lay it down next to the boiler. Then fill the boiler tank to the 'FULL' line, replace the condenser on top, and plug it into the electrical outlet. The electric heater starts and the fan also starts. It takes at least half an hour for the water in the tank to reach a good boil, but the insulated boiler keeps the outside from getting more than just a bit warm to the touch. Once the water is boiling, you will notice that the air exiting the top of the condenser is now pretty warm, since it is removing heat from the steam. Distilled water begins to drip out of the discharge nozzle on the side (it passes through the activated charcoal inside the glass funnel on its way out), and into the glass pitcher. The discharge nozzle fits right into the pouring spout of the pitcher, so that the plastic pitcher cover can remain in place during distillation. This keeps dust, bugs, cats, etc; out of your pure distilled water. When all the water is boiled off, the temperature inside the boiler rises sharply and this causes the thermostat to pop and turn the electric heater and fan off. Now you have a full gallon of distilled water in the pitcher ready for use. I pour it directly into an empty plastic jug that 'store-bought' distilled water came in. You can then leave the distiller alone, or you can immediately refill the tank, reset the thermostat, and make another batch right away. The distiller works at a rate of about one gallon per every six hours, so you can distill up to four gallons in a 24 hour period. I use my distiller on well water that has a number of impurities, including iron, magnesium, calcium, 'sludge', and other trace elements. After a few batches of water, the inside of the boiler tank has a film of this stuff baked on. As confirmed by the users manual, this is OK to leave there, as it does not affect the quality of the distilled water coming out. But eventually, I want to clean it and this is where the citric acid comes in. I put in a gallon of water and some acid, bring it to a boil, then drain and rinse, then wipe the inside surfaces, rinse once again and I'm ready for more distilling. One 'trick' to reduce how fast the mineral film builds up inside the boiler is to never allow all the water to be boiled off. I try to arrange it so that I stop the process when about 1" of water remains in the boiler tank. I use a digital electrical timer to turn the power on for 5 hours and 30 minutes, and this setting seems to reliably do the trick. Unfortunately, finding a suitable timer that was easy and accurate to set, with repeatable resolution of not greater than 10 minutes and a timing length of at least 6 hours was difficult. Most timers out there, at least those readily available to consumers, have either short duration of less than an hour, or else they are difficult to set accurately and you will either have them running for too long or not long enough. Some timers such as this one: http://www.amazon.com/15079-7-Day-Plug-In-Digital-Timer/dp/B002HEO7N8/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1359170269&sr=8-16&keywords=digital+electric+timer+countdown might work, but you would need to make sure that the one you choose can be operated WITHOUT being cyclic, in other words it will not turn the distiller back on a while after turning it off at the end of a distilling batch. I chose a rather pricy one by Borg General (digital interval count down timer series 650, originally made by Diehl) that costs about $100 and is available online. This works brilliantly but needs to be mounted in something since it does not have an enclosure of its own. By the time you put it in a box, add a power switch and power cord and outlet for plugging in the distiller, you will have spent $150 on it. I am very pleased with the quality of this product, and it works well for me. The

I use it once a day to fill 2 of my air humidifiers

Easy to use, simple to clean, lets see how long it lasts

Pour deux raisons, l'eau distillé et la rendre potable