Using an expresso or moka pot to distill water.

[Boucaneer]

Here's a question, if I use a stove top coffee pot, usually called an expresso or moka pot, the kind where you fill the bottom chamber with water, put coffee grinds in a little perforated pot ( gasket ) above the water and the steam will pressurise the water and push it through ( steam and water ) to the top collection pot making a pot of coffee.

Well if I was to remove the gasket so the pressurised water wouldn't be pushed up in to the collection pot and only the steam would travel up.

Would this be a way to distill and purify my own distiller water?

Any advice would be great.

Thanks.

 

[wolf man]

What's the difference between your idea and just using a large kettle?
I can't see how you would condense the steam for collection in such a small pot, and particularly as the top chamber is so close to the heat and will be very hot.

 

[Boucaneer]

Yeah, I think that's right. It will be very hot. Although not as hot as steam so may condense, once the water is in the collection pot it won't be reboiled as like in a kettle.

Just wondered if anyone has tried this?

 

[JohnC]

only accidently with coffee, it eventually starts boiling (and gets bitter)

 

[Boucaneer]

Yes, removing the gasket, allows only the steam to pass up and not the boiled water in liquid form as it usually does with the gasket in place.

I'm wondering if it condenses ok, or would a wet cold cloth have to be placed outside the collection pot.

If so one can make distilled water in the field and even a grappa or alcohol substance. For medicinal purposes only of course.

 

[British Red]

Simply wouldn't work as the collector would be too hot to condense steam. Even a basic alembic (still) requires running cold water over the condenser to remove heat and provide a sufficient temperature gradient to condense steam.

Nice idea but a non starter I'm afraid.

 

[Boucaneer]

Yes, I understand, although a solar still doesn't need any water coolant or a cooling system. Perhaps if the expresso pot was put on a gentle heat that may help, not to boil but just to create some evaporation.

I wish I had one so I can experiment. Not going to buy one just in case.
Still if anyone has one then it's an experiment waiting to happen.

 

[The_Taffinch]

As an aside, the excellent Ken Kram has a vid on making a simple mini-still:

http://youtu.be/OSXg_DMpO1M

But to return to the subject of using a moka/bialetti coffee brewer to distil water, I strongly suspect that the previous comment is correct; there wouldn't be enough cooling potential in the upper chamber and the steam would just vent out of the spout and lid.

I am happy to try with mine in a mo.

 

[British Red]

Perhaps if the expresso pot was put on a gentle heat that may help, not to boil but just to create some evaporation.

.

Still wont work - no temperature gradient (the pot is all one temperature - a solar still works because the inside is hotter than the outside). Even if you could get steam to condense on the outside of the pot, or the lid, the shape is wrong to get it to drip into the collection vessel.

If you want a still, build a still. There are plenty of pots and pans that could be adapted to the purpose - but a coffee percolator is not one.

 

[The_Taffinch]

Yep, this is correct. I've just tried it and the steam just disappeared out of the spout. There wasn't even a single drop of distillate left in the upper pot.

 

[Boucaneer]

Ah Thanks guys, thanks for the confirmation.

Lots of thanks.
Cheers.

 

[British Red]

Buy a Dutch oven or pressure cooker if you want a still

 

[Boucaneer]

Yeah, maybe I was just wishing or positively thinking about the coffee pot idea, but if it doesn't work then yes, I may make a clamped lid with simple safety valve and cooling tube for my powerpot or another cooking pot.

I'm off to the tropics and if another tsunami or hurricane then I wanna have my drinking water solved if my water filter breaks or gets lost.

Something small for my daypack.

Cheers chaps.

 

[British Red]

Your problem is it takes a ridiculous amount of fuel to distil water.

Just take a bandana and some puritabs

 

[cbr6fs]

Yeah, maybe I was just wishing or positively thinking about the coffee pot idea, but if it doesn't work then yes, I may make a clamped lid with simple safety valve and cooling tube for my powerpot or another cooking pot.

I'm off to the tropics and if another tsunami or hurricane then I wanna have my drinking water solved if my water filter breaks or gets lost.

Something small for my daypack.

Cheers chaps.

As red says the amount of fuel needed to distill enough water to survive is ridiculous, it's not like distilled water is good for you if you are dehydrated either.
Distilling water removes many of the minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron, minerals that are exactly what you want when you are dehydrated.

Lack of drinking water will not be a problem during or shortly after a hurricane, as it will drop a fair amount of drinkable fresh water.

A Tsunami is a different matter, there should still be places on higher ground with fresh water though.
Just boiling this will render it safe in most circumstances (chemical pollution aside), something like one of the Sawyer 0.02 micron water filters will have it safe to drink (again chemical pollution aside), plus this filter has no moving parts so it tough to break.

Last resort in the tropics would be to buy some large clear bags.
Wrap said bags around tree branches and collect the water, usually has a few insects in as well, but that's just free protein.

One other possible solution after a tsunami would be to try and find a fairly new wrecked boat, most larger modern boats will have a ROI/desalination system onboard, might need a bit of bodging and borrowing of batteries etc but they'll likely be wrecked any ways.
Also worth checking around the emergency rafts as again most modern boats will have a emergency hand pumped ROI/desalination pump.
Not only will you get drinkable water from sea water with a hand pumped ROI pump, you'll also build shoulders and arm muscles Arny would be proud of.

 

[rik_uk3]

Or just buy water filter/Millbank bag/water purification tablets and stop messing about? member Bilmo makes Millbank bags. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/2011...1=ICEP3.0.0-L&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=108&ff19=0

 

[John Fenna]

If you really want to go the evaporation rout then a simple still is easy enough to rig - here I used the kind of tubing you get from hydration bladders, a metal mug and a home made lid. This unit was sealed with chewing gum

 

[Boucaneer]

Very nice, that's the sort of simple and lightweight system I am looking for.
I'm going to be bush crafting in South India and learning the ropes out there.

So if I make a tight fitting lid for my coffee pot or crusader cup and use chewing gum or a flour water dough for the sealant then it is possible to distill sea water in a simple device like this?

They sell stainless steel coffee pots out in India which I can pick up. I also have three Russian army aluminium canteen bottles ( flyashka's ) that I may try to use too.

Saying that I have just had an impulsive buy on ebay and bought myself a lifesaver bottle 6000 for 41 quid which ain't bad.
It doesn't do sea water though so just to be prepared I will try to hook together a little system like the one in the photo below.

I did see a Katadyne reverse osmotion hand pump but an hours pumping for a litre of water with an injured arm isn't grabbing me.

So distilation is still my goal.

I looked on that Ken Krom link but it didn't work.

Any links to great videos or texted instruction would be a great help in my project.

I'm glad it can be done, now just how to learn how.

Thanks for the heads up and photo John Fenna.

Thanks chaps and great advice, Cheers.

 

[diocane]

Do not use salt water with a moka, the filter (and most importantly the pressure valve) will get clogged in no time

 

[Boucaneer]

Well I guess the trick is to use a long tube if using a plastic food grade tube.
The longer it is the more the air will cool it.

Here is a post by an Australian army cadet doing some experimentation. Link below.
http://bushcraftoz.com/forums/showthread.php?7022-Water-distilling-tests


In regards to distiller water not being good for you, I won't argue with the medical knowledge, I am thinking however if your heating and evaporating sea water you will be making your own salt from the residue in the bottom of the pot after the water has gone. So wondering if it's possible to gain minerals and salts from the salt residue?

The salt can also be used for curing meat and fish I think, good for wounds, and maybe other uses too.

Yes fuel is used, but on a small gasifyer like the solo stove or bush buddy or DIY version it would be run on twigs and small amount of wood for a distilled drink when all there is salt water around.