Diluting E-liquid with water - Distilled / Sterilised??

[greasefreefuel]

Hello,

As part of my never-ending search to find the right e-liquid I am looking to dilute some of the more pallatable flavours I've found.

Distilled water is recommended for this purpose on dedicated e-cig forums.

I ordered some from a Dublin pharmacy but got this:



Sterile water for Irrigation - Is this the same as distilled?

It says 'Do not heat above 65 degrees C' - Whats this about - this will surely happen in the atomiser?

'Discard unused portion' - well I'd really like to keep it to make more eliquids in the future. Has this funny cap which does nothing so will have to find an airtight container after I cut this one open.



Any advice appreciated.

 

[CreepyLady]

Well, I have no idea. I did some google fu and:

Sterile water should not be confused with distilled water. Distilled water is created by a process of steaming and condensation, and does not contain any minerals like salt, calcium or iron. So sterile water is free of bacteria but will still include minerals which are removed from distilled water.

Also - looks like the heat thing is just the plastic bottle. The discard after use Im guessing is because once you open it and it is exposed to air - it is no longer sterile. I mean, I would guess its OK, but buying a bottle of distilled water at the grocer would probably be wisest.

How far are you looking to dilute your liquids? Distilled water should only be a few drops (literally a few like 2-3) per ml of eliquid.

 

[yzer]

I buy distilled water at the grocery store. It is primarily sold for use with steam irons and other devices that produce steam.

Distilled water is preferred because minerals are removed from the water. Minerals can affect taste of juice and possibly leave deposits on atomizer coils.

Sterile water is not difficult to come by. Any tap water from a competent municipal water supply or a well-maintained private well is sufficiently sterile for vaping use.

I use 5% distilled water in my DIY juice formula.

 

[yzer]

Distilled water is also the preferred water for topping-off lead/acid batteries and for mixing automotive anti-freeze.

 

[greasefreefuel]

Cheers Creepylady and yzer,

Unfortunately distilled water is not as easy to come by here in Ireland - cheapest quote in pharmacies (besides this bottle which turned out to be sterile and not distilled) was €17 / $23 per litre.

That said, I had avoided going the auto battery water route because of concerns that its production would not have taken human consumption into account.

However, now that you have both reminded me of the miniscule amounts I'll be using in mixes maybe I'll return this bottle and get one of the €17/$23 litre ones.

Any advice re: storage - Does distilled water go off? colect bacteria after a certain time?

Thanks again for your help

 

[JulieMB]

Hi. This pricing is amazing. I am not clear on why it is so expensive? Water? I buy distilled water all the time to use in my CPAP machine- generally for .89 or .99 per gallon. I agree- true -that distilled water is NOT the same as sterile water. I use a small amount of distilled water in my DIY ejuice- usually 1-3% of the total flavoring percentage...I would think that because of the small amount of distilled water that I'd be mixing with ejuice, that I would likely make my own distilled water before I'd pay $23/liter. There are numerous videos on YouTube detailing how to easily make distilled water. It is a pretty simple process requiring simple supplies and few steps... Maybe you should look into that before you pay so much...good luck!

 

[Cool-breeze]

Google it and make it yourself. It's fairly simple. Way to simple to pay 23/ liter.

 

[Ryedan]

I make my own juice and typically use 4-5 % distilled water to thin it a bit. I get it really cheap here. If I had to pay $23 a litre I would do something like this: Homemade Water Distiller. At 5%, I don't use much. I suspect a 100 ml bottle would last me a really long time.

OTOH, if you add more than about 10% it's going to start really changing the way your juice vapes. If I were diluting juice I would use USP grade PG and VG. I get both of those from my local pharmacies also but they are both available from online vape shops also.

 

[yzer]

Cheers Creepylady and yzer,

Unfortunately distilled water is not as easy to come by here in Ireland - cheapest quote in pharmacies (besides this bottle which turned out to be sterile and not distilled) was €17 / $23 per litre.

That said, I had avoided going the auto battery water route because of concerns that its production would not have taken human consumption into account.

However, now that you have both reminded me of the miniscule amounts I'll be using in mixes maybe I'll return this bottle and get one of the €17/$23 litre ones.

Any advice re: storage - Does distilled water go off? colect bacteria after a certain time?

Thanks again for your help

That's an excellent question regarding shelf life of distilled water. It should last for years if unopened but it might take on a plastic taste from the container at that age. Once opened the distilled water should be good for at least a year or two if care is taken to leave the container capped except when actually pouring out water. It's probably good for a lot longer than that but I'm over-cautious.

You are right about not needing much H20 for e-juice. At 5% you only need 5ml of water for 100ml of juice.

I go through about a gallon of distilled water per year for maintaining three deep cycle batteries on the boat, the wife's occasional use of a steam iron and my DIY juice making. I'm using less than 50ml of distilled water per year making e-liquid.