Gave up looking for DW so made my own

[madmaveric]

After searching all the local shops and chemists (in the UK here) and not finding any locally (the boots pharmacist even asked me what distilled water was ?!?!?!) I decided to make my own.

I managed to get deionised water (carplan from ASDA) but wasn't completely sure how good this would be for vaping so decided to go the next step and distill it.

I first tried a pan with a bowl in it with an upturned lid on the pan, This was ok but lost it when I accidentally boiled the water and it overflowed into the bowl so I decided to try a different method.

The low heat is applied to a pan on the right and a Tin foil pipe directs the steam into the pot on the left and then up past another piece of tinfoil (effectively the condenser plate with a light breeze coming across it from the window. On very low heat (not boiling) I recon this is producing 5-10ml/hour



I should have just brought some off ebay but it was quicker to distill it myself. I'm not sure what effect the tin foil will have on the water and the fact that it is open to the air at the end but I'm happier to put this in my liquid than what I brought originally. Plus it was a bit of fun and meant it had to be a 'take out' night as the cooker was in use

The big question is, how pure will this be and will it pick up anything bad from condensing on Tin foil.

Either way the first batch with it is now cooking


Edit: Anyone else seeing the html code for the first image attachment or is my browser broken?

 

[Wingsfan0310]

Wow, I just go to the grocery store here in Michigan (Krogers) and buy a gallon for about $1.00. Surprised it's that hard to find in the UK.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[madmaveric]

I know its a real pain, we can buy bottled water from every pure stream and river over the world but it appears that DW isn't wanted by people in the uk so they don't stock it at most places.

I was especially shocked that most of the Chemists gave me blank looks when I asked (as if they didn't know what it was).

 

[Exchaner]

Just to save you some trouble, de-ionized water is just fine. In fact Intellicig from the UK uses it in their liquids. They are the makers of Ecopure, a great e-liquid.

 

[SLIPPY_EEL]

Nice job on the DIY.... TheAlchenistscupboard . co.uk sell it... I got mine in a couple of day's, used it once and its been sat in the cupboard ever since



i'm not even sure why I bought it, I don't really need it in my juice to thin it and i'm unsure there was any benefit taste wise it was almost like that feeling when you have a squash drink watered down to much . are they the only two reasons to use it?

 

[Wingsfan0310]

I know you already made some DW but I found this article, 3 easy ways to make DW you may find inreresting:
3 Ways to Make Distilled Water - wikiHow
Good luck!

Cheers,
Steve

 

[we2rcool]

'Just had to check it out (having never heard of deionized water, and what it is used for...apparently distilled water and deionized water are not the same (and there are different grades/types of both)...here's some seriously scientific details for anyone that wants to know: What is the difference between distilled water and deionized water (DI water)?

It looks like :::groan::: it boils down to this (from above thread): DI (deionized) removes ionic impurities in water but it cannot remove the organic /microbial/soluble matter. Hoqwever in distilled especially double and triple the vapour forms give pure water as it is free from these substances.

Edit: This link looks better/easier: DEIONIZED WATER vs DISTILLED WATER: What's the differenceDistilled and Deionized Water

 

[Exchaner]

From the above link: "The purity of deionized water can exceed the purity of distilled water."

 

[Exchaner]

I don't really need it in my juice to thin it and i'm unsure there was any benefit taste wise it was almost like that feeling when you have a squash drink watered down to much . are they the only two reasons to use it?

Some people report getting a better throat hit from the addition of DW/Deionized water - especially to liquids with a high VG content.

 

[madmaveric]

Nice job on the DIY.... TheAlchenistscupboard . co.uk sell it... I got mine in a couple of day's, used it once and its been sat in the cupboard ever since



i'm not even sure why I bought it, I don't really need it in my juice to thin it and i'm unsure there was any benefit taste wise it was almost like that feeling when you have a squash drink watered down to much . are they the only two reasons to use it?

I'm only using it at the moment for experimenting with high VG juice. I found I got too much dryness with the PG mix I started with. I'm also trying saline and vodka as well. It's a big experiment at the moment for myself ... a fun experiment. It's like being back at school in science class lol.

 

[madmaveric]

I know you already made some DW but I found this article, 3 easy ways to make DW you may find inreresting:
3 Ways to Make Distilled Water - wikiHow
Good luck!

Cheers,
Steve

Funny enough I looked at that first, I tried the bowl in a pan method (with lid on upside down to catch the vapor) but after I left it a bit too long the bowl hit the bottom of the pan, it all started bubbling and jumping about so it got splash back into the bowl.

I devised my setup from the two bottle method shown on there. For fullness I should also state I tried a bucket of water with a bowl in, clingfilm on top with a small weight in the middle and sat that in the back bedroom where the sun comes in (that one failed lol).

 

[madmaveric]

From the above link: "The purity of deionized water can exceed the purity of distilled water."

The article is a bit misleading in that statement, that comment appears to be talking about deionized AND reverse osmosis water, not just deionized water on it's own.

From what I have read, deionizing wont remove organic substances (I could be wrong), so ideally both are needed if you want really pure water (plus a filter of some kind as well to remove whats left)

The full paragraph reads.

In order to obtain the high quality pure deionized water, a multi-stage water purification process can be used.
After pre-cleaning, the water is supplied to the reverse osmosis membrane, and then the water is filtered through a special deionization medium, which removes the rest of the ions in the water. The purity of deionized water can exceed the purity of distilled water.

So the osmosis is doing the same as the distilling, to remove the things that just deionization on its own doesn't remove.

TBH I'm happy with what I have for now and don't want to get into low level chemistry with it (need more brain cells for that ) but just wanted to point that out ... assuming I have read it correctly that is

 

[Jimi D.]

Buy Distilled Water | Distilled Water Delivery UK

 

[2naphish]

never let it be said that vaporists aren't a resourceful bunch. interesting way of getting things done. good luck.

 

[Exchaner]

From what I have read, deionizing wont remove organic substances (I could be wrong), so ideally both are needed if you want really pure water (plus a filter of some kind as well to remove whats left)

According to The Science Company http://www.sciencecompany.com/default.aspx deionized water has a higher purity. To quote from an e-mail I received from them: "Our deionized water is purer than distilled water. It has been extensively filtered and UV radiated to acheive cleanroom purity, with virtually all minerals removed."

In the final analysis it makes no difference whatsoever which is used - distilled or deionized. If deionized water is good enough for Intellicig, it's good enough for me. They are a very reputable company with loads of research behind them (in collaboration with university of Manchester no less.) Their hugely popular liquid Ecopure Rich contains just four ingredients: Vg, EM, deionized water and nicotine. Here is the link:

http://www.umic.co.uk/casestudies/intellicig_case_study/

BTW the company is now owned by Big Tobacco - British American Tobacco to be exact ....

 

[madmaveric]

To quote from an e-mail I received from them: "Our deionized water is purer than distilled water. It has been extensively filtered and UV radiated to acheive cleanroom purity, with virtually all minerals removed."

That is very pure water, not only has it been deionized but also filtered and UV radiated Hence it is not simply "deionized water"

What I was getting at in the above post is that deionizing on its own doesn't remove organic material, other treatments are applied as well in most purified water (in both cases above other methods of purifying were also applied to the water). This means checking the label as "deionized water" can mean different things to different companies.

If it only says 'deionized water' on the label then you can't assume that it also has been UV treated, had reverse osmosis, filtered or anything else (I would naturally assume manufacturers would want to put all other treatments on there as well as a bigger selling point).

Just checked out sciencecompany's water on their site, they state that they are using UV and filtering as well as deionizing Lab Grade Deionized Water, 0.05 micron, 1 gal. for sale. Buy from The Science Company.

In my case I didn't want to trust it (its sold for a battery or clothes iron, so probably is not as pure as stuff marketed for drinking), and there was no mention of other treatments on the label so I decided to distill it as well.

That being said it's probably just as safe (if not safer) to drink than what comes out the tap, considering what I have put in my lungs with cigarettes over the last 30 years lol

I guess what I'm trying to say is ...
When talking about "deionized water" most times what we really mean is "deionized AND x, y, z done to it water".
When buying "deionized water" for battery/iron usage, most times it only means deionized, so care must be taken as it may not have had the other purification's done to it (or worse, may even have other additives for batteries added that you wouldn't want to drink).

 

[Exchaner]

Absolutely right that "deionized" has different meanings to different companies. My main purpose is to save the OP some time and effort. He resides in the UK - the same country where Intellicig is located. Unless they are using deionized water of a special kind - and they would say so if they were - he probably is safe doing the same. I have even seen people use filtered water in the States with no negative effects. But by all means, if the OP feels distillation is the safer way to go, then that is the proper choice for him.

Edit: madmaveric, sorry I did not realize you WERE the OP

 

[madmaveric]

Yup some good links been posted that I will be using for next time, so thanks to all for those.

I guess tap water can't be that bad to breathe in anyway (think of all the steam when in the shower ), it's probably more useful to keep the atomizers alive than us humans

I guess the reason we don't have DW in every store here is that most people never buy it so there's no market, that begs the question as to why is it so readily available in the states. What do people buy it for outside of vaping (there appears to be a market for it so someone must be using it for something).

 

[SupplyDaddy]

Really strange to have to go through all of that for distilled water... Those that have non-maintenance free car batteries still need access to distilled water...It should be an auto shop staple.

 

[Exchaner]

Hi madmaveric, Funny you should ask. I use DW for making tea, your national pastime. Brings out the flavor much more effectively. You might want to try an experiment by putting a tea bag inside boiling deionized water and one inside boiling regular tap. Which one turns dark faster? It's a good indicator how much minerals and/or Chlorine is inside the tap. DW is also used for ironing (Prevents mineral deposits), for washing wounds - with or without saline - and for mixing baby food.
Cheers