Question:
Anyone out there have or know of good planns for home built solar waterdistillers. I want to build one that will produce at least 1.5 gallons perday in the north Texas summer time.

Answer: I don't have any plans per se, but have built a number of small solarstills over the years. With the problems with chemicals in the localwater supplies, I'm surprised that there isn't more interest in solarstills, but I guess it's easier just to buy bottled water.

The standard design uses glass inclined at about 30 degrees, as the tankcover/condenser surface. Plastics work very poorly, since they wetpoorly, and can wind buffet.

Generally, output is about 1 gallon/10 square feet/day.

Example:

A plywood box, measuring 2 ft. wide by 8 feet long, using a blackpolyethylene liner for the water, and single strength glass for thecover, would produce about 1.6 gallons of water per day in most sunnyareas. The box must be well-sealed. A single sloping glass designwould work best, with a single collector at the base of the glass.

A half sheet of 2 inch styrofoam could be placed beneath the unit toreduce heat loss, and the entire device set on the ground.

I also am interested in efficient heat recouping water stills.I have the power and have been thinking about water purificationas a natural for my solar concentrators.