DIY Salt-Water Survival Bottle (Compact Desalination Kit)

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In this video I show how to make a simple distillation kit from a water bottle that can be used to make fresh water from ocean water. Any steel container could work for this project. I almost used a small stainless steel food container, but decided a water bottle was a more practical object to carry.
Thanks to my Patreon supporters for keeping these videos possible! / nighthawkprojects
A special thanks to my top supporters on Patreon! TheBackyardScientist, Enzo Breda Lee & Thibaud Peverelli
Send me video responses! Check out the community video response playlist on my channel homepage and submit your own video responses by emailing me at [e-mail].

[@deanevangelista6359]

My uncle in Tennessee had a huge version of that. I don’t think he was distilling salt water, though.

[@johnosman8971]

Any type of distillation processing has advantages over simply being able to just stop at a pond, creek, or whatever sized body of water you are attempting to get a potable water source from, … be it with the previous type of distillation process shown here, … or such as a chemical, or padded filtration system, … shoot, you can sometimes distill water through a sand trap, where you percolate the water through a significant amount of sand grains, that can sift out any contaminants through a medium of the sand used, … it may take several attempts to clean a specific amount of sand, to rid it of any impurities itself, but, with each pass, through the grains of sand, it becomes more pure, … the best situation, would allow, for whatever impurities being sifted from passing through the layers of sand, to not disturb the grains, at the bottom of your”trap”, thus giving you a much cleaner amount of potable water, … and you should also, boil your water source for approximately 20 minutes, to get rid of any untoward bacteria strains, …

[@sameer19871987]

Shine!

[@ffemtx47]

@@johnosman8971 👈 Joke went right over his head. Left tire tracks on his forehead like a John Force funny car leaving the line...🤣🤣

[@750suzuki7]

I would have to taste a few gallons to be sure that it isn't salt water. Send it over right away.

[@privateinformation6082]

😏I saw it and thought damn that’s small and convenient and then read the title

[@radiobento]

I would recommend using only stainless steel parts. Copper in contact with distilled water oxidizes quickly and this oxidation contaminates the water. Another tip is to leave dolomite tablets in contact with water for a few minutes to raise the ph and recover magnesium and calcium. We also have to be careful with excess boron in desalinated sea water, sometimes the steam pressure drags the boron. I prefer to use brackish water.

[@katatoth7551]

boron and magnesium are very important minerals. if one does not have them tooth decay and bone problems will appear.

[@Tommy.OrginalvideosPhilly]

Well said both of you

[@VantageWelding]

Both you guys kick ass. Thanks for these tips

[@blackouting]

😱😱😱

[@blackouting]

@katatoth7551 I'm not sure what Boron is... i know what Borax is, though, but something tells me I shouldn't eat it 😅

[@whipivy]

Something to keep in mind with this, stainless steel when heated to a certain point creates chromium carbide. This is bad, when the chromium has been reduced to a certain point stainless steel begins to corrode. You'll see it when stainless steel begins to show purple bands in it, that means it's too hot to maintain it's resistance to corrosion.

[@buffplums]

Wow that’s good advice …. Wonder if there is an alternative way to make something like this ? I don’t suppose Aluminium could be used, apart from the risk of melting it but would there be a contamination risk from that also? Maybe that would be ok as we cook with aluminium pans.

[@Axel_Andersen]

@@buffplums We also cook with stainless all the time year after year. Yes this chromium corrosion is a thing but not in this contex and temperature. As long as there is water inside the bottle the temp can hardly rise above 100°C because this is not a pressure vessel. And because it is not pressure vessel corrosion is not a thing, it would only cause it to leak, not likely to cause any problems.

[@simplekindofman6265]

Would tin be better for water distillation I’d like to make one for camping long term So I don’t have to carry water

[@megastick9324]

At cooking temperatures it’s not an issue. The hexavalent becomes an issue when heated to melting, such as welding, and then it depends on the process. Stick welding releases hex. Chrome, however, tig welding keeps any release within acceptable safety margins. This from a professional welder. We never heard a thing about hex. Chrome until just around 15ish years ago. Now, when stick welding we need respirators, not so with tig. After many years of never having been told about it and God knows how much intake.

[@mestrone]

Do you happen to know if the copper releases any harmful substances as it may on alcohol distillation? I have read about copper poisoning when boiling on copper kettles, but what about steam passing through it?

[@nimrodquimbus912]

I was once lost in the woods and I had a compass, but all I could do was draw circles.

[@SF-li9kh]

Lol. That compass 😂

[@Whiskeybuisness]

LMAO..😆😆

[@PatrickKQ4HBD]

Take your thumbs up and get out!

[@ndudgczufofuf6270]

Lol🤣🤣

[@gulktroktet]

A lot of steel water bottles have a non-stick coating inside. Also important to make sure that yours doesn't before boiling water in it.

[@nicklopez7536]

This is very important and should be mich higher up in the comments for more people to see and for NightHawk to see as well.

[@nicklopez7536]

This is very important and should be higher up in the comments for NightHawk and others to see because steel bottles indeed have coatings on the inside.

[@SapphFire]

+1 (Replies seem to push comments further up)

[@davidburke4101]

Yep

[@gulktroktet]

There's no point in trying to remove it. Just buy one that doesn't have one.

[@AaronAlso]

If you use an open fire to cook while camping; you can use bar soap and splash of water to coat the outside of the cookware in a thin layer. This will allow the soot from the fire to be clean off very easily when finished.

[@DR-bp1yu]

Great tip, thank you. Another option would be to wrap the bottle in tinfoil or aluminum foil. A soda can can also be sn effective sleeve. The steel in the bottle would not stay pristine though, as the heat will induce a color change. But it will not be covered in sooth, which is much worse. Once the bottle cools enough to touch, you can use a mix of wood ash from your fire and a bit of your clean water to make a nice cleaning paste, it will scrub the bottle nicely without scratching it.

[@chloedemeter5473]

Thin layer of mud works ok too. Just enough to coat it, too thick and it'll quickly crack and fall off in big pieces when it dries.

[@Bwanar1]

Someone payed attention during old school Boy scout training!

[@Palemagpie]

Washing-up liquid is better. It's entirely non-flamable unlike some particular bar soaps. And even if you really burn the crap out of it. Still water soluble. So it just washes clean off.

[@inashamsia]

woah great tip!

[@noneedtoknow2870]

Your bird is so playful, he's very comfortable with you. Good addition to adverts, gives something to watch so the ad doesn't get skipped.

[@BFDT-4]

Good trick during the ad, using the cute bird as a lure while you talk on! I salute that subtle yet effective trick.

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Check out the new Community Video Response playlist on my channel page! I'm trying to recreate the video response feature from the early days of KZbin. Since video responses have been missing from the site it has felt a lot less like a community and more like channels are islands off by themselves. I made many friends on KZbin years ago by filming responses to their videos and vice versa, so lets try to make that happen again. If you have made any of my projects film a quick video of them and send me a link to: [e-mail]. Looking forward to seeing your videos and featuring them in the playlist! Link: kzbin.info/aero/PL1a2HkcVbmAUhkDqaCxd1sXXQVvuOR-_H

[@MrJust2times]

You need to find a solution for the cooling down process. Making the way longer ? What i would love too see how you get the Coper spiral into another bigger diameter spiral. In the bigger spiral you could pure Water to cool it down. Do you get what i mean :D 2nd langauge and stuff :P Greetings from Germany.

[@TheWtfnonamez]

This is the sort of advice that is almost entirely pointless to know .... right up until the moment when it will save your life. Brilliant video. Thank you.

[@diggydude5229]

I think it's good to know this sort of thing *before* you need it. You may not be able to google it in a survival situation.

[@seanmack28]

Like now. Lol

[@RuralTowner]

@Predbeau101 Right in the same category as "Dying of thirst while watching another drown."

[@RuralTowner]

@Predbeau101 On the latter...I know. The former...forget where I heard it but I think it had to do with being stuck on one of those (very) small islands & dying of thirst yet are surrounded by undrinkable water that you see another drowning in.

[@jojoemcgeejoe457]

@@RuralTowner Water Water All Around And Not A Drop To Drink.

[@mutantryeff]

It is important to keep the copper clean as it will oxidize along with picking up a black substance that is more dangerous. The best way to clean is use citric acid solution and then rinse well. Some will rinse with a 50/50 vinegar/water solution followed with straight water.

[@rsnell22]

Hmm. Like the oil cooler on an old 19DA where the water chemistry wasn't kept up with. I, too, would use stainless.

[@ecr1023]

Copper is used in Espresso machine boilers. Just use a standard descaler or vinegar solution.

[@midclock]

Never tried it, but filling pipes with sand before bending them, helps to keep their shape regular, especially with larger diameters and narrow bending angle

[@Den3productions]

I wish I would have read this comment two weeks ago!

[@shorebird9]

fill the tube with water and freeze it. The ice/water will not compress thereby maintaining the tubes' volume.

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

@@shorebird9 clever

[@stupidscruff5794]

@@shorebird9 the pipe could snap if you do that

[@bretk7916]

The sand will just move and be pushed out of the pipe and if you seal it so it doesn't do this then it will just compact and make it impossible to bend or split the pipe like frozen water does to house Plumbing when the expanding water that's turning into ice has nowhere to go

[@dailydosesofgrass2500]

This video is so calm. It's a nice break from the constant excited energy of youtube. Even channels like yours are hyped and energetic.

[@whuzzzup]

100x this.

[@benjaminmiller3620]

You like calm videos & survival? Check out 'primitive technology'

[@GiegX]

Wow there is a real DIY, not a comercial profesional tool used, just regular cheap ones everyone got at home thanks!!

[@Misha-dr9rh]

"cheap ones" >drillpress

[@onemangamer587]

@@Misha-dr9rh can use a hand drill or electric drill, just a matter of time and precision

[@ryanhelmbold2288]

I dont think most people have solder, flux, and a soldering iron though

[@cidizzle]

@@ryanhelmbold2288 copper soldering kits are like $20 and if your home has copper pipes will help a ton if your pipes spring a leak and flood your kitchen at 4 am. Ask me how I know.

[@gus473]

@@cidizzle Propane or MAPP gas....? 🤔

[@clark5363]

This is absolutely brilliant and quite possibly the single most valuable diy survival sustainability video I've ever seen. Good lord man, thank you for this one.

[@user-pm8je4fo7e]

Yeah, if your "survival" plan implies carrying around two extra kilos of tubes and a wrench. This setup is good for making water out of piss at home. Executing it outdoors on a daily basis would be too much pain in the ass in comparison with old ways.

[@lit3plumber12]

I can't agree. Only a small portion of land is next to saltwater making it practically useless for me and a lot of other people. And even though I agree it's worth it's weight to carry, a life straw is a much cheaper option and might even last longer. Great if you're surviving near the sea or on a flame proof boat.

[@clark5363]

@@lit3plumber12 I live on a peninsula surrounded by ocean. I have other stuff for freshwater, which there's not a great deal of anywhere nearby. Otherwise sure. Lifestraws are fantastic.

[@dancooper7012]

Really cool! Back in the 60s/70s, my dad used to make me little steamboats using this sort of technique.

[@cjmpaja]

This will be very useful in the coastal communities of countries that are frequently hit by typhoons/hurricanes/cyclones as this lets them get drinking water from the ocean...

[@boriscat1999]

desalination plants are very common in desert regions near seas. They are very energy intensive compared to simply pumping clean water out of the ground from an aquifer.

[@NGC1433]

i hurt my brain trying to imagine a community advanced enough to watch youtube, but stone age enough to be unable to figure out water desalination on their own. youtube roaming chimps?

[@muhammadizzhakimbinramli3431]

@@NGC1433 i think that's why OP mentioned that the communities had to be disaster proned cause then they could get fresh water during disasters

[@cjmpaja]

@@muhammadizzhakimbinramli3431 yup. when a natural disaster strikes, the things that we normally take for granted (ex: electricity, flowing water, communications) are not always available. Have you experienced having no electricity, running water, internet, and telecommunications for a few months straight? Hence this device is useful during the aftermath of a natural disaster, when the government has not yet got supply lines up and running...

[@kickAssScience]

@@boriscat1999 Are you delusional? What often comes out of the sky in those parts of the world?... rain

[@muh1h1]

i absolutely LOVE your little bird friend!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Me too

[@holymegadave]

With a pen saber hehehe

[@MichaelHarto]

The bird is cute no?

[@J0ermungand]

Suddenly I too want a bird :P

[@OldGamerNoob]

is that the "night hawk"?

[@Scruffers2011]

Pretty cool. People who live on ocean coastal areas may need this someday. Thanks for posting.

[@meh.7539]

Adding flux before your solder piece might keep things in place a little easier. I think it helps the solder adhere better as well.

[@kensmechanicalaffair]

Yea, that iron would of gotten hot enough to ditch the torch.

[@redcastlefan]

what i like about your videos is that they are high quality. and it seems that you dont care about the algorithm favouring frequent uploads at the cost of quality. I also like how we can actually do what you do.

[@DanHaiduc]

The algorithm favors clickthrough rate, according to Veritasium. And who wouldn't click on a video with such a title?

[@dominicrichardson5546]

Agreed, so many projects from other youtubers require expensive workshop tools or materials, but these projects are wonderfully attainable

[@whuzzzup]

He didn't even make it 10 min. Good guy.

[@MrChaes]

Spreading the copper coils apart will lower the amount of heat one coil will transfer to the next. It allows cooling air or water to reach all sides of every coil. I like your design. Very compact and usable.

[@brianh.000]

Good idea--should improve the heat sink abilities.

[@Anthropomorphic]

Might make it harder to fit them in a water bowl, though.

[@michaellinner7772]

You're right except coiling and uncoiling it over and over would quickly fatigue the copper tubing eventually causing it to rupture.

[@wraithgear4216]

@@michaellinner7772 i assumed he ment to stretch it out just the once. Or even trim the length to spread it out permanently

[@diggydude5229]

True, but you would presumably want to wrap as much copper around the bottle as possible to provide a longer cooling path. There would have to be some trade-off between length and coil spacing, I guess.

[@TareanSmiley]

Stainless steel is perfect for this application. That is why it is used in many laboratory and production setups, even as pressure vessels. The temperature required to make chromium carbide is not reached as long as a fluid is inside the container. Another improvement would be to design the coil in such a way as to allow it to be buried in dirt, which is then moistened, to improve the cooling and collection properties. One problem with this design is that a lot of steam still escapes, and floats away. By burring the coil in wet dirt/sand it improves the collection amount by a country mile!

[@Nighthawkinlight]

Yes all stainless would be ideal

[@GlennsFastReviews]

Thanks for the super-practical video that doesn't require a lot of expensive parts or equipment! Sweet!

[@kingkoda1204]

Finally, I can make moonshine on the go.

[@m3dia95]

king koda I was thinking poitin too haha

[@n017kingg7]

was thinking the same

[@wilfordownbey5000]

"I don't think so Tim". #AlBorland

[@kidathi]

😂😂😂😂👏👏👏

[@spambedam]

Yer gol dang right!

[@wildernessman2022]

Spacing out your coils. So the air can get through them. As well with the heat dissipate

[@wlcm2grvit]

It won't explode, the tubing is opened to atmosphere. One could experience some mild water hammer from steam bubbles collapsing within this set up but as he demonstrated with immersing the coils in the pot of water, this effectively created the heat exchange necessary to get steady condensing

[@ToxicallyMasculinelol]

@@Santa-614 explosive release? what a joke lol, it's a fucking tube with a hole on one end

[@sikox2098]

@@ToxicallyMasculinelol I’m pretty sure he meant it hyperbolically, and what kind of tube doesn’t have a hole lol😂

[@_Anthony___]

@@sikox2098 a rod

[@sikox2098]

@@_Anthony___ a rod isn’t a tube🤦🏽‍♂️

[@morganahoff2242]

Good demo and video. My thoughts for improvements while I was watching it were: 1) it would be good to be able to adjust the height of the bottle to control the heat; this could be just a knot in the rope, or other device, and 2) you could stuff the damp cloth inside the coil, instead of draping it overtop. Better yet, have a vessel, like your food mug, just the right size so you can immerse the coil in it.

[@rolandocrisostomo2003]

This is great. Watching youtube can be very helpful for us city slickers adventuring out into the wild.

[@PKMartin]

I normally quite like your conversational style in your more science-based videos like the gasifier, but this is a perfect example of how to do an instructional video. No unnecessary flimflam, no tangents, just "these are the parts you'll need, this is how you build it, this is how you use it". Great stuff (and a very neat looking finished product as well!)

[@bradywells1293]

I love that you show the trial-and-error and 'failed attempts' during all of your projects. Most representations I see of science/engineering in movies/tv/other media just show the idea→final product and I think it gives a false impression of what this work actually requires.

[@SH1974]

A connection tube about 8-10" long or so to connect the bottle and the cooling spiral could give 2 advantages: - more distance between the cooling spiral and the heat source under the bottle - the connection tube could have a knee that brings the winding of the coil in horizontal position. Open the coil (separate the windings about 1/2 inch to each other) also helps the condensing water rinse out the tube. Tat helps keeping pressure in the boiler constant, so You'll have less "boil over".

[@buffplums]

I love these types of video nice to see someone making useful and interesting projects

[@darrenhenley2258]

Came for the portable desalination bottle method, stayed for the bird. Adorable.

[@kamikaseiken5774]

True

[@gtbkts]

Darren Henley same. Lol

[@gutspraygore]

Yep. Me too.

[@warlikelaughter6230]

Me: so that's why i shouldnt drink distilled water..... wow, what an easy solution 🙄 just add a drop of the concentrated salt water into the distilled water... hrmm yumm?? DAAA BIIIIIIRDYYYYYY!!!!! 😀😃😀☺

[@TruAnRksT]

I agree that bird was adorable. Reminded me of my cats.

[@thekellofkells9229]

honestly if you made a kit with everything including the stove I would buy it in a heartbeat

[@paulduggan2]

Same here… just take my money already!!!

[@andrewj22]

That's what I came here to say! Make me one, please!

[@jaimesan2609]

Your worm (copper coil) should always be going down hill. As you have it the distillate will pool up inside the worm causing resistance and spurting on the output. On a larger scale, would cause a dangerous over-pressure in the boiler.

[@davidmcduffee1167]

Doing that would make a liquid-filled cooling container more difficult, as the coil will need to come out the bottom of it. I'd rather put up with the spurting and have a system that's simpler to build.

[@ralphm6901]

@@davidmcduffee1167 just a thought - If one end of the pip is brought back down to the other end, the coil could be hung upright with the open ends at the bottom. Blow steam into the side that goes straight up to the top of the coil, then water will dribble down around the coils to the open end. That also make the whole coil available to drape a wet cloth over Or even have a secondary steel bottle left inside the coil to dump cold water into for cooling.

[@1SCme]

1. Try a bottle with a lid that goes all the way to the outside of the bottle, and a liner. Can remove liner and use it to catch distilled water. Place the liner back in the bottle for storing freshwater so you don't have a salty taste. 2. If enough space, can place coil between this liner and metal bottle. 3. Since the temp should not exceed boiling temp, can use plastic tubing instead of copper. 4. Use screw fitting rather than soldering - soldering can break down at high temps. 5. Use the tubing for the bend rather than a fitting to drop weight. 6. When buying fitting, also buy an endcap so it won't spill water when using for water storage and not distilling. Leave fitting on tube rather than relying on compression for easier change out. 7. Installing copper wool in the tubing increases condensation (more contact area for water droplets). 8. Burn inside of bottle thoroughly to remove any lining. 9. If hard to remove gasket, buy 2 lids - 1 for distilling without gasket, 1 with gasket for water storage.

[@1SCme]

@Tai Chi Tube They're already using copper tubing. It's fine - the amount of copper you would need to ingest to be toxic is substantial (above 10 mg a day) - to put into perspective, this is about the same as 1 inch length of 1/4" copper tubing in a month - you wouldn't lose even close to this much after continuous use for years. You would want to check the plastic type, but it is commonly used in food processing at home and at manufacturing plants. If you're searching desperately for a problem, you would note the low thermal transfer of most plastics... but concern with copper is a desperate reach.

[@unconscious7219]

Oh man, you just can't stop improving, can you? I've been following you since airsoft video.

[@ttogreh]

Pure Michigan: "I am surrounded by freshwater seas. I should make a video about a compact desalination rig." Your videos are a joy to watch, and I certainly hope they help lots of people be safe. Which I am pretty sure is why you make them.

[@evw-ri8yt]

Wow! Great video: I will be on the lookout for parts to put one of these together. Thanks so much!

[@FourthMatrix]

Your little buddy is ADORABLE!!!!

[@TheOMAha94]

Thanks for a great Video! The bottle in fire automatically turns to black, but that's a layer of tar, which is poor conductor. If you use flame blackened kettles on fire, they are less efficient than clean ones. So, if you look forward to boil the water with solar energy, i recommend to find some special paint for that, instead of tar layer. 😎👍

[@PBMS123]

​@Anonymous Anonymous No he means tar. Because this is being heated by the burning of plant material, it produces TAR, and Carbon. If it was being heated by hydrocarbon gas, like a propane, it would be carbon. But using wood, or other plant material causes tar. Just like Tar in tobacco. Which is why even cannabis produces tar, and in some cases in higher amounts than tobacco.

[@PBMS123]

@Anonymous Anonymous they are not solelely hydrocarbons dude. Otherwise the byproducts would just be carbon, carbon dixoode and water. But they aren't. ALL PLANTS produce tar when burnt. That black stuff will be carbon and tar. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_(tobacco_residue)

[@rohzpopper4922]

Just wet the entire bottom with cooking oil,no need to paint. After finished boiling with open flame, the black soot bottom can be easily wipe off.

[@Morio412]

@@rohzpopper4922 What I did with my mess tins when in the military was take a bar of soap and rub that on the back bottom and sides before cooking. Leave a nice coating of soap and its really easy to wipe off and clean when finishing cooking/boiling water.

[@TheOMAha94]

@@rohzpopper4922 Thanks for the tip! 👍 I'll use that in my journeys coming.

[@jimphubar]

All I would do is make the distance between the coil and flask greater to maintain the differential or shield the coil from the heat source with anything reflective or something insulating and not too flammable like bark. I doubt, however, this would improve function by much. I'm always happy to see your videos pop up, thanks.

[@Mr3344555]

There's no purpose, if the whole concept is to be compact, your design change is going against it. It also a non functional Destin change, so no need.

[@jimphubar]

@@Mr3344555 If you would kindly reread my comment you'll find we almost agree. The 'purpose' is to desalinate water by way of distillation using a compact unit. Distillation works by creating a heat differential between the evaporator and the condenser. Therefore increasing the temperature difference will, necessarily, improve function. The inverse-square law means that a small distance further away will have a seemingly great effect on said differential. Adding an extra few centimetres after the condensing coil will hardly make this a bulky item. Equally, it would be little effort to shield the coil from radiant heat. The bit I think you missed was.."I doubt, however, this would improve function by much." J.

[@animefreak5757]

the length of the coil plus the straight bits is already almost the length of the bottle. You could save a bit on the water outlet and move it to the steam inlet though.

[@robertlombardo8437]

Instant favorite. Your design is amazingly simple and effective. I know what I'm adding to MY survival kit!

[@richardaversa7128]

You wouldn't by any chance be the kind of guy with a survival kit but refuses to wear a mask?

[@richardaversa7128]

@Tai Chi Tube what the good baby jesus are you taking about my man

[@JesseCase]

Lol!!! That birdie was about to put your eye out with that pen! It must be one of his favorite toys because he looked like he was having a lot of fun with it!

[@sharkyfish3492]

your CO Host steals the show.. and MY heart

[@DialedInDIY]

I've been tinkering with water distilling for a few years. Just rewatched your video and love the tip about submerging the coil. Awesome video... I love your projects.

[@JohnSmith-sj7io]

Thinking of building a large one myself. What would you recommend measurement wise for production rate of a 10 gallon pot.

[@wes326]

Thanks for sharing. I saw another video where they took a pot of water about 1/3 full, put a bowl in the middle, then set a curved pot lid on top except upside down. The boiling water condensed on the lid and dripped into the bowl. Probably the simplest system I have seen.

[@williambrandondavis6897]

that's the old 90's method for iso hash. lol

[@N0B0DY_SP3C14L]

Excellent design and advice on the soldering!

[@toddpnewton]

Great piece for the kit. Minor point : heat first, then flow solder.

[@kckeithc]

Exactly, that part was tough to watch. Lol

[@honor9lite1337]

@@kckeithc can you explain it to non-technical person?

[@prielknaaphofnar.9754]

@@honor9lite1337 You heat the area where you will solder beforehand, then add the solder with heat to ensure the solder binds to the metals.

[@honor9lite1337]

@@prielknaaphofnar.9754 much appreciate it. 👍

[@rong1924]

@@prielknaaphofnar.9754 My water soluble paste flux burns black before the silver solder melts. I can't get the stainless tinned for the life of me. Any suggestions?

[@prozacgodretro]

You mentioned the solder weld, and your best results "gentle heat" - what's more likely is that you've heated both parts consistently, to the melting point of the solder simultaneously. This has been my experience. Heat both piece up slowly so they reach the melting temp at the same time, and then apply a little more heat until the solder "wets" and wicks up the parts, remove heat and let the joint cool on its own.

[@burnerjack01]

Or could compression bulkhead fittings be used? Just a mechanical joint secured by nuts on either side of the lid. Using a hole just big enough to be able to force the tubing through. Might leak a little but so what? An even easier construction method as there is no torch involved. Haven't tried it, just "thowin' it out there".

[@Bubu567]

And don't try to speed up the cooling with water. It will just cause the steel to pull away from the solder.

[@ScienceDiscoverer]

@@burnerjack01 Also this will be more corrosion resistant, because heating up stainless steel makes it corrode.

[@Financialturmoilexplained]

I HAVE SEEN QUITE A FEW DIFFRENT DESIGNS -YOURS IS THE MOST SIMPLE AND PRACTICAL TO CARRY IN BACKPACK

[@angelcesaraltamiranoaguila5438]

Muchas gracias por compartir tan Valiosa información de Supervivencia! Fuerte abrazo desde la Ciudad de México!

[@kieranwalker6072]

Bonus feature: you could froth up a nice latte with that steam nozzle 😂

[@SnahLhug]

This is udder nonsense! But in all seriousness, a countryside survival latte with freshly milked udder squirt is a nice touch to a good, long hike.

[@XantherBlaze]

@@SnahLhug No, a funny cow is udder nonsense...

[@okn654]

I think this project along with a solar lens, would be a great kit for travelling in the sea!

[@shanewilson3653]

you can get survival desalinators for boats that float on the sea water and condensate clean water. good real brand ones produce about 1-2 litres a day Off brand Chinese ones can be hit and miss. A good indicator of production rate is its size and most should be more than 3 feet in diameter when inflated.

[@ryanahrens741]

For anyone having trouble soldering the copper to the stainless steel (it can be tough to get it to stick and not just bead off), Ruby Fluid Stainless Steel liquid flux is great for that. Apply it to where you need the solder to go, heat up the parts, and apply the solder.

[@PlzReturnYourShoppingCart]

That little birb makes me smile! He is having so much fun! haha

[@TheDonutMan3000]

Great to see the courses you take on product/ industrial design are already paying off!

[@erickinney7482]

Ill remember this, The day might never come that I need it but now if it does come I got somthing ill remember,

[@anthony9thompson]

So I have made am exact version of this by following your video. It works perfectly. Thank you

[@friendlydog82]

For your survival skill and that parrot entertainment, you deserve a like for sure!

[@SharpWorks]

This is pure genius! Great compact design.

[@tyr8750]

Its a great design for a portable distillery though and I thank you for sharing it with the public. I commend your work and I believe you are doing a great job of presenting important material to your viewers. Thank you again

[@davidfuller764]

Me too!

[@andywb9243]

So much effort. My cheap and cheerful method is an old metal camping kettle and a piece of rubber tubing. One end of the tubing is pushed over the kettles spout and the other end of tubing goes into a bottle or container.

[@DominickFighera]

Outstanding project and as you mentioned concerning suggestions my suggestion to you is a deeper much larger pressure cooker can be used, for larger amounts of water!

[@kailotus7508]

Love your design and your video format. You do a great job with your ads too, I actually want to keep watching even though it’s an ad.

[@CC-qg8wu]

I recommend that you reroute your copper coil outlet (since it's flexible enough) to be dipped at the bottom of the beaker to avoid lost steam and efficiency. Great video.

[@DingleFlop]

6:53

[@LDR33Pyrodyne]

A short length of silicon tubing thrown inside would do, wouldn't it? Then you wouldn't have to bend the copper back and forth

[@meejmuas8686]

He could just extend the copper tubing and have it bend at an arch to a point where it can touch the beaker at the bottom

[@megastick9324]

I live near the gulf and actually made a small ( though bigger than this) still for desalinization , in case of hurricane etc, emergencies when water may be an issue. I used an old beer keg for the container and a bit larger copper tubing. Another upside is, one can save the sea salt for food in a bad time for seasoning and preserving meats. I have tested it, but hope to never need to actually rely on it. Good tip on adding back some minerals, I wondered about demin water, now I know. Thanks.

[@experienceofchris1108]

Sea salt that hasn’t been treated has harmful things in it and this process definitely doesn’t get rid of any contaminants or heavy metals, all it doesn’t is kill any bacteria that might be within the salt

[@rsnell22]

Dad was a desalinator guy on the USS Altamaha in WWII. And I ended up working with various steam and refrigeration systems.

[@freesoul9324]

Great idea for emergencies, thank you for uploading it.

[@elderlopez4940]

You should start a daily vlog channel. Your bird is so interactive with you. Great job raising it. So interesting.

[@ab_ab_c]

You can also mix a crushed CA/MG/ZN tablet in your pure water. A very small amount of your salt water is also good for the salt electrolytes.

[@gisella1350]

Your cute little bird has stolen the show again. Great video, I will try this, thank you.

[@deathsythelui]

Having a community response playlist is just such an amazing idea! I remember when KZbin had a video response feature where you could link your response to the original video, but that got sloppy real fast. But a curated playlist is an amazing alternative!

[@HassanDibani]

Planning a 2021 cycle trip in the Moroccan sahara, It's a good idea to take this with me as a backup. thanks for sharing.

[@vieuxacadian9455]

Great design . Easy way to thwart all the little nasty things in sweet water as well .

[@johnharper9829]

Thank you. Going to get some parts and try this

[@killmimes]

"HONEY? WHERE IS MY MOTHERS STAINLESS STEEL BOWL?"

[@jwatson15]

"I NEED IT FOR SURVIVAL!"

[@jjohnston94]

*Kicks it under the workbench* "Stainless steel bowl?"

[@robs9574]

Ha yes!

[@popsoldboats3406]

Ha ha ha love it

[@xAo2xSmurf]

"Fuck me... the voices are back."

[@bendgrimes]

Hey! This setup would also work pretty well with river/pond water too! No need to add water purification drops/tabs if you distil it instead!

[@moneypenni1694]

that's what I was thinking also,

[@Pandzikizlasu80]

Yes, it work even on a slime made by yeast out of a sugar!

[@HandfulOfTranquility]

Except if you simply boil the water pathogens are killed and there is no need for distilling. Distilling should help with heavy metals though if that is the main concern (note that some toxins can be concentrated by distilling if they boil sooner than the water so don't plan on using this with any Industrial waste water

[@Pandzikizlasu80]

@@HandfulOfTranquility Mash for a moonshine is weak and awful, you must distillate it. However you can do it from fruits, but it is vine-like beverage then ;)

[@zgoat4127]

But yet we have people dying of thirst in the world while we are literally surrounded by this stuff...It is as simple as you showed ...

[@aliastagami2346]

This is one of my favorite videos, and I've watched it probably a dozen times. I've designed my own two-bottle system based on your design here such that I can easily pack it during a bike camping trip. I'm working on making an activated carbon filter system using the same bottles too so that I can create a sort of ad hoc water station setup if needed.

[@Nighthawkinlight]

If you're using it regularly watch out that any copper pieces don't corrode as the green copper salts are mildly poisonous. If I were to make this again I would use only stainless steel, no copper or brass.

[@winkfinkerstien1957]

Would it be more difficult to coil stainless steel tubing? Could you do a Version 2.0 video with all stainless steel material?

[@Shane-Singleton]

Very efficient design. If I lived or traveled anywhere near salt water i'd certainly be putting one of these together.

[@hakancetinkaya8154]

hi, Great job, I do plumbing, just a friendly reminder. you shouldnt solder coper to steel. They will react with each other. they just shouldnt touch each other. you can use a brass peice since it doesnt react either of them. Or there are some plastic fixings that you can use without touching steel and copper pipe.

[@Spatzenterror]

The Bottle is no ordinary steel, its inox V2A e.g. no corrosion will occure with copper-contact.

[@Spatzenterror]

@Genghis Chuan dont know, what kind of flux ure using but i always use proper flux for my piping. u should do too if your flux is an issue

[@Spatzenterror]

@Genghis Chuan got it :)

[@stephaniesimpson3422]

@Genghis Chuan umm no normally its nickle plate to take chrome......

[@manonamountain]

@@stephaniesimpson3422 How would you know.....you're a chick.

[@mixz9929]

You the man bro I'm glad I found your channel

[@DR-bp1yu]

What a fantastic project. Your device is brilliant. I feel that in bushcraft education, there isn't enough information about distillation and it really should be a basic everyone learns, beyond desalinization. Actually this device can produce purified water from almost any (non-radioactive) filtered water source, even a puddle or a natural bog. One that doesn't have a very strong smell or heavily colored water, as these indicate the possible presence of volatile compounds in the water which distilling (or filtering or boiling) wouldn't remove either. Before industrial dumping, such polluted water ponds, bogs and marshes were extremely rare. Unfortunately thanks to modern unscrupulous chemical dumps and pipelines leaks, it is not so uncommon anymore. So do be careful when selecting a water source, regardless of methods. Still many sources of water that can be distilled remain abundant. Boiling and filtering are usually sufficient, but there are some chemicals and particulates that regular filtering and boiling wont remove but distillation does. In these cases, you wouldn't add a small amount of the water concentrate into your distillate from your distillation bottle to remineralize. Instead a pinch of sea salt is sufficient, if you add a pinch of natural sugar too, it is even better. Or you could run your distillate through a clean sand and carbon filter (easily assembled with a plastic bottle or bag) and voila. You could also improvise a solar still using a large and sturdy enough clear plastic bag, a container to receive the condensation drips and a some sticks or other structural support to create a funnel or tube from the top of the bag, draping into the container while the plastic bag rest in a shallow open hole in the ground. Or other support or container that allows the sunlight to heat up the water in the bag, while it is held up. The bag should not be filled more than half its capacity and the top draped in to the container must be secured enough to hold its position but not in such a way as to preclude the flow of condensation. You can use this exact same plastic bag set up, even if you don't have water by filling the bottom half of the bag with greens, leaves, grass... Anything that contains enough moisture to create condensation. At any rate, thank you for such brilliant video. This is a project that I definitely plan on making. This information is incredibly valuable, thank you again.

[@adamhutchinson4148]

This is an AMAZING idea and I will be trying this out myself when I get the chance! Keep the good ideas rolling!

[@dontneedtoknow5836]

You should actually have used threading vs soldering. Solder can actually break down with temps that high. Don't forget you can convert you pressure cooker at home into a distiller in times where people need it for their oxygenators and humidifiers, but always keep it at a temperature just low enough to steam so that you don't steam as many contaminates

[@smithshow1093]

Good tip. Stay safe.

[@shorebird9]

Solder that is composed of 56 percent silver will have a melting point of 1,145 degrees. Water boils at 212ºf.

[@joemann7971]

@@shorebird9 you must have done research on wrong kind of solder since most solder cannot handle that much heat. There is a silver based solder, which can take a lot of heat, as you mentioned, but its also kind of expensive. Most solder is tin-based solder and has a melting point as low as a 180-190° C, which is still much higher than 100 C needed to melt it. I think he still makes a good point that even though the solder will not melt, it can become brittle and weak with the heat.

[@RobertSeviour1]

Nah, boiling water / steam won't hurt solder, And using 'threadin' isn't going to work with the thin SS sheet the cap is made of.

[@dcorman]

I was looking for an alternative to soldering, for skill reasons alone (I can't solder worth beans). But the cap on these bottles is a hollow piece and you must traverse the distance between the top hole and the bottom hole which is about 1.5"-2". So, a tube needs to go through it.

[@ThrobbingChomboni]

Thank you! I can't wait to try and make my own!

[@vicsglobal1]

Great video. Thank you. I wonder if you could distill into a second similar water bottle and draw a vacuum on it. Reducing the pressure lowers the boiling point. It is difficult to make hot soup on the top of Mt Everest.

[@aziouss2863]

First time i dont actually skip and ad the bird is too cute !

[@natertater4024]

The welds look amazing good job

[@greenidguy9292]

Nater Tater What welds?? It’s called soldering which is totally different than welding.

[@natertater4024]

@@greenidguy9292 don't be so critical. I was only admiring

[@greenidguy9292]

Nater Tater I wasn’t being critical, I just thought you didn’t know the difference between the two.

[@natertater4024]

@@greenidguy9292 that's fair enough and I can appreciate that to the extent of it. I do know what s weld is. However I couldn't do a simple Bond as well as that because I haven't tried buddy. I am afraid of welding just like I am motor bikes haha. I'll shoot a gun clean a animal and lay some concrete. But anytime bonding / welding comes in. I get scared

[@greenidguy9292]

@@natertater4024 haha... you should give it a go sometime, I find welding quite satisfying just like shooting gun. Oh and he did do a nice job once he got the hang of it.

[@andrewcheshire244]

I've got to try this! Thanks Night Hawk.

[@eadghe]

You, sir, are a life saver! Thanks for sharing your knowledge basically for free! Cheers!

[@diywatch5776]

Good video

[@ricardobautista-garcia8492]

"K" said last year that: "A lot of steel water bottles have a non-stick coating inside. Also important to make sure that yours doesn't before boiling water in it."

[@ricardobautista-garcia8492]

@Shtwaeven Freamayne ah.

[@suivzmoi]

successfully used a bird to make me watch a whole ad

[@realxboxnoob3348]

Right

[@heinzkitzvelvet]

It's genius, is what it is. I *HATE* ads, with extreme prejudice! It's the reason I use the KZbin Vanced App (all pre-video ads are blocked) and don't own a television. But this was lovely, I have to admit.

[@CBEnoddyy]

Only thing he sold me was a bird, there now on the extinction watch list :)

[@brucewayne-ej3cx]

That bird has jedi light saber skills. You should edit footage with the beam and sound effects.

[@carrott1168]

She actually reads our comments

[@tonynotstated695]

This just in, we live in America, where there is fresh water everywhere. If you can prepare this apparatus to go for a hike, you can buy a few bottles of water and forgo this completely.

[@thedoubleboiler6971]

Instead of damaging the bottle from the fire, you could use a double boiler method. This could solve multiple issues for this project, as you could build up bricks/ rocks for the fire, avoid overheating and avoid a damaged valuable piece of equipment. Hope it helps.

[@IluvinortheIneffable]

Smart. Ill keep that in mind.

[@austinhunt8050]

As long as there is water in the bottle you will not damage the bottle. And since salt water has a higher boiling point than fresh water the water will need to get hotter and hotter to boil and produce enough pressure to get through the condenser. This is not an issue with open flame but double boiler will pretty much not work unless you use something with a high bp such as oil

[@ncuser4642]

How long does it take to build heat in an open flame with rocks or bricks versus a metal can as I. Video? When you are dehydrated in an emergency, time matters!

[@nedporkus8602]

Something like this using a Kelly Kettle would be brilliant! Also, the pack sized unit is great, but I would love to see a design for a home sized unit too for use in disaster prepping. I live in an earthquake prone desert city by the ocean, and if the big one ever wrecked the aqueduct infrastructure we all rely upon to bring us water, being able to harvest and process seawater could be a true lifesaver.

[@DKFX1]

Just tried it with my own Kelly kettle, but the vapors didn't seem to properly desalinate. I'm thinking the boil inside the kettle was too violent and splashed salty water into the tubing and got stuck between air bubbles which transported it into my pure water vessel. Will attempt again to see if I can get it right.

[@gorisenke]

Ngl sounds like SoCal. 🤣

[@DKFX1]

Got it working using the kelly.

[@williamwestrope3001]

This is a very good improvised distillation rig. The product is pure water from whatever quality water is being processed. It could be used on contaminated fresh water or (ewww!) urine. The product would still be wholesome distilled water. I wouldn't add any of the contaminants back in except with sea water though.

[@reichrunner1]

You still have to be careful with contaminated water though, as any volatile organic compounds would evaporate right along with the water and get condensed back into your "clean" water. You could fix this with multiple steps of recondencing at different temperatures, but this isn't really going to be practical for you to carry on a hike.

[@uunz4435]

I’m totally gonna try this by the ocean. Sounds fun

[@bpwarren2930]

The information in your videos is very resourceful, too.