Question: What is the Durastill Water Distiller warranty?

Answer: Durastill, Inc. provides a 1-year warranty on defective factory parts.

Question: What voltages are available?

Answer: 120V and 240V.

Question: Does water contact any plastic parts?

Answer: The floats in the storage tanks are plastic and can be ordered in stainless steel instead. The faucets on the storage tanks have an exposed 1/2-inch plastic surface and a plastic nut. These are made of NSF (National Science Foundation) approved non-leaching plastic. The neutral pH of distilled water will not cause leaching.

Question: Will the stainless steel parts corrode during the water distillation process?

Answer: High-grade, non-corrosive stainless steel is used. Stainless steel only corrodes in a harsh environment. The evaporators are made of 318 alloy stainless steel with annealed stainless steel floats for greater life expectancy in harsh feedwater conditions. Incoloy heating elements are used in each model. Storage tanks, external housings and trim are type 304 stainless steel for durable good looks.

Question: How much cleaning maintenance is required for water distillers?

Answer: Durastill units require little regular maintenance except for distillation tank cleaning using a Durastill citric acid cleaner when mineral scale builds up. The rate and severity of this depends on the mineral content of your water supply. If you are on a municipal system, there should be very little or no need for cleaning. If you are using well water with a good amount of minerals, you may need to clean the distiller once every month or two, depending on how often you use the distiller and the mineral concentration. Cleaning entails adding a spoonful or less of the crystals, then boiling the water for an hour, then flushing the chamber.

Question: Are any spare parts needed?

Answer: The only moving parts that might need replacing are the switches and fan bearings. These plus the heating element are the basic maintenance items. Expect them to last 20 years or more, depending upon use.

Question: Where can I setup my distiller?

Answer: The unit needs to be located in a place where the heat it generates can be freely vented. A closed, unvented closet is not suitable. Since the distiller fan runs at high speed, a constant whirring sound is produced, so you may wish to set your unit up in a utility room.

Question: How long does it take to make a batch of distilled water?

Answer: The 30-series units can produce 8 gallons per day, or 1 about gallon per 3 hours. The 46-series units can produce 12 gallons per day, or 1 about gallon per 2 hours.

Question: How long does it take to make a batch of distilled water with the 30H?

Answer: The 30H’s boiling chamber holds 1.75 gallons of raw water. It takes about 5.25 hours to complete that run.

Question: How much does a Durastill Water Distiller cost to operate?

Answer: At an average electrical rate of 10 cents per kilowatt-hour, for Durastill units with 1000 watt heating elements, your cost per gallon is only 30 cents. At the same electrical rate, for Durastill units with 1500 watt heating elements, your cost per gallon is only 45 cents. If you drink 1/2 gallon per day, that’s only $1.05 per week and $55 per year with the 1000 watt heating element; or only $1.58 per week and $82 per year with the 1500 watt heating element. With bottled distilled water going at $1.30 per gallon, that’s an annual savings of $182 and $155 for the respective heating elements, not including the costs saved on gasoline and poorer health, plus the cost to the environment of manufacturing and disposing toxic, non-degradable plastic bottles.

Question: If I get a Model 30H (Handfill), how can I collect the distilled water?

Answer: Under the left side of the unit is a 3/8-inch stainless steel drain tube from which the distilled water drips. You can connect stainless steel or plastic tubing to that tube and direct the feed to a storage vessel, or place a storage jug (1 or 5-galllon glass is recommended) directly under the tube for gravity feed. In the latter case, you will have to make a support table or bench for the distiller with a hole for the drip feed.