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3 Ways to Turn Salt Water Into Drinking Water - wikiHow

How to Turn Salt Water Into Drinking

Water
Three Methods:

Using a Pot and Stove

Using Solar Desalination

Turning Seawater into Fresh Water for Coastal Survival

Questions and Answers

Desalination is the process of removing salt from saltwater. Humans cannot

safely drink salinated water. If you do this it will make you sick. All simple
methods for removing the salt from water follow a basic principle: evaporation
and collection. This article addresses several methods that can be used to boil
salty water and collect freshwater from the steam or condensation, ranging
from a stove-top method, a survival method, and a solar method.

Method 1 of 3: Using a Pot and Stove

Get a large pot with a lid and an empty drinking cup. The glass should be big
enough to hold a fair amount of fresh water.
Make sure the glass is short enough that you can still put the lid on the pot.
A Pyrex or metal cup is safest, as certain types of glass will explode when
exposed to heat. Plastic may melt or deform.
Make sure the pot and lid are suitable for using on a stove.

Slowly pour some salt water into the pot. Do not overfill.
Stop well before the water level has reached the mouth of the glass.
This will make sure no salt water splashes into the glass while boiling.
You don't want to get any salt water into the drinking glass, or your newly made
fresh water will be contaminated.

Place the pot cover upside down on the pot. This will allow the water vapor as it
condenses to drip into the drinking glass.
Position the pot lid so the highest point or handle is facing down directly above
the glass.
Make sure the pot lid is providing a good seal along the edges of the pot.
Without a good seal, a lot of the steam will escape and diminish the supply of
fresh water vapor.

Bring the water to a slow boil. You will want to boil the water slowly over low
heat.
A violent full boil can contaminate the drinking water by splashing into the glass.
Too much heat can cause a glass to break.
If the water is boiling quickly and violently, the glass may shift away from the
center of the pot and the handle of the pot lid.

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Watch the pot as the water condenses. When water boils, it becomes pure
vapour, leaving behind anything that was dissolved in it.
As the water becomes vapour, it condenses in the air as steam and on the
cover's surface as water droplets.
The droplets then run down to the lowest point (the handle) and drip right into
the glass.
This will probably take 20 minutes or more.

Wait a little while before drinking the water. The glass and water will be very
hot.
There may be a small amount of salt water left in the pot, so be careful when
removing the glass of fresh water not to splash any salt water into your fresh
water.
You might find that the glass and fresh water will cool faster if you remove it
from the pot.
Be careful as you remove the glass so you don't get burnt. Use an oven mitt or
potholder to take it out.

Method 2 of 3: Using Solar Desalination

Collect salt water in a bowl or container. Make sure you don't fill it up all the
way. [1]
You will need some space at the top of the bowl so that the salt water doesn't
splash into your fresh water receptacle.
Make sure your bowl or container is watertight. If it is leaking, your salt water
will drain away before it can form steam to condense as fresh water.
Make sure you have plenty of sunlight as this method takes several hours.

Place a cup or smaller container in the center. Do this slowly. [2]

If you do this quickly, you might get some salt water splash into your cup. This
will contaminate your fresh water as you collect it.
Make sure the lip of the glass remains above water.
You might need to weight it down with a rock to prevent it from sliding around.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Make sure the wrap isn't too loose or too tight.
[3]

Be sure that the plastic wrap has a tight seal on the rim of the salt water bowl.
If there are any leaks in the plastic wrap, steam or fresh water vapor might
escape.
Use a sturdy brand of plastic wrap so it doesn't tear.

Place a rock or weight in the center of the plastic wrap. Do this just above the
cup or container in the centre of the bowl. [4]

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This will cause the plastic wrap to dip in the centre, allowing fresh water to drip
into your cup.
Make sure your rock or weight isn't too heavy or it will tear the plastic wrap.
Make sure the cup is in the centre of the bowl before continuing.

Place the salt water bowl in directly sunlight. This will heat the water and cause
condensation to form on the plastic wrap.[5]
As condensation forms, fresh water droplets will drip from the plastic wrap into
the cup.
This will allow you to slowly collect fresh water.
This method takes several hours so be patient.
After you have enough fresh water in your cup, you can drink it. It is safe and
completely desalinated.

Method 3 of 3: Turning Seawater into Fresh Water for Coastal Survival

Find your life raft and any other debris. You can use parts of your life raft to
construct a system for making fresh water from sea water. [6]
This method is most helpful if you are stranded on a beach with no fresh water.
It was developed by stranded pilot during WWII in the Pacific.
This is a helpful method, especially if you do not know how long it will be until
you can be rescued.

Find the gas bottle from your life raft. Open it and fill it with sea water. [7]
Filter the sea water through a cloth so you don't get too much sand or other
debris in the water.
Don't fill the bottle up too much. You will want to avoid spilling the water out the
top of the bottle.
Carry the water back to an area where you can make a fire.

Find the hose and leak stoppers from the life raft. Attach the hose to one end
of the leak stoppers.[8]
This will provide a tube for fresh condensed water vapor to travel out of the
bottle of sea water as its heated.
Make sure the hose is free of kinks or clogs.
See that the seal between the hose and leak stoppers is strong. This will help
you to avoid any fresh water leaking out of the hose.

Plug up the top of the gas bottle with the leak stoppers. Use the opposite end
of the leak stoppers from where you've attached the hose.[9]
This will provide a way for water vapour to travel from the bottle as its heated
into the hose to transport fresh water.
Make sure the seal is tight to prevent leaks.
If you have any twine or tape, you can reinforce the seal with these items.

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Build a bank of sand and bury the hose. This will keep the hose steady as fresh
water travels through it.[10]
Keep the end of the hose exposed. This is where fresh water will trickle out.
Don't bury the gas bottle or leak stoppers. You will need to have this exposed to
keep watch to make sure there are no leaks.
Make sure the hose is relatively straight and free of kinks as you bury it.
Place a pan underneath the exposed end of the hose. This will collect water the
fresh water.

Make a fire and place the gas bottle directly above the flame. This will boil the
salt water in the bottle. [11]
As the water boils, steam will condense in the top of the gas bottle and travel
into the hose as fresh water.
As most of the water boils, the condensed steam will travel through the hose
and into the pan.
The water collected in the pan will be desalinated and safe to drink.
Make sure the water is cool before you drink it.

Questions and Answers

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Tips
This method of evaporating and condensing water is called distilling. It
can be used with normal tap water whenever distilled water is needed.
It may help if you can cool down the cover while the water boils so, as
to make the condensation occur faster. You can use cold salt water,
and just change it when it becomes warm.
Solar methods take a longer period of time and might not be adequate
for making lots of fresh water quickly.

byOfferz4u

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Warnings
Take care in what you are doing. Do not fill the pot too high. You don't
want to be drinking salt water that has splashed into the center glass.

Sources and Citations

1.
http://www.education.com/activity/article/Take_salt_out_of_salt_water/
2.
http://www.education.com/activity/article/Take_salt_out_of_salt_water/
3.
http://www.education.com/activity/article/Take_salt_out_of_salt_water/
4.
http://www.education.com/activity/article/Take_salt_out_of_salt_water/
5.
http://www.education.com/activity/article/Take_salt_out_of_salt_water/
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWkDoEPYWt8
7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWkDoEPYWt8
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWkDoEPYWt8
9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWkDoEPYWt8
10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWkDoEPYWt8
11. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWkDoEPYWt8

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Article Info

Categories: Chemistry
In other languages:
Italiano:Rendere Potabile l'Acqua Salmastra,Espaol:convertir el agua salada en
agua potable,Deutsch:Trinkwasser aus Salzwasser gewinnen,Portugus:Converter
gua Salgada em gua Potvel,Franais:rendre potable de l'eau
sale,: ,Bahasa
Indonesia:Mengubah Air Garam Menjadi Air Minum,etina:Jak pemnit slanou
vodu na sladkou

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