Esee: Solar Still Info

[Decklin]

I am reading Survival Info on the Esee site and it says, Solar Stills will kill you. I have never made a solar still and only know of them from bits of research. I wasn't aware of any dangers in this method. Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

[IUKE12]

I'm guessing they will kill you because you'll never get enough water yield from them to survive.

 

[adaman04]

They don't produce much that is for sure. However, there are some commercial life raft versions and they kept a guy alive for 74 days on a life raft adrift at sea. A hole in the ground type produces very little. I did one on an ideal day with damp soil and got roughly 2 tbs of water.

 

[DH1]

I'm guessing they will kill you because you'll never get enough water yield from them to survive.

Yea, that's what I think they mean. You might waste more time and energy and not get it back in return from the still. Then again making one might take your mind off being in a crappy situation even if it doesn't yeild lots of water.

 

[R.A.T.]

Yea, that's what I think they mean. You might waste more time and energy and not get it back in return from the still. Then again making one might take your mind off being in a crappy situation even if it doesn't yeild lots of water.

yep.....

 

[Decklin]

That makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[Adam Buttry]

Don't know much about solar still output. Copper works best around here.

 

[R.A.T.]

Yes sir, I have indeed done that in my backyard before over a propane burner. It's a LOT of work. Not as easy as it looks in the Snuffy Smith cartoons

 

[tarditi]

Useful fieldcraft knowledge, but when you initially find yourself without a water source and/or way to treat/purify it the first thing that comes to mind shouldn't be "I'll just make a solar still - I read about that in an old Air Force survival guide..."

It takes a LOT of calories to dig the hole and build the still, and then you need to have the right equipment to draw the clean water out of the container without breaking down the top or ruining the still - basically, if you have the equipment to make a solar still, you could use the same resources and execute several different water treatment/harvesting methods instead.