simple yet amazing

I think this is one of those things where you smack yourself in the forehead and say "Why didn't I think of that?" The principle of the solar still has been around forever, but this is an entirely new -- and useful -- twist on it. Pretty cool.
 
That looks pretty cool. Solar still, and even when it rains you could collect water in it. It would be cool if you could somehow lock it open for rain.

Although, I am not sure how I would be able to pack one of those anywhere.
 
I remember seeing that before, it won a few design awards if I remember correctly. I also seem to remember reading somewhere about how it's geared towards providing a cheap method to get safe drinking water in undeveloped countries. I'll try to find the article I saw on this a while back, it was a good one.
 
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awesome idea! I personally would have the cone part solid BLACK to really increase the heat.
 
Pretty neat idea. It says they produce about a liter of water a day on average. At that rate you would need quite a few of them if that was your primary water source.
 
Hi Bushman,
Ron Hood demonstrated the use of a black plastic bag against a clear plastic bag for transpiration and the clear bag got water, the black didn't allow the water to condense. Maybe clear plastic is the way to go on this one?
 
My understanding of this is that it's a solar still.

You want the glass/plastic upper layer to permit short wave radiation (e.g. UV, visible) while blocking long wave radiation. When the short wave radiation excites the water molecules in the reservoir, energy is re-emitted in form of long wave radiation (e.g. infrared, microwaves, responsible for heat). This energy is absorbed and retained by the black bottom and heats the water to facilitate evaporation at the water surface. As the water evaporates, it condenses on the underside of the cooler transparent cone. Having a black or opaque cone would most likely reduce the efficiency of the still since it would absorb long wave radiation, and you'd be heating the surface upon which the condensation is supposed to form. I'd guess you'd also be blocking some short-wave radiation from entering the system, leading to less evaporation. I could be wrong....it's been a while :o

beef said:
Ron Hood demonstrated the use of a black plastic bag against a clear plastic bag for transpiration and the clear bag got water, the black didn't allow the water to condense.
Click to expand...

Anyone know if it's the same or does plant biology have more to do with it (black bag inhibits transpiration itself)?
 
dawsonbob said:
I think this is one of those things where you smack yourself in the forehead and say "Why didn't I think of that?" The principle of the solar still has been around forever, but this is an entirely new -- and useful -- twist on it. Pretty cool.
Click to expand...

I'll second that.

Constructing a solar still in the field is not worth the sweat (99% of the time), even if you have the materials. This is an awesome solution for disasters, etc. I wonder if they can fit it in the shelterbox...

http://www.shelterboxusa.org/
 
1 ltr./day is not much.

Wonder if something could be made of non-rigid plastic that could be blown up to make a larger size - with a tube to allow you to suck or siphon the water out. Maybe a rigid base for the blowup section. Neighbor kids had a blowup wading pool with a clear bottom. BOY did it get hot under that sucker when it was turned upside down.
 
Ive seen people make a solar still out of plactic bags and such, but this is the first pre-made design I have seen. I think it is a pretty neat design. I agree that 1 liter a day is not a lot, but 1 liter could be the difference between life or death.
 
I think the idea behind these watercones was that they would comprise a modular system. It's not geared so much towards recreational use of a single cone as it is towards disaster relief or populations without easy/cheap access to safe drinking water (obviously, in sunny regions). In that sense, I believe the idea is to have a bunch of these working concurrently, such that if one is broken or otherwise non-functional, the others go right on working providing water. The whole system doesn't go down. I think a larger system might indeed be more beneficial though, and something definitely worth looking into.

If I owned a home, I'd love to have 5 or 10 of these stored away for disaster use.
 
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I wonder if you could make a collapsable solar still that resembles a dome tent. Clear plastic walls with flexible support poles.
 
True, the design has been around for a bit. But I think the advantage with these watercones is that they'll go for $30 or something. I don't remember, but I don't think it approaches the $200 asking price for that example solar still, which also only produces maybe less than 200ml more water (at max output for both). Perhaps the materials used and specific simple design employed make it more cost effective?

I know you can make a still yourself for way cheaper, but these are geared towards people without access to the necessary materials or that don't have the knowledge to make a still for themselves. $30 still seems a little high if they are indeed to serve that purpose, I wonder if the price can be dropped further. The cones look durable and are supposed to last quite a while though; $30 doesn't seem like much in light of the long term benefits.
 
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I agree that the older model is pretty expensive for what it is - I'm surprised it isn't being made cheaper. If they can actually get it out there for the projected price point, it could be a significant boon to those w/o sustainable water sources. It also looks like it cou8ld be easily adaptable to float on seawater (add an appropriately sized inflatable ring) for use as a desalinator.
 
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