Portable Solar Water Distiller by Footbear

  Favorit

Portable solar water distiller

Here is a design for an inexpensive and easy to make
portable solar water distiller.

It works by allowing evaporated water to collect in a reservoir
created by the space between two concentric plastic bottles.

The reservoir is another plastic bottle covered in a black colored
fabric to make it hotter than the surrounding structure.

The collector is kept at a lower temperature using evaporative cooling.

The temperature differential created by the evaporated cooling
should allow the condensation process to happen a little faster
than it would without it.

Step 1

Materials

You will need three plastic bottles.
Two that have roughly the same diameter around the widest part.
One of those should have a tapering neck, much like a wine bottle.
I couldn't find plastic wine bottles, though I have heard that they
are being introduced in Europe.  So I went with the arrowhead
sparkling water bottle shown.   The third plastic bottle should
have a smaller diameter around the widest part.

a hot knife for cutting plastic
a vapour mask to avoid fumes
one or more white socks
one or more black socks
some tape
scissors

Step 2

Cut the bottoms off the larger bot

Using the hot knife with great care, being cons
Cut slowly through the plastic bottles, removin

Cut the bottoms off the larger bottles Using the hot knife with great care, being conscious of your fingers and such and wearing the vapor mask. Cut slowly through the plastic bottles, removing the lowermost portions as illustrated. Step 3 Insert the tapered neck bottle into the larger domed bottle Remove the cap from the tapered neck bottle and leave the cap on the large domed bottle. Slide the large bottle with the tapered neck inside the large domed bottle so they are concentric. Leave a bit of clearance between the cap of the domed bottle and the opening of the tapered bottle. Step 4 Remove the top portion of the smaller bottle Using the hot knife, wearing the vapor mask, carefully remove the very top portion of the    smaller water bottle as illustrated. Cover the smaller bottle with the black sock and fill with water Slide the black sock onto the bottom of the smaller bottle as illustrated. Fill it with the water to be distilled. Saturate the white socks and put them over the top bottle get the white socks soaking wet and then slide them over the top of the two larger bottles Set the larger bottles on top of the reservoir Set the larger bottle construction with the wet white sock on top of the lower reservoir. Place in full sun and wait a very long time Place the completed distiller in full sun on a level surface and leave it for many hours.  With any luck, pure distilled water will collect and condense inside the enclosure. When enough water has collected in the reservoir, remove the top portion cap and pour the distilled water from the reservoir. LINK

How to Make Water from Thin Air

November 5, 2008 Amiel Blajchman

EWA Technologies Group has developed a new technology that harnesses the natural humidity in the air, and converts that moisture into drinking water. The process works in three stages: Adsorption of water from the air (getting the water out of the air); desorption of the water (releasing the water out of the containing material); and condensation of the drinking water.

The first, and probably most critical phase is that of removing the ambient moisture from the air. This is accomplished by using a desiccant material (something that will attract moisture). Since this process actually releases heat, very minimal electricity consumption is required. Basically, all that’s needed is something to keep the air flowing.
Releasing the water entails a combination of wind drying, heating and negative pressure (a vacuum). Using this combination of techniques requires only moderate heat (about 60º C).
Finally, since the steam is at a very low pressure, it begins to spontaneously condense. Using the heat recovery unit cools the steam further and prevents heat loss, allowing the reuse of up to 80% of inputted energy.
What does all that mean? Under some circumstances, water production is about US $0.50 per cubic meter of water. And that’s worth drinking to.
Image Credit: The World of Water by Snap® via Flickr’s Media Commons

Clean Technica (http://s.tt/12tyC)

Read more...

Tent Showers for Camping or Survival Lifestyles

By D.A. Barber, The Writers Network

If you spend a lot of time camping in remote areas of the great outdoors, you have probably considered buying a tent shower that is designed to be both portable and easy to set-up. Tent showers for camping have become a popular “necessity,” replacing the days of using a bucket or canvas bag hanging on a tree to clean-off while openly exposed to the elements. These tent showers come in many styles with a variety of options, including “solar” tent showers that can deliver much appreciated hot water in the most remote areas.
If you are a “car camper,” you have the option of additional amenities. Tent showers can serve double-duty by adding a portable camp toilet. And portable propane water heaters can guarantee hot water on demand.

Tent Shower Options
When contemplating buying a camping tent shower, there are a few factors you’ll want to consider. Of course you’ll want it to be portable, as well as put-out the volume of water you would expect from a shower. You also need to consider the type of camping you do. If you hike in to remote areas, then weight will be a consideration. But if you “car camp” and simply pull your vehicle into a campsite and unload, then you can opt for a more elaborate tent shower.

While most enclosed tent showers are roughly 4 feet by 4 feet, their height can vary. Others may not even have roofs, and in fact, only cover your body from your knees to your shoulders. When choosing your shower tent, you’ll want it to be roomy enough for even the largest adult, including space to for drying-off. The inside of the tent shower should include water-proof pockets for personal hygiene products as well as a towel rack. Some tent showers also include a remote-controlled light for nighttime showers and security.
Depending on your budget, some tent showers, like camping tents, come with screened windows for cross ventilation. Others are designed with ground-level mesh panels for drainage and ventilation.

Most tent showers have floors to keep you from getting muddy, where the water simply drains out into the environment. But some sensitive wilderness areas and campgrounds don’t allow shower water run-off, so there is an optional "capture floor" available to catch the soapy water and drain it into a container using a standard garden hose.

Finally, like everything else, you get what you pay for. Your tent shower should be sturdy enough to withstand strong winds and include metal, not plastic stakes.

Solar Tent Showers
A favorite tent shower for those who hike into remote areas for extended stays are the solar-heated showers. These typically include a 5-gallon solar water bag which heats water. These are light - between 10 and 19 pounds, easy to set-up and come packed in there own carrying bag. Some can even fit in your backpack.

Of course solar camping tent showers rely on the sun’s energy to heat the water, so you are out of luck on cloudy days.

Propane-Heated Tent Showers
If all you do is car camping with the family and friends, then you have the option of carrying a heavier, bulkier style of tent shower to accommodate a greater number of shower “customers.” That means a more powerful shower with a greater water capacity, including hot water.

Propane tent shower heaters use bottled propane gas to heat the water, while a battery-powered – either the 12-volt battery from your vehicle or a separate battery pack - powers a pump that pushes the heated water through a hose to the shower nozzle under more pressure than the gravity tent showers can produce.
Some well-known name brands that offer portable propane shower water heaters include Coleman, Primus and Zodi.

The Hot Tap by Zodi is typical of portable propane camp shower heaters. It is portable, small and self-contained. To heat the water there is a single stainless steel burner that uses a camp stove-size propane tank, while the water pump is powered by 4 D-cell batteries. The 4-gallon storage tank holds enough water for a 10-minute shower, which is fed through an 8-foot hose to a water-saving shower head.

Tent Showers with Toilets
Your tent shower can perform double duty if you also take advantage of a portable camp toilet. Placing a camp toilet in your tent shower transforms it into a complete bathroom at campsites that do not offer any facilities. While this works great for smaller camping parties of two or three people, larger groups of campers usually use a separate tent for the toilet so there is no waiting.

Any of these tent showers will allow you to take the luxury of a shower on the road with you for your next camping adventure. Article Link.

Portable bikes:

Tough rugged and ready for anything this mountain bike is dropped from the sky to land prepared for action. The speed of unfolding this bike for riding will blow you away. No tools required to fold and stash in your Humvee. The Paratrooper comes equipped with front suspension 24-speed Trigger shifters a compass and heavy duty double cage aluminum pedals to tackle the roughest terrain. The Paratrooper is no ordinary folding bike - it`s a sturdy powerful mountain bike that happens to fold. The Paratrooper Tactical Bike uses all standard mountain bike wheels and components serviceable at any bike shop. Features: Full-size rugged mountain bike deployable on almost any terrain A stealth-minimal signature that is second only to a walking soldier Off body load bearing equals transport of increased loads equals lesser reliance on resupply Up to 75 miles daily range with low-no logistic support necessary Folds to 36in x 30in x 12in in under thirty seconds without the use of tools Easy to transport you can take this bike anywhere - you can even jump with it Patented technology not available from any other company Front disk brakes give rapid and stronger braking power Equipped with industry standard wheels and components serviceable at any bike shop. Click on photo...

Wheatgrass for a Health Conscious Survivor

Wheatgrass is widely acknowledged as one of nature’s existing super foods. When grown in organic soil wheatgrass retains 82 out of the 92 minerals that are present in soil and 1oz of wheatgrass juice is said to contain the same amount of nutrients as 2.5 lbs of green vegetables. The following wheatgrass information will inform you of the various reasons why people swear by wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass is grown from the Red Wheatberry which is a special strain that contains high concentrations of chlorophyll, amino acids, enzymes, minerals and vitamins.

Wheatgrass must be juiced to obtain the maximum nutritional value from it. In its non-juiced form wheatgrass is non-digestible due to the high levels of cellulose and its fibrous nature. Wheatgrass juice makes all the high levels of nutrients the wheatgrass contains available for digestion. For further wheatgrass nutrient information see the wheatgrass nutrient information.

Wheatgrass kits are available which enable you to grow your own wheatgrass which can be more economical than buying it pre grown although it requires more effort to get your supply of wheatgrass juice. Wheatgrass can be grown indoors if you have a window that receives sunlight daily. You will need a wheatgrass capable juicer to be able to juice wheatgrass. The most common type of juicer (centrifugal juicers) are not capable of juicing wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass should be cut when it reaches around 7 to 8 inches as this is when it reaches its nutritional peak.
The taste of wheatgrass juice may seem a little strange to some and you may prefer to make juice from a combination of wheatgrass and other fruit / vegetables. See some example Happy Juicer Wheatgrass juice recipes.

Because of the strong taste and high nutrient content many people start off drinking around an ounce of wheatgrass juice a day (with/without other juices) and then gradually increase the amount to around 4oz of wheatgrass juice a day. One handful of wheatgrass will produce approximately an ounce of juice.

Another great feature of wheatgrass is that it is gluten-free (despite having wheat in its name) and so is suitable for anyone who has a gluten intolerance.

LINK

Grow Your Own Organic Wheatgrass

This guide shows you one common way to growing wheatgrass at home. Because wheatgrass isn’t frequently available in the average high street, many juicing enthusiasts look to growing wheatgrass at home. You may be able to find wheatgrass in specialist health food stores, alternatively you can buy organically grown wheatgrass online.

Soak around 500g of your wheatgrass seeds in water for 8 hours. Just before the end of the soaking period prepare a 20 x 10 inch seed tray (of around 2 inches depth) by adding about 11/2 inches of moist compost and potting mix. Try to use an organic growing medium. After soaking, drain the seeds, rinse thoroughly and then drain the seeds again.

Spread the seeds evenly over the compost mix. Add another half inch of soil your growing medium and then water the seeds using a watering can with a rose so as to give an even distribution of water. Your compost mix should be moist but not sodden. It is vital to keep your soil moist whilst the wheatgrass is growing so the tray should be watered everyday. You should then cover the tray either with moist newspaper, another tray, or plastic bubble wrap. This covering helps to keep the moisture in.

After 3 days the wheatgrass should be a couple of inches in height. You can then remove the cover off the tray and place the tray in a position where the wheatgrass will receive good amounts of indirect sunlight. You should not place the Wheatgrass in direct sunlight as this can cause drying out of the soil which inhibits growth. The sunlight will enable the sprout to produce chlorophyll which will quickly transform the yellow wheatgrass sprouts to a vivid green colour.

You should harvest when the wheatgrass is about 7-8 inches in length as this is when it is at it’s nutritional peak. To harvest your wheatgrass simply trim an a centimeter or two above the soil surface with a pair of scissors or a chefs knife. You should rinse your crop thoroughly before putting it through your juicer.
The time to harvest after you remove the seed cover is about 4-5 days but this can be increased/decreased by changing the temperature and light levels in your growing micro-climate. 65-68° F is a widely accepted temperature for growing wheatgrass in. If the temperature is too hot or the air is too humid then mould formation can occur.

Some people are allergic to mould and it is also bad news for people who suffer from asthma. If mould does form in your wheatgrass then trim the wheatgrass well above the mould to avoid ingesting the mould. For more information see the wheatgrass FAQs.


If you harvest more wheatgrass then you wish to juice that day then simply transfer the excess wheatgrass into an airtight container and refrigerate. The wheatgrass should keep for a few days.
Once you are familiar with

• the time cycle associated with growing wheatgrass (which will differ for different climates and seasons)
• how much juice a tray yields
• how much wheatgrass juice you consume each day

you will be able to plan when to plant your next tray of wheatgrass to ensure that you have a constant supply of fresh grown and harvested, nutritionally packed wheatgrass that has been produced using organic methods. Growing your own wheatgrass is also the most economical way of obtaining a regular intake of the the green wonder juice!

LINK

A Christmas gift

One of my neighbors came by on Christmas Eve to give me 3 cartons of various olives and a bag of the most perfect and ripe Ruby Red grapefruit that I have thus far seen.

I hope all of you are taken care of in some small way ...I truly wish that those who are able to give greatly...or just a bit---do so from the goodness of your heart.

Preparing for the New Year 2013

Today is the start of a new chapter, galactically and energetically-- in our Reality...here, on planet Earth. The December 21st, Winter Solstice brought forth new portals of awakening and dissolved much fear of the unknown that many had prepared themselves for in mundane and also spiritual ways.

Preparing for the new year 2013 can be a refreshing new start on many levels for each of us. Consider opening your hearts to those in need. Give from your heart and bring about a generous and benevolent way to survive.

We are a community...together at this place in time for the good of All.

Think of how you can cherish each neighbor more...with acts of kindness that can be small but powerful.

Happy Holidays!
C