Nutriteam Countertop Water Distiller Stainless, Glass Collection
by MegaHome
|
Our Price: $200.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $195.00 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
|---|
Tools and Hardware Reviews of Nutriteam Countertop Water Distiller Stainless, Glass Collection
Customer Review: Good product for the money
Summary: 5 Stars
This distiller has worked as I expected, although I think the "5-hour" estimate of how long it takes to distill one gallon is a little optimistic. Not a problem for me - I turn it on and let it go.
It produces a lot of heat in the house (can't be avoided). In cold weather, it's great because it helps warm up the house, but in the summer, it's an air-conditioning nightmare (I live in Florida). So in the heat of the summer, I will probably have to move it outside.
I don't like the plastic container. I'd rather have glass, and you can get the glass jugs but they're expensive. I'd rather see the spout a little further out so that I could fit a standard glass jug underneath it. But for the money, I can't find another one that has this capability.
I tested the water with a Sprite water tester and the conductivity was around 1uS/cm (microsiemens per centimeter - a standard measure of water impurity), which is comparable to distilled water from Zepherhills (rain water off my dirty roof is around 9uS/cm and my ordinary Florida tap water is around 2500uS/cm - not bad, and probably cleaner than other places - filtered tap water goes up to 2700uS/cm - which is even worse, so filters don't do dooddily-squat). When I used the charcoal filter, the conductivity went up to around 9uS/cm, so the filter adds (probably harmless) impurities, but I use it to help capture other chemical impurities that won't distill out.
The inside of the container gets caked-over after a single distilling. It doesn't come off, easily. I haven't used the chemical remover yet (I've only had this about a month or so), but I use a copper kitchen scrubber on it once in a while and that keeps the buildup down to a manageable level. The leftover water (a little bit at the bottom) stinks after one use (a testament to the impurity of my tap water), so it has to be rinsed out after each use (and occasionally scrubbed).
I don't like the way the top cord connects to the bottom. I have to unplug it to take the top off and put new water in. If there was a small, built-in connector that comes loose when you take the top off, that would be ideal. Also, there should be a better way to remove the top. You have to wrap your hands around it to get it off, and if it's hot, you're in for a steam burn (so I don't touch it for at least two hours after it's done).
Finally, the only serious problem I have is that the "Reset" button is also the safety shutoff. There should be one of each. If the Reset button ever fails, there needs to be a back-up emergency switch that engages, and it should be plain for the customer/user to see. Otherwise, it could be a potential fire hazard (in other words, don't leave the house or go to sleep with this thing on). So I run it only when I'm going to be home and able to be near it for the duration.
My previous calculations of cost to distill one gallon of water (about 26 cents - energy to vaporize one gallon of water is about 8.5MJ (MegaJoules), which is about 2.4kWh (kilowatt-hours), which costs around 26 cents), may be off, since I did not include the cost of running a fan to cool the condenser, and if you cool the air with an air conditioner, multiply that number by 4 (minimum - more if your air conditioner is inefficient) to get your total expense for one gallon of distilled water.
Don't overfill the canister or you will have a pond on your kitchen cabinet.
Customer Review: You'll never look at tap water the same again
Summary: 5 Stars
There are many different distillers on the market and most are very expensive, so I did a lot of homework before making this purchase. As I needed only 1-2 gallons of water per day, it came down to this unit or the Waterwise 4000. Referring to schematics of both units, it appeared that they were virtually identical in function. With that said, although the Waterwise may cost $100 more than the Megahome distiller, I cannot imagine it uses significantly better materials. I want to address that right off the bat for anyone trying to decide between the two. I cannot comment on the build quality of the Waterwise, but you will not be disappointed with the construction of the Megahome. This appliance is made to last a VERY long time. Think of how long the thin plastic/glass coffee maker at work has lasted. In contrast, this distiller is made of industrial grade stainless steel, and what plastic there is on the unit/collector flask is thick and unbreakable. There is only one moving part, (the fan motor), and this too seems very well built. It's also replaceable. Have you ever tried to replace a part of your coffee maker? Good luck with that. Basically, this unit is a tank. On that note, don't expect to tuck it away in some tiny corner of your counter. Although it will fit under a standard upper cabinet, combined with the collection flask it will require about the same square footage as a toaster oven.
One more note on the fan; the noise is not a big deal. If you have kids, a dog & a doorbell, or a dishwasher, you will not even notice it. Other appliances that make as much noise as the Megahome distiller; the ice maker in your freezer, a convection oven, the kitchen faucet.
So how well does it work? I see a lot of comments regarding water flavor. This may depend on the water you are starting with, although in theory it should all turn out the same. For me personally, the water comes out crystal clear, and tastes like snow melt when cold. In my book, that's about as good as it gets. Perhaps a better indicator of how well it works can be seen in the bottom of the pot at the end of a cycle. In addition to all the mineral salts left behind, I am left with about a tablespoon/gallon of nasty tan liquid.
It's a pity more people are not aware of the direct impact water quality has on their health. You don't have to be a 'wacko anti-fluoridation conspiracy theorist' to appreciate home distilled water. Buy a distiller and I bet you will effect a positive health change in a friend simply by doing two things;
1) give them a cold glass of distiller water you have made
2) show them the sludge left behind in the distiller from only 1 gallon of public drinking water
If cost is the issue, consider that everyone in your family should be drinking a pint of water for every 2lbs of body weight. That's 1 gallon per day for a 175 adult, which is easy to do once you get into the habit. And don 't forget the ice cubes! Unless you/your family drink a lot of milk, soda, or fruit juices, this distiller will pay for itself in just a few months. If not, you don't need a distiller.
Customer Review: Perfect tasting water. Great looking, easy to use product.
Summary: 5 Stars
Original Review September 14, 2006
First, I need to point out the not-so-obvious fact that this is the stainless steel version of the "Water Distiller, Countertop, White Enamel" product sold by MegaHome/NutriTeam.
To make a long story short, I got this product last night and this morning I woke up to perfectly tasting distilled water.
For the long story...I read all the reviews for the white color version and decided this was worth a try. I placed my order by noon Friday and received the distiller just last night (Tuesday). I was anxious to test this distiller for myself because it might save me quite a bit of money if I could stop buying bottled water. The only negative reviews I'd read seemed to focus on the plastic or metallic flavor of the distilled water. The manufacturer suggests it can happen when new bottles smell like plastic. As soon as I opened the box, I searched for the plastic bottle to smell it. There was no distinct plastic smell that I could detect. One of the reviewers pointed out that your geographical location affects the mineral content in the water and thus can strongly affect its flavor. Living north of Philadelphia, water has a fairly neutral flavor and there's no high mineral content that I know about. Still, I filled the bottle with water filtered through a regular Brita filter I have connected to my faucet. Filling the bottle to the very top is exactly the amount of water required to fill the distiller container right to the fill line. Followed the simple instructions and started the distiller. It wasn't as noisy as I expected, however it's loud enough that you might not want to run it during a dinner party. (Makes good white noise if you need it.) It's supposed to take 4-6 hrs to distil one gallon of water. Warm water may shorten the process. Since I ran it overnight, with cold water, I have no idea of how long it took. That will be an experiment for the weekend. Come morning, the distiller was done and the water was surprisingly fresh and good tasting.
For those concerned about whether distilled water draws minerals from your body, therefore raising acidity levels, read about the benefits of adding pH Drops before drinking. Cheers!
November 27, 2006 Update:
I use this distiller almost daily and I'm still very happy with my purchase and very glad I got it. Water tastes perfect, whether I pre-filtered it or not. I was surprised another reviewer had problems with leaks, since I've none whatsoever. The unit makes a very useful white noise, which is better for reading than for conversation though it doesn't bother me (I usually run the unit at night). I have not noticed much difference in distilling time, whether I use hot or cold water. I do get a lot of mineral deposits left over. However, I can remove them easily with a sponge or with the solvent that was provided.
Customer Review: No more bottles!
Summary: 5 Stars
Nowadays, distilled water is the only water that's fit for human consumption. For years I had it delivered to my house every month, but the bottles were a major drawback - I'm getting to old to lug around the 5-gallon jugs, and the 1-gallon jugs still come in big heavy cases (6 jugs to a case), and have to be recycled, adding more plastic to the recycling stream. Then there were the missed deliveries, late deliveries and unannounced changes to the delivery schedule...
This Nutriteam/Megahome unit eliminates all those problems, as well as the risk that toxins might leach into the water from the plastic jugs. With this unit, the water starts out in a stainless steel chamber and ends up in a glass pitcher. No toxic materials, nothing to recycle and all the distilled water you need, whenever you need it!
The construction quality of this unit is top-notch. My only quibbles have to do with the design:
1. The fan, located in the top cover, gets its power via a cord plugged into the bottom section. This cord is quite short, resulting in a certain amount of tension, which can pull on the plug at the bottom and cause the fan to lose power. When that happens, pushing the plug in and down starts the fan running again.
2. The spout on the collection pitcher is not shaped quite right to prevent water from dribbling down the side of the pitcher when pouring it out, especially when the pitcher is full. It helps to pour fast, but that requires good aim, as well as a receiving vessel with a wide mouth.
I happen to like the taste of distilled water, and the water from this unit tastes at least as good as the bottled stuff. It also costs about half as much, according to my calculation, even after accounting for the additional electrical power usage.
By the way, I find that an inexpensive solution of half tap water and half white vinegar works well for dissolving the residue that builds up in the heating chamber.
My tap water is very hard and smells of chlorine, but this unit transforms it into the cleanest, purest water... it's like magic!
Customer Review: Great Distiller
Summary: 5 Stars
This Distiller generates pure and great-tasting water. It cannot impart a plastic taste to the water because the boiler and condenser are made of steel. First of all, it takes 4-5 hours to distill one gallon (3.5 lt) of water. That's because the water is boiled gently to generate steam at a slow rate. Thus all of the steam is condensed into water by the fan-assisted condenser. If the water was to be boiled vigorously, only part of the steam would turn into water and the rest would escape into the atmosphere. So you'd start with one gallon of tap water and end up with one-tenth (if not less) of pure water. Avoid storing your pure distilled water in a "soft" plastic container. The plastic container that can be bought with this distiller is not quite the best for storage. If the container smells like plastic, the water will pick up the odour as well. I normally pour all the pure water into an empty water storage bottle (odourless clear plastic) which I previously bought (containing mineral water) from the supermarket. If it was good to store water for sale in the supermarket, then it is good to store my pure water. The taste is absolutely great, and my daughter uses it to prepare baby's formula. It is also very economical to run even if it takes 4-5 hours to distill one gallon.