Water Distiller FAQs

This video explains how to set up and use the Megahome water distiller:

This video tells you how to troubleshoot any problems you might have:

Your Water Distiller is supplied with everything you need for six months of distillation:

  • Stainless Steel Water Distiller (choose black or white fittings)
  • Power lead
  • 4 litre collection jug (choose plastic of glass)
  • 250g residue cleaner
  • 6 active carbon filters

Inside the distiller.

A 4 litres distillation uses 3kw hours of electricity. You are charged in kW hours. Right now this is around 34p. Times this by 3. This means it costs about £1 for 4 litres of water. 25p per litre.

Usually 5-6 hours for 4 litres of pure distilled water. You can shorten the time by using water from the hot water tap. Many customers fill it and leave it to run overnight as it switches itself off automatically.

All our distillers have the same heating and condensing elements. Between the Professional and Deluxe the only difference is that the outer body of the Deluxe is stainless steel and the Professional is powder-coated steel. The 316 is made from higher quality marine grade stainless steel which is capable of distilling seawater. This video explains the full range of Megahome Distillers:


No. Distilled water forms a very loose bond with carbon dioxide on contact with air to become very slightly acidic. Some people mistakenly imagine that distilled water can leach water from your bones. There is no scientific evidence for this and no biological explanation that supports this idea. Your body maintains a pH of 7.35 to 7.45 and if it goes outside that your enzymes will stop working and you will need to go to hospital. No one has ever been admitted to hospital for this. It simply does not happen. For a full scientific explanation and discussion on the topic of minerals and distilled water, read this article: https://www.megahome-distillers.co.uk/minerals-and-distilled-water

The choice is between Megahome and the rest. Megahome is the original countertop water distiller, other makes like Via Fosa and Make Water Pure are Chinese copies of the Megahome all from one factory in China. H2O distillers are made by Megahome for an American business which sells in the UK and LOOKS as if it is a UK business. The Megahome is made in Taiwan which has manufacturing quality similar to Germany or Japan. In addition, Megahome has a UK Repair Centre with a full inventory of parts, so if it breaks outside warranty, you can still repair it. There is a very good video on youtube which tells you more about the differences between distiller brands:


Both distill 4 liters of water per distillation. The Megahome is more compact and has a higher overall build quality. The Chinese copy distiller is larger,  gives off more heat and cannot be easily repaired.


Yes. Charcoal filters catch any volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as pesticides and solvents. Apart from removing these nasty chemicals, the charcoal filtration also makes the water taste better, sometimes you can improve the taste by doubling up on charcoal filters. Read this article to find out more about Volatile Organic Compounds: https://www.megahome-distillers.co.uk/distillers-chlorine-volatile-organic-compounds-vocs

The filter is designed to be used for four weeks if you are doing one distillation a day. If you are doing two a day then change it every two weeks. If you are doing one distillation every two days change it every eight weeks.

The standard plastic collecting jug is BPA-free polypropylene. However, if you prefer a glass jug, this is available for a small additional cost. Most people get the glass jug option.

We get about two people a year with this problem. When it has happened in the past we have tested the distiller and tested the water and been unable to detect any metallic taste or find any chemicals in the water. Metallic taste is associated with a number of medical conditions. Commonly we find it can be associated with Vitamin C over-supplementation. This article explains some common medical causes. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/313744. Also some people’s taste buds can interpret the mild acidity of distilled water as metallic, in this instance try adding Sodium Bicarbonate (just a level teaspoon of regular Sodium Bicarbonate) or a supplement like Formula 56.

Distilled water is slightly acidic because carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is dissolved into the water, resulting in a very dilute solution of carbonic acid. However, this miniscule amount of acidity is easily dealt with by your digestive system and will not affect any bodily functions. For a full article about acidity and distilled water, read this: https://www.megahome-distillers.co.uk/distilled-water-acidity

Distilled water can take up to 2-10 days to adjust to. A good way to think about it is what you are actually tasting is a bit like a negative of the tap water you used to drink. Most people find it tastes sweet and clean and are used to it within 2-3 days. If you have problems, try refrigerating it, add a slice of lemon or try a mineral supplement like Formula 56.

No. All Megahome Water Distillers use a stainless steel tube in the condenser head and, in the glass bottle version, the carbon filter housing is lined with ceramic.

Not recommended. The alcohol distiller has a less powerful heating element and takes about 12 hours to distill a full load of water. The water distiller runs a bit too quick for alcohol distillation. Despite us saying this, repeatedly, some people still buy one machine hoping it will do both, usually a week before they realise we were actually telling them the truth.

In short, you do not need to replace any minerals. Distilled water does lack minerals, but your body gets minerals from food. Most of the minerals in tap water or mineral water are ones we generally have too much of anyway. If you do still want to add minerals then a supplement like Formula 56 is recommended, it is designed for distilled water. For a full article on the subject of minerals, read this: https://www.megahome-distillers.co.uk/minerals-and-distilled-water

Some people do, personally we tend to only cook with distilled water when the dish contains water, eg soup. With vegetables we tend to use tap water.

After each distillation give the boiling vessel a quick clean with a non-stick, non-scratch cleaner sponge. Use the cleaning crystals every 1-2 weeks when you get a scale build-up. People in soft water areas will not need to clean so often. People in areas with hard water will need to clean more often. A big scale build-up will stop your distiller heating the water properly and can cause it to break, so keep it clean.

Absolutely yes, there are no harmful effects associated with drinking distilled water. Having said that, there are a number of myths about distilled water drinking, they are busted here: https://www.megahome-distillers.co.uk/nine-myths-about-drinking-distilled-water

There is an awful lot of information about the benefits of drinking distilled water available on the Internet. Personally, we drink distilled water because we do not want to drink/ingest the awful chemicals that get left behind in the distiller after each distillation.

There are a lot of myths flying around. If you are worried, read this article: Nine Myths about Drinking Distilled Water (and why they are complete twaddle).

Some people say that distilled water has given them clearer skin however there are no scientific studies linking drinking distilled water with clear skin.

YES. Humans evolved drinking rainwater and rain is, after all, distilled water. There are no recorded harmful effects. Distilled water is perfectly safe to drink.

Distilled water is simply pure H2O, organic chemicals contain at least one carbon atom, therefore water, distilled or otherwise, is from the chemical perspective inorganic. All water is inorganic. You can add organic supplements to it, if you were to add any supplement which came from a plant source then you would be adding an organic supplement.

NO. There are no reported side effects to drinking distilled water.

Distilled water has many uses. It is used for drinking, in cosmetic products, in coolant systems for automobiles, in chemical tests and experiments, to clean medical tools and for canning fruits and veg. Distilled water is also widely used by brewing companies who make beer beverages. GLACÉAU Smartwater, which is made by the Cola-Cola corporation, is just distilled water bottled for drinking.

Distillation is the only process by which you can achieve absolutely pure water. During distillation, water is boiled to produce steam, which is then collected as distilled water and all contaminants are boiled out of the water.  The steam that comes off is absolutely pure water vapour. 

Filtered water undergoes a basic filtration process to remove contaminants, however filtration is not as effective as distillation.Charcoal water filters which are available cheaply from most hardware stores are very effective at removing volatile organic compounds but not much else. Reverse Osmosis is a sophisticated type of filtration and is better than standard water filtration however it does not produce water that is as pure as distilled water.

Distilled water is the purest form of water and the easiest for your body to assimilate. Alkaline water has a higher pH level than tap water. Some people claim that drinking alkaline water can help prevent disease, such as cancer and heart disease. However, there is no research to verify these claims and there is no evidence that alkaline water is better than tap water. There are suggestions of potential risks from alkaline water. In a study where rat pups were given alkaline water showed impaired growth and damage to cardiac muscle. A case report released in 2015 said that when a municipal water plant in a town in Germany accidentally increased the water’s pH to 12, skin burns ensued.

Yes you can, using one of our quality water distillers.

The water distillation process is much more effective that reverse osmosis as water distillation removes 99.9% of contaminants. The added charcoal filter included with the Megahome Water Distiller improves water purity further by removing Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Water distillation is also a much easier process.

water purification comparison


Distilled water is pure water, H2O.

The benefits of drinking distilled water are as follows:

  • It is considered to be the purest type of water.
  • It effectively removes dangerous toxins from your system. 
  • It prevents infection from water-borne diseases. Some species of parasites and bacteria start their life cycle with human ingestion. Drinking distilled water is your best bet at not catching these diseases.
  • Drinking distilled water protects your family from various chemicals including pesticides, nitrates, fertiliser and contamination from your copper or lead pipes.
  • Some tap water contains fluoride. Too much of it leads to fluorosis, which leaves a brown staining effect on young teeth. Water Distillation removes fluoride.
  • Cheaper than bottled water - a typical distiller costs approximately 36p for four litres of water, equating to 9p per litre
  • Prevents kidney stones
  • It is better than spring water which contains contaminants such as coliform, arsenic and phthalates, which can be dangerous for your health. Spring water comprises most of the same impurities found in well water or even tap water.

Yes and no. Purified water is a loose term which is open to interpretation. It should mean absolutely pure water which is what a water distiller produces. However, people who use reverse osmosis might describe that water as purified but what is produced, although better than tap water, is not absolutely pure water. We have explained differences in this article.

water purification types

Ways to purify tap water: Charcoal Filtered Water vs Reverse Osmosis vs Distilled Water vs Purified Water vs Demineralised Water

There are a number of methods available to purify/clean tap water. They range from methods you can use at home to produce a single jug of clean water, all the way up to massive industrial operations making clean water from sewage or the ocean’s salt ...
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