Speaking of this I had an idea. You know those hand pumps people use to pump air out of wine bottles and those freeezer bags? Could I hook one of these up to a container of water and pump out all the air, making a vacuum and then cause the water to evaporate at room temp? What I'm thinking is, once I pumped out the air, water vapor would fill the space left by the exiting air. Then as I continued to pump I would pump the water vapor out, and into the condenser. Eventually if I keep pumping, all the water will have been distilled. Questions:
- Will this work?
- Will I still have to worry about viruses and bacteria? Will they evaporate with the water or be left behind?
Offered by Ryan.
- Yes, theoretically it should work.
- No, they will be left behind (unless the bottle is shaken and water gets into the pump)
What you should be concerned with is:
Offered by Mike.
Those hand pumps are pretty basic. The seal is nothing more than a piece of rubber or leather cut just a little bigger than the tube they are in. Easily replaced with a piece of tanned deer hide and lubed with vegetable oil.
Offered by Clipper.