Ask a question, get an answer

[Frunobulax]

Depending on how you make steam boiled water is essentially distilled.

That is simply incorrect. Steam is volatilazed water with all of the impurities, such as minerals, etc. still present. It takes the distillation process to remove these impurities through the "filtering" of the steam through the distiller as it cools.

Different places have better water than others. I live in Norway, and our tap water is very pure. You can certainly drink it from the tap with no concerns at all, and I'm pretty sure the calcium levels are within reasonable levels as well (I know Germany, at least, tends to have a much higher calcium content). But with the US being so vast, there must be some places with similar conditions as well?

There are many places in the US and throughout the world with very good drinking water. That doesn't mean it's good for steaming hat, as mineral content is what can cause problems ("hard" water, iron content, etc.). Additionally, many rural areas are on wells, and the water is not treated as in an urban water system. Couple that with the treatment of the water itself, such a flouridation, and you are adding salts and minerals to the water, all which can cause deposits on whatever it is you are applying the water to.

I use one of those pitchers that filter water. They aren't known for getting 99.999% of all things bad out of the water but it removes chlorine and particlates, and I've never had a problem using that on my hats (including the "white" hats in silverbelly, silvermist, etc).

If you look on the bottle of water it usually states what kind of filtering system, if any, they use to make sure the water is safe to drink, e.g., reverse osmosis. That's a huge improvement over the basic filter pitcher I use so I imagine it would be just fine. EXCEPT, KEEP in mind, some drinking water has stuff added to it so it tastes better! I think Dasani is one of the brands that does add minerals to their final product.

I'm not sure filtered water removes the kinds of minerals and the like that could cause a problem. I'd still trust distilled over filtered, personally. But if it works for you where you are, who am I to argue?

 

[ItsKarl]

I don't actually know where to get distilled water. Everyone on the internet (and I spent at least five minutes on Google) seems to say "just buy battery water" (which is filtered) when someone asks where to get distilled water.

 

[tsores]

I don't actually know where to get distilled water. Everyone on the internet (and I spent at least five minutes on Google) seems to say "just buy battery water" (which is filtered) when someone asks where to get distilled water.

Grocery stores, Walgreen's, et al.

 

[ItsKarl]

Grocery stores, Walgreen's, et al.

Grocery stores don't carry distilled water in Norway. Not all that many Walgreen's here, either. Pharmacies sell sterile water, and I've seen distilled water in 30 ml ampules, but there simply doesn't seem to be much of a market for destilled water here.

I have been able to find distilled water online, but it's quite expensive - the rough equivalent of 8 USD for about half a gallon. Plus shipping.

 

[Frunobulax]

Grocery stores don't carry distilled water in Norway. Not all that many Walgreen's here, either. Pharmacies sell sterile water, and I've seen distilled water in 30 ml ampules, but there simply doesn't seem to be much of a market for destilled water here.

I have been able to find distilled water online, but it's quite expensive - the rough equivalent of 8 USD for about half a gallon. Plus shipping.

It's funny that something as ubiquitous as distilled water in the US is hard to find somewhere else. It's about $1/gal here and widely available.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

That is simply incorrect. Steam is volatilazed water with all of the impurities, such as minerals, etc. still present. It takes the distillation process to remove these impurities through the "filtering" of the steam through the distiller as it cool

I live on a hard rural water line. I have an Olympia manual lever espresso machine with a sealed brass boiler & taps for steam & hot water from the boiler. I use water & steam from both taps when working hats. Never had a problem with spots on the felt. About every 6 months I have to bring it up to temp & run a cleaner thru the brass boiler to cut & remove the calcium buildup & other impurities that collect in the boiler. It works; call it whatever you like.

View attachment 159879

 

[tsores]

Grocery stores, Walgreen's, et al.

My mistake to assume you were in the U.S.

 

[Bill Hughes]

That is simply incorrect. Steam is volatilazed water with all of the impurities, such as minerals, etc. still present. It takes the distillation process to remove these impurities through the "filtering" of the steam through the distiller as it cools.

While impurities are still present in steam the amount of impurities is greatly reduced.

 

[Tukwila]

It's funny that something as ubiquitous as distilled water in the US is hard to find somewhere else. It's about $1/gal here and widely available.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

It's the same thing in Ecuador. Went to get some hydrogen peroxide and found tiny little bottles for $1. You get a quart here for $0.89; same with distilled water... I've never seen it in grocery stores. You have to go to a pharmacy for distilled water and it's ridiculously expensive.

 

[ItsKarl]

My mistake to assume you were in the U.S.

You weren't to know. The internet can be a very American place, so it's easy to make assumptions. I didn't see a location field when I registered, but now I see many people here have a nice little thingy in the corner of their posts. I have made the necessary adjustments.

It's the same thing in Ecuador. Went to get some hydrogen peroxide and found tiny little bottles for $1. You get a quart here for $0.89; same with distilled water... I've never seen it in grocery stores. You have to go to a pharmacy for distilled water and it's ridiculously expensive.

That makes me wonder why it's so cheap in the US. Distilling water is quite energy intensive, so I'm guessing there's industry in the US which requires large quantities of it, and surplus distilled water is sold to the open market. Or maybe the Fedora Lounge really is that powerful a lobby group.

 

[Frunobulax]

I live on a hard rural water line. I have an Olympia manual lever espresso machine with a sealed brass boiler & taps for steam & hot water from the boiler. I use water & steam from both taps when working hats. Never had a problem with spots on the felt. About every 6 months I have to bring it up to temp & run a cleaner thru the brass boiler to cut & remove the calcium buildup & other impurities that collect in the boiler. It works; call it whatever you like.

View attachment 159879

I'm glad it works for you. I won't call it "whatever I like." I'll call it what it is, and boiled water is not distilled water.

While impurities are still present in steam the amount of impurities is greatly reduced.

True. I didn't say otherwise.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[belfastboy]

I don't actually know where to get distilled water. Everyone on the internet (and I spent at least five minutes on Google) seems to say "just buy battery water" (which is filtered) when someone asks where to get distilled water.

True battery water is distilled water. I buy it at a drugstore ($1.25 per gallon and always have a gallon or two around as I use it in my humidor. The worst water I ever encountered was in Utah, ground water in a national park. It was fine to drink, taste was fine perhaps a bit minerally but left a deposit in that resembled cement residue. I used disposable containers as the residue left a film that was very hard to remove.

My friend back east would joke the water was so hard in his town that it left him bruised after each shower.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I'm glad it works for you. I won't call it "whatever I like." I'll call it what it is, and boiled water is not distilled water.

I said "...boiled water is essentially distilled." But thanks for the lecture.

 

[Frunobulax]

I said "...boiled water is essentially distilled." But thanks for the lecture.

Which it isn't. I didn't want our European friend to be misinformed. You're calling apples oranges.

You're welcome.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Tukwila]

True battery water is distilled water. I buy it at a drugstore ($1.25 per gallon and always have a gallon or two around as I use it in my humidor. The worst water I ever encountered was in Utah, ground water in a national park. It was fine to drink, taste was fine perhaps a bit minerally but left a deposit in that resembled cement residue. I used disposable containers as the residue left a film that was very hard to remove.

My friend back east would joke the water was so hard in his town that it left him bruised after each shower.

Was it Zion National Park? My mom was born and raised for a few years down that way and the water is quite heavy with mineral deposits. Hard water. You can't wash a car without immediately wiping it down or you have water residue spots all over that are near impossible to remove without car polish or rubbing compound.

 

[Frunobulax]

True battery water is distilled water. I buy it at a drugstore ($1.25 per gallon and always have a gallon or two around as I use it in my humidor. The worst water I ever encountered was in Utah, ground water in a national park. It was fine to drink, taste was fine perhaps a bit minerally but left a deposit in that resembled cement residue. I used disposable containers as the residue left a film that was very hard to remove.

My friend back east would joke the water was so hard in his town that it left him bruised after each shower.

I'd never heard it called battery water before, but apparently you should only use distilled water in a lead acid battery. Learn something new every day.

Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Tukwila]

Was told as a kid to only use distilled water in car batteries, steam irons and humidifiers.

If I had a Jiffy steamer I guess I'd spring for the $ .89 - $ .99 for a gallon of distilled water.

 

[belfastboy]

Was told as a kid to only use distilled water in car batteries, steam irons and humidifiers.

If I had a Jiffy steamer I guess I'd spring for the $ .89 - $ .99 for a gallon of distilled water.

Our water is very soft and leaves no residue in irons or steamers etc so we are spoiled in that way. It is fairly highly chlorinated and that takes some getting used to. Each morning I fill a pitcher of water for use during the day. The chlorine gasses off and leaves no lingering taste. Still use distilled in my batteries and my humidor (don't want to risk chlorine flavoured smokes!)

 

[belfastboy]

Was it Zion National Park? My mom was born and raised for a few years down that way and the water is quite heavy with mineral deposits. Hard water. You can't wash a car without immediately wiping it down or you have water residue spots all over that are near impossible to remove without car polish or rubbing compound.

Canyonlands. The water left residue in the plastic jugs thick enough to scrape off. I had read about washing RV's in hard water areas and the risk of letting the residue dry on the paint.

 

[ItsKarl]

Hm, the battery water we get in Norway says "demineralised", which is made through a different process than distillation:

https://www.bronkhorst.com/blog/do-...ween-demineralised-water-and-distilled-water/