Jim:
Good morning. The heightened awareness on SurvivalBlog surrounding sourcing pure drinking water, especially for the survival community, reminded me of information on this topic that I had wanted to send to your attention. There’s a bit of self-interest here, as the company is owned by my father-in-law, but the short story is that his entity is on the cutting edge of fresh water production from air. That’s right… he sells atmospheric water generators. Water Pure International is his company, it trades on the stock market under [the stock symbol] WPUR.OB (about $0.50 per share currently.)
The machines are similar to the water coolers that take the five gallon water bottles, with some huge differences. The atmospheric water generator condenses the water from the air, has a filtration cartridge that lasts a year (several come with the initial purchase, and you could order more separately if desired), also utilizes high intensity UV light to eliminate viruses and bacteria, constantly recirculates the water for freshness and has varying size reservoirs (up to nine gallons) for the water. If plugged into the grid (as opposed to solar) the machine uses little electricity and results in pure drinking water for as little as $0.08 cents a gallon. However, the company will shortly (if not already) be offering a version that is entirely solar powered – off the grid. While the initial outlay of funds is high to purchase the machine ($1,000 range), it’s ability to produce off grid pure drinking water even in the desert (water vapor exists in the desert wind, but the reduced level may result in a longer period for the reservoir to fill), may put it near the top of some folks survival supply list. Please check out the FAQ on the web site. As always, my best to you and yours. – Bill H.