Help get solar water distillers for trapped residents - please help

[wildflower]

Everyone,

It occurred to me that people trapped on their roofs or highways in the hot sun - surrounded by contaminated water - might be saved by solar water distillers. I hope it's not too late.

There are also sites out there on making your own water distillers.
Right now I will look for links.

If you think this is a viable idea, can you contact everyone and anyone you can think of? Congresspeople; the Red Cross; companies who make solar distillers.

Thank you!

-wildflower

EDIT: This link explains how they operate:

http://www.i4at.org/surv/sstill.htm

[wildflower]

1. Picture of simple distiller made by camper

http://www.fabuloustravel.com/campers/camping/solarstill.html

[wildflower]

2. Company making solar distillers

http://www.solaqua.com/solstils1.html

Still trying to find others. Anyone know of any?

[wildflower]

3. From Mother Earth News: list of companies with solar distillers

Distiller Sources

A multibasin, passive-solar water distiller (at left) may produce more water during the day than a single-basin distiller. Multibasin stills are lighter and more portable than their single-basin counterparts.

Courtesy AGUA DEL SOL
http://www.motherearthnews.com/library/2002_August_September/Water_Wiser_Solar_Stills

SOLAR DISTILLER DEALERS

Agua del Sol P.O. Box 651 Safford, AZ 85546 [phone] www.aguadelsol.com Products: ADS Flat Distiller; TSS Leaner Distiller

DMD Products P.O. Box 799 Longmont, CO 80501 [phone] Products: Solar distiller subsystem components (pumps, solenoid valves, filters)

Gaiam Real Goods 360 Interlocken Blvd, Suite 300 Broomfield, CO 80021 [phone] www.realgoods.com Products: Sunwater Solar Distiller

SolAqua P.O. Box 4976 El Paso,TX 79914 [phone] www.solaqua.com Products: Rainmaker 550 single-basin distiller, SoAqua DlY Solar Distiller Kit

Sunwater Solar P.O. Box 64 Joseph City, AZ 86032 [phone] [email protected]

Products: Sunwater 5-L and 8-L solar distillers; Also sold through G aiam Real Goods

[wildflower]

4. I called Gaiam, had to leave a message.

I'm hoping to hear back from them. Link to their site:

http://www.gaiam.com/retail/category.asp?catalog%5Fname=gai&category%5Fname=SolarEnergy&Page=1

[wildflower]

5. Gaiam's number if you want to call:

[phone]

[Ranec]

6. This sounds like a good idea.

I know there is greater concern that petroleum products are going to contaminate the water supply.

[wildflower]

7. UPDATE: I reached Gaiam

I had previously left several messages.

I was told by the woman I reached that Gaiam has received requests from the Red Cross and a couple of other people besides me today, and that a specific person is in charge of this.

So I asked, "If enough people call, will he donate the distillers?" She said he will "likely do it anyway."

She said they've gotten a lot of calls in general today. Their number is [phone].

-wildflower

[Ranec]

8. Is there an email address that might work? nt.

[wildflower]

9. I'd recommend calling, but there are e-mail addresses on cust. serv. page:

http://www.gaiam.com/retail/gai_content/shop/gai_ContactUs.asp

Phone: [phone]

[Redstone]

10. All you need is a plastic bag, a bucket, and a rock. Brilliant thinking,

and I'm ashamed I didn't think of it before, because I know how those things work (and they do).

Unfortunately, the yutzes at Homeland Security won't listen to you even if you could tell them.

Redstone

[wildflower]

11. Thanks for your reply, Redstone. Maybe we can all still get word out...

And I'm still waiting to hear back from Gaiam.

Solar fans would help too.

-wildflower

[MazeRat7]

12. Just get a gross of Iodine tablets.... much simpler

Backpackers have used them for years to make water "drinkable"... and there are cheap and easy to find at any sporting/camping store.

MZr7

[wildflower]

13. I thought they may not work on toxic water, and they'd run out -

whereas a simple distiller could continually turn toxic water into pure water via evaporation.

But I'm all for other purification methods that would work as well - anything that we can get to them!

They're surrounded by all this water; it seems like they should at least have the ability to purify it, if no fresh water is being given to them.

-wildflower