Hydrosol Machine for Home: What to Buy and What It Costs
Updated Oct 4, 2026 The CopperHolic Team
A hydrosol machine is a still. Plant material and water heat in a pot, the scented steam rises into a cooled coil, and the liquid that runs out is hydrosol: rose water, lavender water, orange blossom water. Anything sold as a hydrosol machine, hydrosol maker or hydrosol distiller does that one job.
What differs from one machine to the next is the size of the pot, what it is made of, and whether the heat is built in. Those three things decide how much hydrosol you get per run and what you pay. This guide covers the types on sale today, the prices we found, and how to pick a size.
TL;DR
- Quick answer: a hydrosol machine is a small still. Plug-in units are the convenience choice. A copper alembic still is the choice when you want litres per run.
- What it costs: plug-in units about $160 to $500, small copper alembics about $190 to $450. Our copper alembic stills are $399.95 (5 Litre), $499.95 (5 Gallon) and $1,299.95 (10 Gallon), with free US shipping.
- How much it makes: about 1 litre of hydrosol per run from a 5 Litre still, 4 to 6 litres from a 5 Gallon.
- Best size: the 5 Litre for your own kitchen use, the 5 Gallon if you want to share, sell or run a whole garden harvest.
What is a hydrosol machine?
A hydrosol is the aromatic water collected when plant material is distilled with steam. Distill rose petals, lavender or rosemary and two things come over together: a little essential oil, for plants that carry it, and a much larger amount of scented water. That water is the hydrosol.
Every machine that makes it has the same four parts:
- a pot that holds the water and the plant material
- a head and neck that carry the steam upward and away
- a condenser that cools the steam back into liquid
- an outlet and a clean container for what runs out
That is a still. The same run also produces the plant's essential oil, so a hydrosol machine and an essential oil distiller are the same equipment. If oil is your main goal, see our guide to choosing an essential oil machine for home use.
What types of hydrosol machine can you buy?
Five kinds turn up when you shop. The prices below are what we saw in Google Shopping listings in the United States on 4 October 2026.
| Type | Typical size | Price we saw | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plug-in stainless steel hydrosol maker | about 3 to 4 L | about $160 to $500 | Built-in electric element |
| Glass countertop distiller | about 2.4 L | about $320 to $390 | Built-in electric element |
| Small copper alembic | 1 to 3 L | about $190 to $450 | Your stovetop |
| Copper alembic still, 5 L and larger | 5 L to 10 gallons | $399.95 to $1,299.95 for ours. About $700 for 6 to 8 L units from other makers | Your stove or a gas burner |
| Large electric production unit | 20 L and up | about $620 to $1,620 | Built-in electric element |
How we know: we sell copper alembic stills, so the sizes, weights and outputs for our own models come from our product specifications. Prices for other machines are the listed prices on the date shown and will change.
Plug-in stainless or glass units are small and self-contained. They suit you if you want a small bottle of hydrosol now and then and would rather not use the stove. The pot is small, so each run is small. The unit relies on a heating element and controls, so check that the maker sells spare parts. Several glass units are listed as 220V, so check the plug and voltage before ordering for a US kitchen.
Small copper alembics of 1 to 3 litres are traditional copper at the lowest price, for very small batches.
Copper alembic stills from 5 litres up make litres per run. There are no electronics, only a copper pot, a helm and a condenser that you clean after use. The same still makes essential oil and distilled water. You supply the heat and stay with it for the run.
Large electric units are sized for production, not for a home kitchen.
How much hydrosol do you get per run?
Hydrosol is the generous product of a run. Essential oil comes in millilitres and hydrosol comes in litres. A common guideline among hydrosol makers is to stop at roughly one litre of hydrosol per kilogram of plant material. Run longer and you collect more water with less scent in it.
| 5 Litre | 5 Gallon | 10 Gallon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pot capacity | 5 L (about 1.3 US gallons) | 5 US gallons (about 19 L) | 10 US gallons (about 38 L) |
| Plant material per batch | 1 to 2 kg | 3 to 5 kg | 6 kg or more |
| Hydrosol per run | about 1 L | 4 to 6 L | 8 to 12 L |
| Run time | 1 to 2 hours | 2 to 3 hours | 3 to 4 hours |
| Weight | 10 lb (4.5 kg) | 21.9 lb (9.9 kg) | 45 lb (20.4 kg) |
| Price | $399.95 | $499.95 | $1,299.95 |
Oil depends on the plant far more than on the still. Lavender gives roughly 0.8 to 1.5% of its fresh weight as oil, and rose gives a small fraction of that. Our free yield calculator estimates oil and hydrosol for your plant and batch size.
Copper still or plug-in unit: which should you buy?
Start with one question: how much hydrosol do you want at the end of a session?
- A small spray bottle now and then. A plug-in unit does the job and costs less.
- A litre or more each time. Choose a copper still. The 5 Litre costs no more than the dearer plug-in units, and the 5 Gallon makes 4 to 6 litres per run for $499.95.
Copper is also the traditional material for a reason. It reacts with sulfur compounds in the vapor and holds them back, which is why distillers have relied on copper pots for centuries.
Size a hydrosol machine by the litres you want at the end of a run, not by the price on the box.
What a copper still needs from you
A plug-in unit hides these steps. A copper still asks you to do them, and none is difficult.
- Heat. Gas and electric stoves work as they are. Induction needs an adapter plate.
- Cooling water. The condenser is a copper bucket with a spiral coil inside. Cold water flows in one top port and out the other through two lengths of ordinary hose. The colder the water around the coil, the better the result.
- A flour and water paste, only if needed. If vapor escapes at a joint, the paste seals it and peels off after the run.
- Your attention. Plan 1 to 2 hours for the 5 Litre and 2 to 3 hours for the 5 Gallon.
Nothing else is required to begin. Our stills arrive assembled, with the pot, the helm, the condenser coil and a built-in thermometer, and there is nothing to solder. You do not need a basket, a column or an oil separator: plant material goes straight into the pot with the water.
On our own site, two of the most searched topics are baskets and the first cleaning run. You do not need a basket to start. For the cleaning run, clean a new still before you distill anything you will keep, using the steps in how to clean a copper alembic still.
What we recommend
- 5 Litre, $399.95. Hydrosol for your own use, about a litre at a time. It weighs 10 lb and lives on a kitchen counter.
- 5 Gallon, $499.95. For $100 more, 4 to 6 litres per run. This is the size for a garden harvest, gifts or a small product line.
- 10 Gallon, $1,299.95. Production volume, 8 to 12 litres per run. It wants a proper burner and its own space.
All three ship free within the United States and arrive assembled. Each is covered for life against defects in materials and workmanship under our craftsmanship guarantee, and an unused still can be returned within 30 days of delivery on the terms in our refund policy.
Still deciding between sizes? The copper still size guide compares them side by side, and how to choose a copper still for hydrosols and floral waters goes deeper on batch size.
Common mistakes when buying
- Buying by pot size alone. Ask how much hydrosol one run gives. A 2 litre pot cannot give you 2 litres of hydrosol.
- Ordering a 220V unit for a US outlet. Check the voltage and plug in the listing.
- Overfilling the pot. Leave room for steam. Fill to about three quarters at most, and never let the pot boil dry.
- Running too long. When the scent of what comes out fades, stop. More water only dilutes what you have collected.
FAQ
What is a hydrosol machine?
A hydrosol machine is a still. It heats plant material and water in a pot, condenses the scented steam in a cooled coil, and the water that runs out is hydrosol. Machines sold as hydrosol makers or hydrosol distillers work the same way.
How much does a hydrosol machine cost?
In US Google Shopping listings on 4 October 2026, plug-in units ran about $160 to $500 and small 1 to 3 litre copper alembics about $190 to $450. CopperHolic copper alembic stills are $399.95 for the 5 Litre, $499.95 for the 5 Gallon and $1,299.95 for the 10 Gallon, with free US shipping.
How much hydrosol do you get from one run?
About 1 litre from a 5 Litre still, 4 to 6 litres from a 5 Gallon and 8 to 12 litres from a 10 Gallon. A common guideline is to stop at roughly one litre of hydrosol per kilogram of plant material.
Is a hydrosol machine the same as an essential oil distiller?
Yes. Both are stills. The run that produces hydrosol also produces the plant's essential oil, in a far smaller amount.
Can I make hydrosol at home?
Yes. Put fresh plant material and water in the pot, heat it gently, keep the condenser cold and collect the water that runs out. Rose water and lavender water are the usual first runs.
Does a copper still work on an induction or electric stove?
Yes. Gas and electric stoves work as they are, and induction works with an adapter plate.
Do I need a basket or other accessories to start?
No. Plant material goes straight into the pot with the water. The still arrives assembled with the pot, helm, condenser coil and a built-in thermometer. You add heat, cooling water through two lengths of ordinary hose, and a flour and water paste if a joint lets vapor escape.
Where to start
See the three sizes on our hydrosol distillers page, or browse all copper alembic stills. If you already know you want a litre at a time, go straight to the 5 Litre. If you want room to grow, start with the 5 Gallon.
Keep reading
- How to make rose water with a copper alembic still
- How to distill lavender hydrosol at home
- How long does hydrosol last? Shelf life and storage
- What to do with hydrosol: ways to use floral waters at home
- How to choose a rose water machine that lasts
- Can you sell homemade hydrosols?
- What it costs to make your own essential oils
Curious what else this equipment does? See everything a copper still can make in our complete guide.