How to Distill Water at Home: Kettle, Stovetop or Copper Still (Complete Guide)
Updated Oct 7, 2026 The CopperHolic Team
To distill water at home, you boil water in a covered pot or still, catch the steam, and cool it back into liquid in a separate container. The steam leaves behind the dissolved minerals, chlorine, fluoride, lead, nitrates and the bacteria that were in the pot. What drips out the other side is distilled water. You can rig this with a kettle and a bowl, or run it properly in a countertop distiller or a copper water distiller.
Boiling alone does not distill water. That trips people up more than anything else in this topic, so let's start there.
TL;DR
- Quick answer: boil, capture the steam, condense it. The condensate is distilled water.
- Boiling alone: kills microbes but removes nothing dissolved. Not distilled.
- Output: a 5-gallon copper still produces 3 to 4 litres per hour. A kettle-and-bowl setup produces a trickle.
- Cost: roughly $0.10 to $0.20 per litre in electricity, against about $0.26 per litre at the store.
- Read this if: you need distilled water for a CPAP machine, baby formula, batteries, aquariums, or you want off-grid drinking water.
Why distill water?
Distillation is the oldest water purification method there is, and it is still one of the most thorough. Three reasons people do it at home:
- Purity. Whatever cannot ride along with steam stays in the pot: dissolved minerals, chlorine, fluoride, lead and other heavy metals, nitrates, microplastics, and most bacteria and viruses, which boiling kills anyway. PFAS do not boil with water, so they largely stay behind too.
- Safety. If your tap or well water is questionable, distillation removes more than a jug filter does. It is not absolute: a few volatile chemicals boil below water and can carry over, which is why you discard the first cupful of every run, and a dirty condenser coil can reintroduce microbes, which is why you keep the still clean.
- Appliances and uses. Distilled water is what CPAP humidifiers, steam irons, car batteries, aquariums and espresso machines want, because there is nothing in it to scale up or stain.
How does water distillation work?
- Heating. Water is heated until it boils and turns to steam.
- Evaporation. Everything dissolved in the water has a higher boiling point than water, so it stays behind in the boiler.
- Condensation. The steam travels through a cooling section and condenses back into liquid in a separate container. That liquid is distilled water.
This is also why boiling water is not distilling it. When you boil water and let it cool, every mineral, chlorine byproduct and nitrate is still in the pot, and slightly more concentrated, because some of the water left as steam and the contaminants did not. Distillation is the opposite move: you keep the steam and throw away what stays behind.
How to distill water with a kettle or stovetop pot
The classic kitchen method works, and it is worth trying once so the process makes sense.
- Half-fill a large pot with tap water.
- Float a glass bowl inside it. The bowl is your collector, so keep its rim above the waterline.
- Put the pot lid on upside down, so the handle points down at the bowl.
- Pile ice on top of the inverted lid.
- Simmer gently. Steam rises, hits the cold lid, condenses, and drips off the handle into the bowl.
Expect about a cup per hour, a lot of refilled ice, and a hot kitchen. It proves the principle. It is not a supply.
How to distill water with a copper still, step by step
A purpose-built still separates the three jobs the pot method squeezes into one vessel: a boiler holds the water, a sealed head and pipe carry the steam away, and a condenser cools it back to liquid in a controlled stream. Nothing drips back into the boiler, so output is steady and clean. In a copper alembic still, the pot is the boiler, the onion-shaped head collects the steam, and the coil sitting in a bucket of cold water does the condensing.
- Clean the still. Before the first run, and whenever it has sat unused, wash the pot with warm water and white vinegar, then rinse with plain water. Our cleaning guide covers the full routine.
- Fill the pot about two-thirds full with tap, well or pre-filtered water. Never fill past three-quarters.
- Assemble. Set the head on the pot and connect the condenser coil. If a joint weeps steam, a paste of flour and water seals it.
- Set up cooling. Fill the condenser bucket with cold water, or run a slow tap feed into it, so the coil stays cold for the whole run.
- Place a glass jar at the condenser outlet.
- Heat. Medium-high until the first drops appear, usually 15 to 20 minutes on the 5 litre and longer on the larger sizes, then back off to a steady simmer. A slow, steady drip gives cleaner water than a fast stream.
- Discard the first cupful. Anything that boils below 100°C, like traces of chlorine compounds, comes over in that first fraction. After that, everything from the spout is your product.
- Stop before it boils dry. Turn the heat off when about a quarter of the water is left. Boiling a copper pot dry damages it.
- Cool, then store. Let the still cool before taking it apart. Store the water in clean glass bottles with airtight lids; plastic defeats the purpose.
How much water you get, and what it costs
Real numbers from our three still sizes, running tap water only:
| Still | Output rate | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Litre | 0.8 to 1.2 L per hour | CPAP top-ups, small weekly needs |
| 5 Gallon | 3 to 4 L per hour | Household supply, aquariums, formula |
| 10 Gallon | 5.5 to 7.5 L per hour | Homestead and heavy use |
A run is the pot filled two-thirds, so one batch is about 3 litres in the 5 litre, about 3 gallons in the 5 gallon, and 6 to 7 gallons in the 10 gallon. Electricity works out to roughly $0.10 to $0.20 per litre depending on your rate and heat source. Store-bought distilled water runs about $0.26 per litre and comes in a plastic jug. If your household uses 20 litres a week, a 5-gallon still pays for itself in roughly two to three years on water alone, faster if you also use it for hydrosols or essential oils.
Copper still vs countertop electric distiller
Honesty first: for plain water, a stainless countertop unit distills just as well as copper. Copper's chemistry advantage shows up when there is plant material in the pot, where hot copper binds sulfur compounds and cleans up the aroma. The case for copper as a water distiller is that it does double duty, runs on any heat source, and lasts for decades.
| Feature | Copper still | Countertop distiller |
|---|---|---|
| Batch size | 3 litres to 7 gallons | About 4 litres |
| Works without electricity | Yes: gas, wood, camp stove | No |
| Replacement parts | None | Carbon filters ($15 to $30) |
| Lifespan | Decades | 3 to 5 years |
| Also makes essential oils and hydrosols | Yes | No |
| Removes sulfur compounds from botanicals | Yes | No |
What people use home-distilled water for
The buyers we talk to are rarely doing this for one reason. The usual list:
- CPAP machines. Manufacturers specify distilled water so the humidifier tank does not scale up.
- Baby formula. An accepted option for mixing powdered formula; use it fresh from a clean still and follow your pediatrician's and the formula maker's instructions.
- Drinking water. No chlorine taste, very low dissolved solids, no microplastics from jugs.
- Nasal rinses. The CDC recommends distilled or sterile water for neti pots and sinus rinses.
- Steam irons and humidifiers. No white mineral dust, no clogged plates.
- Car batteries. Lead-acid batteries take distilled water only.
- Aquariums and hydroponics. A neutral starting point you remineralize on purpose.
- Coffee and espresso machines. Scale is the number one killer of espresso boilers.
- Skincare making. Every cream and toner formula starts from distilled water.
Is drinking distilled water safe?
Yes. Distilled water is safe to drink every day. It tastes flat to some people at first, because there are no dissolved minerals, and mineral content is most of what "taste" means in water. Your minerals come overwhelmingly from food, not water. If you prefer the taste, a pinch of mineral salt per litre brings it back.
Why we make water distillers out of copper
The same still that fills your CPAP bottles on Sunday distills lavender from the garden in July. It sits on a counter looking like a kettle from another century instead of a plastic appliance, it runs on a gas ring, a wood stove or a camp burner, and it lasts for decades, then gets handed down. Most of our water-first buyers end up distilling botanicals within the year. The machine pulls you into it.
Tips for success
- Run a vinegar batch first. On a new or long-stored still, distill a 50/50 water and white vinegar charge once and discard the output.
- Pre-filter if you like. A simple carbon filter on your tap water before distillation improves flavour and keeps the pot cleaner.
- Keep the drip steady. Medium heat and a slow, even drip beat a hard boil every time.
- Never boil dry. Stop with a quarter of the water left.
- Glass only for collection and storage.
- Rinse after every run and let the still dry open. Occasional polishing keeps the outside bright; the inside is meant to go dark.
- Keep notes if you are trying different water sources: heat-up time, drip rate, taste.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a license to distill water?
No. Distilling water at home requires no license, permit or registration anywhere in the United States. The regulated activity is distilling alcohol, not water. A few states restrict owning a still itself, whatever you plan to distil, so check your state's rules in our legal guide before you order.
How long does it take to distill water?
Heat-up takes 15 minutes to 2 hours depending on still size, then output is continuous: about a litre per hour on a 5-litre still, 3 to 4 litres per hour on a 5-gallon. A kettle-and-bowl setup manages about a cup an hour.
How much distilled water does one run produce?
About 3 litres from a 5-litre still, about 3 gallons from a 5-gallon still, and 6 to 7 gallons from a 10-gallon still, starting from a pot filled two-thirds full and stopping before it boils dry.
Can I distill rainwater, seawater, well water or pond water?
Yes. Distillation does not care what the contaminant is, as long as it does not boil before water does. Seawater in, fresh water out, salt stays in the pot. For rough sources, discard a larger first fraction and clean the pot between runs.
Does distilling water remove fluoride and microplastics?
Yes. Fluoride and microplastics cannot evaporate, so they stay in the pot while the water vapour rises to the condenser. Most jug filters, Brita included, do not remove fluoride.
Is distilled water safe for baby formula?
It is one of the accepted options. Pediatric guidance and most formula makers accept distilled or purified water for powdered formula because it is free of dissolved minerals, lead and nitrates and carries no added fluoride. Distillation does not remove every volatile chemical and a dirty coil can reintroduce microbes, so run the still clean, use the water fresh, and follow your pediatrician's and the formula maker's instructions.
Is distilled the same as filtered or purified?
No. A carbon filter grabs some contaminants and passes the rest. "Purified" is a broad label that usually means reverse osmosis. Distilled is its own standard: whatever cannot ride along with steam is gone, minerals included.
Is it legal to own a water distiller?
Distilling water is legal everywhere in the US, and a copper still used for water, essential oils and hydrosols needs no federal permit. A few states restrict still ownership itself, so check your state's rules.
Ready to make your own?
If steady distilled water is the goal, the 5 Gallon Copper Alembic Still is the size we recommend: 3 to 4 litres per hour, big enough for a household, small enough for a kitchen. For CPAP-scale needs, the 5 Litre still does the job and doubles as a hydrosol maker. Browse the full copper water distiller collection to compare, or use the size guide to settle capacity first.
Keep learning
- What size copper still do you need?
- Can you use a copper still for distilled water?
- How distillation works
- How to clean a copper alembic still
- The Distiller's Archive: the full reference library for your copper still
Curious what else this machine does? See everything a copper still can make in our complete guide.