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Water Q & A - Tap Water to Distilled Water

Water Q & A - April 2017, Nebraska Extension Acreage Insights April 2017. http://acreage.unl.edu/enews-april-2017

Do you have questions about your private drinking water supply?  How about wellhead protection, including the management of your private sewage treatment system?  Send your questions using the Ask An Expert feature on this web site.  Questions will be addressed by Nebraska Extension Educator Meghan Sittler, Nebraska Extension Specialist Bruce Dvorak,  and/or  Nebraska Extension Educator Katie Pekarek. One question and answer will be featured each month in this section of the acreage web site.

Water Q & A - April 2017, Nebraska Extension Acreage Insights April 2017. http://acreage.unl.edu/enews-april-2017Question: I have a humidifier in my house, is there anything I can add to my tap water to make it distilled?

Meghan: The simple answer is no. Water is distilled through a several step process and there are not proven additives you can add to distill your tap water.  Distilled water is water that has had many of the naturally occurring minerals such as calcium removed from it.  It is best to use distilled water with a humidifier because it will not promote the build-up of mineral deposits within the machine.  The deposits can increase maintenance needs or contribute to shortening the life of your humidifier. 

For more information on bottled water visit: http://water.unl.edu/drinkingwater

Meghan Sittler
Meghan Sittler
Extension Educator - Domestic Water & Wastewater
Meghan's education includes a master's degree in natural resources with minors in political science and environmental planning. She also has a graduate certification in public policy analysis, as well as undergraduate degrees in environmental studies and anthropology from UNL. Her graduate project was focused on the development of collaborative and adaptive management for the Missouri River.

Sittler began as coordinator of the Lower Platte River Corridor Alliance in December 2008. Prior to that, Sittler worked for the National Park Service as an archaeological technician, an environmental educator with the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department, an adviser and instructor with the UNL Environmental Studies program and School of Natural Resources and as a research and outreach specialist for the National Drought Mitigation Center. Meghan began her work as a Nebraska Extension Educator focussing on water in 2016.

Lancaster County Extension Office
444 Cherrycreek Rd
Lincoln NE 68528-1591
402-441-7180