How to Make Saltwater Drinkable Using Evaporation

Water is the most essential substance many people take for granted. What happens when the water stops flowing through the pipes? Do you have a stockpile of water storage? What happens when your water storage runs out? In this article, you’ll learn how to make saltwater drinkable using evaporation.

You shouldn’t drink straight saltwater or even river or creek water. There are so many contaminants in our water systems today. As a prepper, it is important to learn how to purify water.

Knowing how to make water drinkable is a skill that may save your life. The following process is one method that can be used to purify water whether it is saltwater or freshwater.

First, you’re going to need a few materials.

How to Make Saltwater Drinkable Using Evaporation

The materials will depend on what you have on hand and the process you choose to use. The basic materials are:

Cup – To collect the purified water.
Plastic sheet or tarp – To keep the evaporating water from escaping.
Saltwater – You need a source of water!
Rocks – These will be used to hold down the plastic wrap or tarp.

Having multiples of each material will only aid you in being able to collect more drinkable water in a shorter amount of time. Now that you have all the materials let’s build a water purifying evaporation trap!

Creating a Water Desalination Contraption

The following steps have the potential to save your life when faced with a clean freshwater shortage.

Dig a hole large enough for the cup to sit inside in direct sunlight.
Fill the hole one inch deep with saltwater.
Place the cup in the center of the hole.
Cover the entire hole with plastic wrap using the rocks to hold the plastic wrap in place.
Place a small rock on the plastic over the cup, causing the plastic sheet to slightly sag. This will cause the evaporated water to drip into the cup as it collects on the plastic wrap.
Leave for several hours to let the sun work its magic.
Make sure the condensation is dripping into the cup.
Repeat this process as many times as your materials allow.

Creating a Smaller Water Desalination Contraption

While water desalination does not make gallons of drinkable water at a time, if you continue repeating it, you have a chance at having enough water to survive. It’s best to build up your stockpile of water when it rains.

How Does this Make the Water Drinkable?

The sun’s heat causes the water to evaporate leaving the salt and other impurities behind. The freshwater is trapped by the plastic wrap and flows to the center over the cup and drips into the cup. It’s a very simple but slow process.

Other Water Purifying Processes-

The following are different processes that can be used to purify water. WARNING, not all the following processes remove salt from the water.

Water filters: Water filters can remove heavy metals, bacteria, and parasites. However, not all filters remove every contaminant from the water. So you might have to have several different filters on hand to remove all the dangerous contaminants. There are filters that can be used to remove salt from the water in a process called reverse osmosis.
Boiling water: Boiling water is great to kill bacteria and parasites. It doesn’t not, however, remove heavy metals or salt from the water.
Chemically purifying water: This is the process most water treatment plants use in the United States. They will use chlorine or iodine in small enough doses that are harmless to humans but kill bacteria and parasites. This process does not remove salt from the water.

Final Thoughts

Water is abundantly available along the coastline BUT this water is not drinkable. Knowing how to turn salt water into potable water is a life-saving skill; EVERYONE should know. Get out today and practice this water purifying process and sharpen your survival skills!

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