Survival Skills: How to Make an Emergency Solar Water Still

In any emergency situation, having clean water can mean the difference between life and death. A solar still can produce clean, distilled water for your survival if you ever need it. You can make your own solar water still if you have the right materials and a little bit of knowledge of how a solar still works, so you can adapt the still for your situation.

To make a basic solar still, there are a few necessary items you will need. The basic items you need to make your solar water still are a large piece of clear plastic, a container to hold the clean water, a source of water or moisture, and the sun.

Here is the basic idea of how a solar still works: dig a hole in the ground, and place a cup in the bottom of the hole. Put the plastic somewhat loosely over the hole, and set some rocks or dirt around the edges to hold it down. Put a rock on the plastic directly over the cup. When the sun hits the plastic, it will begin to heat up the air in the hole. Droplets of water will begin to condense on the underside of the sheet of plastic. These water droplets are pure water you can drink. Because you put something heavy in the middle of the plastic (the rock), the droplets will drip downwards into your cup. Just reach under the plastic, grab your cup, and drink the pure water.

That is how to make a basic solar still. There are many variations for different situations and climates. For a dry climate, this method works fine as long as there is any moisture in the soil. A good size to dig your hole is three to four feet square, and two feet deep. You don't want it too much bigger than that, or the air might take too long to heat up to condense the moisture. Dirt is better than rocks or other objects to hold down the sides of the plastic, because you want to prevent any hot air from escaping the hole. Place any plant materials you find into the hole around your cup, to get any moisture from the vegetation as well.

If you have a large shallow basin of any type, you can also use that instead of digging a hole in the ground. Fill the basin with water, even sea water will work. Cover the basin with the plastic and secure it as much as possible. Set it up like you would with the hole. Just make sure the water level is lower than the top of your cup.

You will need several hours to get any drinkable water, so start early in the morning, and let the sun condense the water all day. As long as you have plenty of sun and the sheet of plastic, you should be able to get some fresh water from your solar still. Everything else you can adapt to your situation. You can use rope or string to tie down the plastic, or use a large curved leaf to collect the fresh water if you don't have a cup.