5.0 out of 5 stars They're actually rather nice!

T. · January 29, 2025

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } 1. DO NOT run these things until they're empty. The "breaker" on the front isn't the greatest, but nice to have if you get distracted once in a blue moon.2. I have Alexa set to turn this off after 3 Hours 45 Minutes - perfect every time with ~3/4" water remaining; you can just set an alarm otherwise or a wall timer... just try to keep it under 4 hours. Be sure the TIMER is rated 15 Amps.3. Do not allow the two electrical plugs in back to get wet AND plug them into the unit - they will corrode if they're making contact. Allow everything to dry completely before plugging them back into the main unit. If they get wet - dry thoroughly first.For cleaning:---------------Each time the machine is used, minerals will get baked onto the stainless of the main unit. DO NOT try and scrub this off, you'll be wasting your time and possibly eroding the thin stainless shell. Instead, use the enclosed Citric Acid (Which you can buy a much larger jar at WalMart for ~$7 or here for $20 per 5lb bag!)How/When:---------------With a clean device, run a full gallon of water - empty the jug into what ever storage you've planned. Leave 1/2" to 3/4" of water! Approx 3 1/2 hours or so. Rinse the unit and refill when it cools a bit. Never put COLD water into a HOT ANYTHING. It never ends well.Run a second gallon (there will be a little residue stuck from the first one. It has no effect on the process or the water distilled.) With the remaining 3/4" of water, sprinkle in about 1/2 TSP of Citric Acid (included with the purchase) and run it for half an hour WITH the water jug set up. Once water begins to come out of the unit and into the jug it's okay to shut it off. Clean out the unit with a little dish soap and rinse thoroughly. Soap and/or Citric will leave a taste -- make sure it's rinsed well! You will want to take the top half, "fill" it with water from the sink, allow some to fill the condenser coil and then turn it over and empty it into the sink - water will come out of the nozzle. I usually rinse this a couple times any time I use Citric to avoid potential "taste" of the citric acid from getting into the distilled water. (Imagine the "taste" of concentrated lemon peel... that's basically how citric acid is made if it's not man-made.)Run another two gallons like before, but this time, for cleaning, fill the unit to the water line and then add the Citric. The Citric water will only "clean" what it can touch - so now we're cleaning it to the water line. Again, once water begins to come out of the unit it's okay to shut it off - I have Alexa doing cleanings for 30 minutes which works splendidly.(You can do 2 gallons and then a complete cleaning every time - it uses and wastes more water this way, thus the directions above, but if you want "clean, clean" it shouldn't hurt the machine any.)* NOTE: This hot, citric acid water is like bleach for cleaning - without the bleach! If you have hard-water which stains your sinks/toilets/etc. slowly/safely pour the used Citric Water into the toilet and allow it to soak for a while -- it can visibly help! If you allow it to cool a little, clean your stainless appliances with it!* Citric Acid is potentially corrosive. Avoid getting it in the AC outlets of the machine as it can pit the copper.* Water in general is dangerous when dealing with electricity. For more thorough safety, be sure to unplug the unit from the wall before doing ANY of the above. (or use a smart outlet which in effect does the same thing.)* The unit itself is leak-proof if setup and maintained properly. There is a large rubber "seal" on the top half which you will want to wipe down when cleaning the machine and look for defects/tears. When putting the top onto the unit - do so with a GENTLE force. The WEIGHT of the top is usually enough force. If this seal gets damaged, leaking is easily expected when the "full tank" comes to a boil.* DO NOT leave Citric water in the tank for ANY extended period of time. Once it has done its job, let it cool a little and dispose of it. It may not have an "eroding" effect on Stainless, but my thoughts are "why take the chance?" Some of the reviews showing "burn holes" in Stainless make me assume large quantities of Citric being left for long periods of time or the machine being allowed to run EMPTY making the metal become brittle over time - but that's just an educated guess. (Trust me, I'm an engineer! :) No really, I am!)* Finally, you'll want to replace the carbon filter around every 20-30 gallons or so (you'll likely "taste" when it's time to do so) There's filters on Bolo that claim $10 for 100 (1.5") and $18 for 48 (3") which should work with this unit (the 1.5" ones will probably last "half" as long, but should "fit" nicer in the distiller.)WARNING: If you CRAM the filter into the nozzle too tightly, I'd imagine the unit WILL leak as the water will not be able to get through the filter fast enough and thus overflow the same way a coffee maker will. There's plenty of space inside - no need to conserve!Finally, if you're weary, place the Unit as well as the Jug on a cookie sheet. (I've left my jug on it there as there's always going to be chance for minor spills, condensation or what-not.) It won't hold an entire gallon, but if the unit has been running 30+ minutes and you come back to check on it --- if there IS a problem, you'll SEE it and be able to stop it *before* creating a mess.I believe I've covered most of the common gripes and potential problems I read here before purchasing my first unit. We go through numerous gallons of water daily (multiple humidifiers, CPAP, etc.) and though I've only had my unit a bit over a month, it'll be close to paying for itself by the end of month #2 which is when I'll be buying a second one.You may also want to consider the extended warranty. For the cost of the unit and the warranty amount, it doesn't take very long for them to "earn their keep." A bottle of Wally-World brand Distilled runs about $1.60/gal here. That's up to $6.40/day in my household during the winter season. That's a LOT of plastic jugs heading off to the landfill I didn't want to sponsor. I'm only running the machine while I'm home (due to the negative reviews - tainted trust? though it's easing over time) so I'm down to $3.20/day store-bought and the remainder from this unit and weaning little by little. Even if the unit only lasted a year and even if I didn't have the extended warranty, that's EASILY 100 plastic jugs I didn't bury and $160 I didn't spend on doing so... minus the cost of the unit... you see the savings!"Oh, why don't you recycle the plastic jugs?" As noted... I'm an engineer. I know things... and people.At least here in NE Ohio, a good chunk of "recycle" trucks take your extra efforts from you and you feel good about yourself trying to "save the planet" and they head straight to the landfill. You PAID EXTRA to be able to recycle (in most cases.) Our landfill is only 7 minutes away from my house and I go there for manual deposits when I need to. I have personally watched recycle trucks enter the dump site. There's no sort building at our landfill... where' did everyone THINK it would go!? :) "Beam me up, Scotty??"

5.0 out of 5 stars Great machine if you use it properly.

S. · February 19, 2025

I didn't want to buy distilled water for my humidifiers and waste all the plastic from the bottles, and I couldn't install an RO filter system. Using distilled water in the humidifiers has solved the problem I had with excessive white dust collecting and even clogging my furnace filter.The machine is very easy to use and clean. I see a lot of bad reviews and photos. All I can say is you are using/cleaning the machine wrong. Let me explain:First of all, the safety switch is a backup, not the primary method of ending the cycle. You need to stop the machine before the safety switch trips. Set a timer and find a mark on the plastic container so you know when it's done. I go to about 1cm higher then the top textured band on the plastic container. You should leave about 1cm of water in the kettle. The safety switch is based on a temperature sensor, not a low level sensor (which would be ideal). Once the kettle is fully evaporated, the temperature will rise, and the safety will trip. This is when everything gets baked on and this is where you get problems. Don't rely on the safety to stop the machine for you. Super corroded and cracked kettles are from excessive reliance on the safety switch.You should shut if off before the safety trips. Let it cool for a few minutes before opening so you don't burn your hands with the steam that comes out. Don't open it, dump it, then add cold water. This can cause rapid contraction of the steel, which could also lead to stress fractures. Add a tiny bit of the citric acid (about 1tsp is all you need) to about 1cm worth of water, and swirl it around to mix it. I've also used CLR cleaner. Just a small splash is all it takes. Use a sponge to clean the sides and bottom. No scrubbing is needed. No green pads, and no backs of the sponge. Only the soft side of the sponge is needed. The acid cleaner does all the work. It takes less than a minute to clean this way. I've done about 30 batches so far. My photos show right after finishing a batch while it's still dirty (and with 1cm of water still in it), and after cleaning. This must be cleaned after every single batch. Do not run it again without cleaning it first!To address other issues in reviews: If you are getting holes or pitting in your kettle, that is because you are using a cleaner with bleach in it. Bleach pits stainless steel. This is well known. Never use bleach on stainless steel. Sodium hypochlorite = bleach. Check your cleaners and make sure it doesn't have this. Acid based cleaners are what you want.There are some complaints that the plastic container doesn't fit under the nozzle. This is because your nozzle isn't fully seated. You need to push it outward more. I can see from people's photos that they do not have the nozzle installed properly. The container does fit properly under the nozzle. Pull that nozzle outward until you feel it seat properly.If you use this distiller properly, and clean it properly, it works perfectly and will last you a long time.

Great quality, so much better than filtered water.

C. · April 29, 2025

(function() { P.when('cr-A', 'ready').execute(function(A) { if(typeof A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel === 'function') { A.toggleExpanderAriaLabel('review_text_read_more', 'Read more of this review', 'Read less of this review'); } }); })(); .review-text-read-more-expander:focus-visible { outline: 2px solid #2162a1; outline-offset: 2px; border-radius: 5px; } Outstanding quality item. The water is incredibly better quality after being distilled. I now drink 3 litres of distilled water per day and use this product almost every night. Can't recommend highly enough.

Good performance

D.C. · April 23, 2025

It performs well. It usually takes a few hours (perhaps 2 to 3) to generate 3 liters of distilled water.

Sauberes Wasser

C.A. · January 26, 2025

Funktioniert Super, enorm was an Kalk und sonstiges übrig bleibt

Très bien.

B. · June 9, 2025

Très bien.Attention toutefois en remplissant le réservoir. La limite de hauteur d'eau est trop haute par rapport à la capacité du bocal récepteur....

Surprisingly fast!

V.S. · June 4, 2025

I’ve used only four days so far but it works great. It takes less time than I thought it would to fill the carafe. The citric acid works like a charm to clean the surface after use.