History of the Nichols Solar Water Still

Patented pending

Early work began in 1982 because the U of A determined we had the worst water well in Tucson. The mineral content was so high it was hard on plants and scale buildup was a big problem. Then it got worst.

1989 solar potluck demonstration shown with heat exchanger at Catalina State Park.

Pyramid still in Phoenix 1985. High lift created ultra pure water.

1985 alternate pyramid still in Phoenix. Using second collector to boost production.

First still setup 1983. All made from hardware store parts with glass pan and wooden sides.

First still setup with heat recovery from water heater to boost production 1985.

To contact us: 520 760-0380 0r alnichols@aol.com

1993 large stainless still with auto fill float device at Bear Canyon home.

1993 PVC tubes below roof for storage. Water became contaminated from all the plastic. The water was pure without minerals and aggressive.

2003 Experimenting with tilted stills and adding minerals back into the water in Civano at the Straw Bale home.

2008 Experimenting with tilted stills and adding minerals back into the water with large holding tray of 5 gallons inside the still in Civano at the Straw Bale home.

Adding minerals back into the water was successful resulting in about 80 ppm compared 320 ppm from the City and no chlorine. in Civano at the ANE office 2008.

2009 complete redesign to pan type still, adding mineral and storing 5 gallons into the lower holding tray in Civano at the ANE office 2009.

 

 

2009 solar spring water on tap in the ANE office. The Nichols "Solar Spring Water" System neutralizes the natural acidy of distilled water that has combined with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and become acidic, aggressive and adsorbs plasticizers and metals it comes in contact with. Stored pure distilled water can become quickly contaminated if not kept in specialized containers and piping. Nichols "Solar Spring Water" is not aggressive once mineralized, is stored in stainless steel and common piping and plumbing fixtures can be used without contamination from the materials used.

New years, 2010 Nichols Solar Spring Water on test stand at the Cornell Energy manufacturing plant.  Units are ready to install. Call today.

Article in Sonoran Journal, Spring 1994 at Bear Canyon home.