what is the difference between distilled water & tap water?

Answer 1

Hi,

Depending on where you come from, your tap water is likely to be added with certain chemicals (diff chemicals in diff parts of the world).

Here where I live, tap water has got chloride and fluoride added to it.

Distilled water is however water that has been recollected from condensed steam and thus it is very pure.

Distilled water, being pure, is free from all harmful chemicals... BUT, it is also free from useful minerals. Since it is very pure, when you drink the water, osmosis is likely to occur and the nutrients and minerals that are ALREADY in your body may thus be absorbed into the water and flushed out of the system.

Thus, consumed over long periods, they are harmful to your body.

Tap water is no better as chlorine (which is often added in tap water) is usually the cause of dryness of skin, hair and when you use hot tap water to bath, the hot chlorine fumes will be inhaled by you and your family and may cause certain disease.

Answer 2

When anything is distilled it is boiled and the vapor is collected, condensed and bottled or canned. In theory it is supposed to be pure. The boiling process does kill anything alive and the vaporizing will eliminate or significantly reduce mineral content. However, I'm not entirely sure other liquids in solution with the water will be completely removed. This is the process used to make whiskey, scotch, vodka, and other spirits. In fact, other than beer and wine, I think all other spirits are distilled.

Tap water, on the other hand, is well, river or lake water that is filtered to remove contaminants then chemicals are introduced to control bacteria and other bad things. Frequently those chemicals will include chlorine, that is the bleach smell you sometimes detect in your tap water. After all the treatments it is tested to guarantee it is safe for human consumption and it is piped to your home.

From the way you asked your question I am making an assumption. I assume you think the bottled drinking water you buy at the grocery store is distilled. It is not. It is filtered and is "supposed" to be better than tap water. In all but a few cases it is no better than tap water and sometimes not as good.

Distilled water is another matter entirely. Drinking distilled water will cause some people to develop symptoms similar to food poisoning, i.e. vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort. It is just too pure and your body may not like it.

Distilled water, because it is supposedly free of minerals is the best thing you can put in a car battery when it is low on fluids. Additionally, the lack of minerals makes it great for a car radiator. No minerals means no or significantly less scale buildup in the radiator.

There are countless uses for distilled water in scientific/ laboratory work. In fact most water used in a laboratory is distilled, at least initially. They run experiments and tests on just about everything and tap water introduces variables into their procedures that distilled water doesn't.

OK, you have sucked my information drawer dry. I hope it helps with what ever you are doing.

Answer 3

Distilled water is water that has been recondensed from steam. Water is heated to boiling and the water vapor (steam) is collected and condensed back into a pure liquid. Any impurities like minerals, stay as a residue in the original liquid, separate from the distilled water. Distilled is probably considered the most pure.

Bottled water is tougher because it takes many forms: spring, purified, and mineral are the most common but there is also sparkling, artesian, etc. Spring water, like Evian, comes from groundwater that rises to the surface naturally. The composition of this water is not allowed to be changed before it is bottled. Mineral water is water naturally containing not less than 250 parts per million total dissolved solids. Note: a lot of people think Dasani is mineral water but it isn't. Dasani is purified water that has had minerals added back. Purified water is basically tap water that has gone through additional treatment processes like filtration, reverse osmosis and/or ozonation to remove more impurities and make the water taste better. It is almost always more pure than your tap water.

Answer 4

Bottled water in most instances is regular tap water that has been filtered, much like you can do at home. True distilled water is collected from the steam of boiling water, it is best used in humidifiers and steam irons for example, as the minerals are removed.

Answer 5

Tap water is filtered, purified, natural water served to you by your town's/city's Public Service Department. You may or may not have to pay a monthly fee for this - depending on the local rules.

Distilled water is obtained by condensing the steam coming out of boiled water, It is 100% pure and hence absorbs anything immediately - including the lining and minerals/chemicals of your intestines if you drink distilled water.

So avoid drinking distilled water - its purity is however needed for chemistry experiments and diluting the acid in your car battery cells!

Many desert countries lacking abundant natural water resources, like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, produce distilled water from sea water for their public water supply needs.

However, before sending it out to the public taps, they add bits of various minerals to neutralize its purity.

Answer 6

Distilled water has been processed to remove calcium and bacterias and bad taste. It's the only kind of water or drink that kidney transplant patients can drink. Tap water still as chemicals and other "stuff " in it.

Answer 7

Water that has been processed to remove minerals and other impurities is considered distilled.

Answer 8

Distilled water has no minerals in it.

Answer 9

this page seems fairly comprehensive/to the point:

http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/oct2000/971992390.Ch.r.html

:D

Answer 10

$1.29/bottle