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Intro Conservation Rainwater Graywater Atmospheric Water Generators Solar Stills Other
(Not convinced we have a problem? Watch this slideshow.) Conservation: The obvious first step is to stop wasting water. The average American uses 160 - 350 gallons of water a day. You can find all sorts of ways to conserve water here. Rainwater Collection: Your roof collects a surprising amount of rainwater. Unfortunately, most people let that naturally softened water get away from them. Collection products range from small barrels to large commercial systems. Type in "rainwater collection" at Google or take a look at the free DIY tutorials here. Greywater Systems: In a greywater system (also called "graywater"), a building's plumbing sends water to one of two places. Water from the toilet and from the kitchen sink (if you use a garbage disposal) is considered to be "black" water, and goes right to the sewer or septic system. Water from the shower and clothes washer are considered to be "grey" water, and are reused to flush the toilet and water the lawn. For the system to work, only non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products can be used. It's much easier to install a greywater system into new construction than it is to retrofit an existing home, but it can be done. Even just capturing water from the clothes washer as it drains and using it in the garden helps reduce water usage. Some cities don't allow their residents to reuse greywater. They're afraid that people might release contaminants into the water table. Check with your municipality first. You can learn more about greywater systems here: Branched Drain Greywater Systems Air Water Extraction / Atmospheric Water Generators / Atmospheric Condensers: Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs) pull clean drinking water from the air. They're a combination of an air cleaner, dehumidifier and water purifier, but on steroids. AWGs easily replace bottled water, don't require plumbing, and in some cases, run off solar or wind power. I've tried water from two AWGs (the Mirage and the AquaMaker). Both were excellent. Available models provide anywhere from 1 to over 50,000 gallons of purified water a day. Many also provide extra features, such as hot and cold water spigots, the ability to purify tap water and air conditioning. Prices start around $1000 USD, but with countertop models on the way, lower prices should become available. When shopping for AWGs, look at the specs, and look at more than one manufacturer. Compare key features such as the quantity of water produced per day, the number and type of purification methods, the operating temperature range, required humidity levels, maintenance costs and energy use. You may also want to compare decibel levels. Perhaps most importantly, make sure that the model you're interested in is actually in production and available now! Whatever you choose, it's a good idea to buy plenty of filters and other replacement items up front. The AWG industry is extremely competitive. You never know if a company will be around long term. Below is a directory of AWG manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Retailers who display their prices online are highlighted in yellow. Those who have an online store are highlighted in green. Because manufacturers sometimes use the same body for different machines, AWGs that look the same, but have different names MAY have different innards. If you have a question or comment for me, please first take a look at my FAQ. (TreeHugger has an article about AWGs that compares 7 models. Article written June 22nd, 2009.) AWG Directory Most recent update: May, 2010 (incomplete update) Air Water Corporation: Developer of large and small AWGs, currently manufactured by Singapore-based Hyflux. Solar powered versions available. LEGALAir2Water: Developer of home and office AWGs. Models include the Dolphin1/Dragonfly T16, Dolphin4, LEGALAirQUA: Marketing & distribution arm of Singapore-based AridTec. Products include the home/office Sano, the mid-sized e2sav, the Offshore & the Marine. Ansun: Chinese company. Sells a small AWG called the EA-22A (which is the name of a Hendrx model), but their machine outwardly looks like a Librex Waterex. Aquair: This company appears to be dead. Aquair history: Developer, marketer & distributor. Dong Yang made some of their units until 2006, when they switched to Hendrx. They also distributed Munters' commercial units, and resold the Everest E-10 and AquaStar M-10.
AquaMagic: US-based developer of the HP120 large/commercial AWG. Prices online! AquaMaker: Marketer of home/office and large AWGs. They own the patent to the AM-10 and Hendrx manufactures the units. AquaMaker's large AWGs include the AM1000, AM3000 and AM5000. AquaBoys: Website gone. Atmospheric Water Systems, Inc.: Developers of the DewPointe DH9, a home/office unit.
Dong Yang: Korean manufacturers of home and office AWGs. They're licensed to manufacture TTW's Everest E-10 and AquaStar M-10. The former is also sold as the WaterPure Water Workhorse and the Airqua E10 Airwater Maker. Other AWGs include the C-7, AD-6, the E-6 and the M-6. At one point, Dong Yang was making the Xziex AWGs. Eco Vibe: Australian reseller of the Taiyu YLR-A2, the Tili TA-10 and the Hendrx Rainmaker and Big Blue AWGs. EcoloBlue: Developers and sellers of home/office AWGs. Models include the home/office EcoloBlue 28, EcoloBlue 30 and EcoloBlue 30-s. Large AWGs include the 200, 500, 1000, 3000 and 5000. In outward appearance, these appear identical to the Hendrx Big Blue/EA series. The EcoloBlue 28 has the outward appearance of the Librex Waterex M2. I have no way of knowing if the innards are the same or different. Online store! Eco-$mart: Sells the WS-AWG-1. Externally, this appears identical to the Librex Waterex. Previously sold the Munters Liquid-Air LA-1. Element Four: Makers of the WaterMill residential AWG, with emphasis on energy efficiency & climate adaptation. The WaterMill was supposed to begin shipping in March/April 2009. Apparently, the first version, the WM-100, became a beta. The new version, the WM-110, is set to launch in spring 2011. The WaterMill is a split unit whose sections do not mate. The water generation section attaches to the outside of your home, and the purified water is routed inside, through your plumbing if desired. The water dispensing section seems to be optional, since the water can be routed to a spigot or refrigerator water dispenser. Solar and wind powered models are in the works. MSNBC article World's Nest: California reseller Envirosource: Australian manufacturer of small & large AWGs. They also lease units. Envirosource, Wataire and Winix parterned for R&D. The Envirosource Aqua V & the Wataire WII-4010 are nearly identical. It appears that both may be split units. Envirosource is also Wataire's Australian distributor. Large AWG models include the CL 2500 and CL 5000. Air To H2O: Website gone. Island Sky: Residential and small business units. As of April 2008, prices ranged from $1800-$2800 USD. Hendrx: Maker of large and small AWGs. Some are also sold under the Eriva brand name. These include the home/office HR-77, HR-88 and HR-90 series, the EA22A, LEGAL DISTRIBUTORS & DEALERSHidroair: Spanish reseller (& possibly developer or manufacturer). They carry the home/office M-5 (which looks like an E10) & M-7. They also have the commercial-sized Librex Group: Lebanon-based developers, testers and master distributors of the home/office Waterex line (which includes the M2
Munters: Swedish manufacturer of the industrial H2O LiquidAir line. The home/office H2O LiquidAir line appears to be rebranded versions of other AWGs.
Planet's Purest Water: US-based manufacturers of the Raincloud line of home/office AWGs and the TC line of industrial units. It appears that they'll be selling some new industrial units soon: the PWM1000/2000. They previously sold the C-7, E-7 and E-10, all manufactured by Dong Yang. Air To Water Rainbow Company: Sino-Bao: A Chinese manufacturer that appears to be involved in some way with the Taiyu YLR-A1 & YLR-A2, the SOHO and the AirWater Magique 1 AWG/refrigerator. Sirius: Singapore marketer of the Vesta AirWater Makers for home/office use, which include the M8. More info is available at Sirius Art. Taiyu Science and Technology: Chinese makers of Taiyu home/office AWGs. Models include the YLR series and the TY-A40. Sino-Bao also claims to manufacture the YLR-A1 & YLR-A2.Tili: Chinese-Canadian joint venture. Manufacturer of home/office AWGs. Models include the TA-10B & TA-40B. TTW International: Canadian-based company that developed the E-10, which is manufactured by DongYang. Models also include the Everest E-7 and the Aquastar M10 & R10 home/office units, the Everest E-100 and the AquaStar large AWG line. Their website hasn't been updated since 2002. Air to Water Rainbow Co.: Distributor based in Alberta, Canada Vapaire: This company and its product seems to have disappeared completely. The Vapaire DM produced up to 20 liters a day and was manufactured in Korea. Vortex Water Systems: Their websites are gone. The miragewater.com domain is now owned by Sapphire Water, a bottled water company. (Irony, anyone?)
Wataire: Home, office, commercial & agricultural AWGs. International company based in Canada. Wataire, Envirosource and Winix have partnered for product research and development, leading to the nearly identical Envirosource Aqua V and Wataire WII-4010 models. I believe that both are split units. Other models include the WII-4005 countertop and the CI-2500 and CI-5000 large capacity AWGs. Aquaduct Intl: Florida distributorWater Master: Manufacturer of the C2000 Water Maker, a home and office AWG. WaterMicron: Manufacturer/distributor based in Hong Kong. A division of AgroMicron. The home/office AWG-30H/O is nearly identical in appearance to one of the versions of the Librex Waterex. Also available is the industrial grade AWG-C Series. Planet's Water: US & worldwide wholesaler. Online store! WaterPure: Manufactures the Water Cycle, as well as the Water Workhorse, a modified version of the Everest AWG. Other models include the WaterPure Executive, which appears to be a Dong Yang C-7 (possibly modified) and the 3-Z. DEC Green: Northeast US distributorWaterStar: The website for this product shut down in October 2008. The WaterStar was launched in 2001 by Advanced Medical Technologies Inc and its inventor, James J. Reidy. It had an air conditioning option available. Winix: Korean manufacturer of AWGS and many other products. Winix partnered with Envirosource and Wataire to develop AWGs, which is why the Winix POU water cooler appears nearly identical to the Envirosource Aqua V and the Wataire WII-4010.
Q: Which AWG do you own? Q: Which AWG do you recommend? Q: Which AWG company do you work for? Q: Why did you create this page? Q: How do you make money from this page? Q: I don't like what you wrote about my company/product. Remove it! Q: This info is old! Why don't you update it? Q: Can you answer my question about a specific AWG model? Solar Stills: Solar stills use evaporation to purify water. Particulates, including the salt in seawater, are left behind during evaporation, and bacteria and viruses are killed by the heat. The pure water runs off into a collector. The process doesn't require electricity. However, it takes a lot of surface area to evaporate significant amounts of water, so portable units are primarily intended for survival situations where other options aren't available. Solar stills are easy and cheap to make. You can find tutorials here. You can also purchase ready-made solar stills with a wide range of capacities: AquaCone It's worth noting that solar stills are improving lives around the world, including in the colonias on the US side of the Mexican border. Other Potable Water Solutions: The Cuz'n Magic Wand captured my imagination. It's similar to a method used in ancient Egypt and requires no filters, chemicals, electricity or even sunlight! Of course, it won't remove pesticide residues, heavy metals or particulates, but in the conditions common in so many countries, it could save lives. Better yet, Potters For Peace has developed a ceramic filter that can be manufactured easily anywhere in the world and that removes 99.98% of harmful microorganisms from water. There's also the LifeStraw, which is low-cost and effective. |