Boiling salt water by itself does not make it drinkable. Boiling kills many pathogens, but it does not remove the dissolved salt. To obtain potable water from salt water, the salt must be removed, which is typically done by distillation or desalination. Key points:
- Boiling only removes some contaminants if you can capture and condense the steam (distillation). In a simple home setup, ordinary boiling won’t reliably produce drinkable water because it’s easy to reintroduce salts and minerals or fail to capture all vapor.
- Distillation involves boiling the salt water, collecting the steam, and condensing it back into liquid water. The resulting condensate is freshwater, with the salt left behind. This requires a proper setup to avoid salt contamination and to maximize yield.
- In emergency situations where no desalination equipment is available, trusted guidance suggests using bottled water or safe alternatives. If desalination isn’t possible, do not drink seawater or highly saline water, as it can worsen dehydration and be harmful.
Practical guidance:
- If you have access to a proper distillation setup (or a solar still), you can produce drinkable water from salt water by collecting the condensed steam.
- In everyday camping or survival scenarios without distillation equipment, do not rely on boiling alone to render seawater potable. Seek potable water sources or use commercially prepared desalination solutions if available.
If you’d like, I can summarize best-practice methods for making seawater potable (distillation vs. other desalination approaches) and provide a simple, safe checklist for emergency prep.
