# Can you distill water from a radiator? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 21, 2011, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-distill-water-from-a-radiator/568437 "2011-01-21T11:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 9
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-distill-water-from-a-radiator/568437/9 "2011-01-21T18:51:33Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > Which is exactly how distillation works… just collect the water vapor and condense it out. The ethylene glycol remains a liquid and won’t even get close to boiling until well after the water has boiled off. I would empty the radiator into a pot/pan, and start a fire underneath to bring the water to a boil. Then I would take a piece of plastic sheeting or thin metal that could be manipulated (aluminum foil, gutter, etc) and hang it over the boiling water at a slight sloping angle toward a bucket or jug that would collect the water. As the steam rises, it will condense on the plastic, and eventually drip in to your container. I would feel comfortable drinking as-is if I were in a pinch, but I would really want to pour it through a 5 gallon bucket packed with layered charcoal and sand. At the bottom of the bucket I would cut a hole, and collect the water as it drained out. Better than Mama used to make. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-distill-water-from-a-radiator/568437)._