The Imber Isla water distiller has an appealing modern design featuring a stainless steel boiling chamber with a black top and a glass collection jug.

Distillation is a very old water filtering process and despite our technological advancement, it still remains one of the most effective processes of purifying water.

In the following article, we’ll look at one of the modern water distillation machines, otherwise known as water distillers.

The Imber Isla water distiller is a highly efficient countertop water distiller that seems to do its job exceptionally well.

It’s a product of Imber which is a company based in the UK that primarily focuses on producing quality and reliable water distillers.

The unit is amongst the two models that the company offers, with the other being the Puro professional water distiller which we’ll also look at a bit in this comprehensive review of the Imber Isla water distiller.

So, read on for more details.

Design Of Imber Isla Water Distiller

The Imber Isla water distiller has an appealing modern design featuring a stainless steel boiling chamber with a black top and a glass collection jug.

It has a simple look that would fit well with most modern kitchen decor.

The whole unit is quite compact, measuring just 8 x 16 x 14.25 inches with the collection jug included.

It’s ideal for use even in small kitchens as it doesn’t take up much space on the countertop.

Another convenience is that the distiller is lighter compared to many other similar units on the market.

It weighs only 7.7 pounds hence moving it around the kitchen won’t be overwhelming for those with less hand strength.

The problem is that only the collection jug has a handle, so carrying the distiller itself is a bit of a hassle since you have to hold it with both hands.

Build Quality

The Imber Isla water distiller is a very sturdy and durable unit.

The entire distilling chamber plus the housing and the condensing coil are made of 100% stainless steel.

The other parts of the top/lid are made of thick BPA-free plastic that doesn’t crack easily.

It’s generally a robust machine that can stay in good condition for a long time.

As for the collection jug, it’s made out of relatively thicker glass that won’t crack or break easily if it’s hit.

However, you’ll have to be careful when carrying it as it will certainly break in case it slips out of your hands or grasp and falls on the floor or countertop.

The distilled water is released via a non-porous, lead-free nozzle insert which is a great advantage because it doesn’t touch any plastic component in its path keeping it safe and fresh.

Moreover, the nozzle is well-positioned such that all the distilled water goes directly into the collection container – no water ends up on the counter.

Distillation Performance

The distillation process of this unit is highly effective in producing safe and clean water.

It uses a small but safer and more efficient heating element that operates at 800 watts providing sufficient power to heat the water at high temperatures.

It leaves behind 99.9% of all the contaminants present in the water including heavy metals (lead, mercury, etc.), chlorine, fluoride, chloride, chloroform, copper, aluminum, and most harmful chemicals.

It also eradicates viruses and bacteria from the water as well as nitrates, sulfates, and trihalomethanes.

The fact that it uses a small heating element rather than a large one makes it even more effective because it minimizes the splashing of water – distillers with large and more powerful heating elements need a “splash shield” which tends not to be effective in preventing water contamination.

Active Carbon Filter Post-Distillation

Like many other water distillers, this one comes equipped with a post-distillation filter, which the freshly distilled water goes through after processing.

The unit utilizes an active charcoal sachet which you fit inside the nozzle of the distiller.

The distilled water percolates through the charcoal media before leaving the distiller and in the process, all the residual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have a lower boiling point than water and pass through the distillation step get caught.

Thereby, what ends up in the collection jug is totally pure water that’s safe to drink and use.

You get several replacement active charcoal sachets together with the unit which are capable of lasting up to 6 months if you distill water less often or 2-3 months if you are distilling frequently like 20 to 30 distillations a month.

Distillation Speed and Holding Capacity

Many home water distillers take a long time (up to 6 hours ) to process a single gallon of water.

That’s the current standard, but this Imber Isla model seems to work fairly quickly.

The high heating capability (800 watts) speeds the distilling process up allowing it to produce a gallon of water in 3.5 hours which is amongst the fastest distillation rates on the market.

This means you can produce up to 6 gallons of water per day.

That’s a sufficient rate to cover the water needs of a small family or office.

The boiling chamber and the collection jug both have a holding capacity of 4 liters or 1 gallon which is pretty decent too considering that the distillation speed is fast.

Imber Isla Water Distiller Safety Feature

This model features an auto-off function which is a safety feature that helps prevent burnouts and fires that may occur due to the overheating of the distiller.

It automatically shuts down the unit once the distilling cycle is done and the water chamber is empty preventing the heating element from getting too hot or overheating.

For added safety, the unit is equally equipped with an integrated condenser fan and ventilation holes that help cool it down to protect it from overheating.

The condenser fan also makes just a low hum when the unit is in use hence it doesn’t cause any disturbance.

Furthermore, the unit comes with an on-and-off switch which makes using it safe and easy – you don’t have to unplug it from the electrical socket to switch it off completely.

Installation and Maintenance

No installation or maintenance is required for this unit. Everything you need to start distilling is provided including a guide to help you set up.

You just open the boiling chamber, fill in the water, set up the collection jug, plug in the unit, and switch it on to begin the distilling process all through to the automatic switch off.

It uses the UK standard 3-pin plug but the company also offers the European plug on request.

Cleaning the entire unit is generally easy and straightforward too.

A simple wipe-down is all it takes to clean the stainless steel body which covers most of the part of the distiller.

Both the glass carafe and the distiller have large openings that provide easy access to reach all corners and parts, so you can easily clean them by hand.

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