We are on our 5th Ebay distiller. The longest we had one was for 2 years. The switch that turns on the distiller is a 110 degree Centigrade KSD301 or KSDS snap disc manual reset sensor that is usually the first sensor that fails. The 2nd point of failure is the KSD1 135 degree Centigrade snap disc normally close (NC) sensor on the bottom of the pot that turns the heating coil on and off while the distiller is running. It turns off at 135 degree C and turns back on after it cools down a bit. 100 degrees C is the boiling point of water. We do 3 to 4 runs a day for three of us. I have replaced the switch many times. The pot sensor has just failed on a unit I bought a year ago but the switch sensor still works. The pot sensor has failed if you notice that you can fill the pot up, turn it on and it runs for less than an hour and turns off. Both sensors can be ordered over Ebay and are not hard to replace.
Great info! I haven't done a tear down as yet but my unit turns off by itself about 30-60 minutes. Sounds like it's the KSD301 110 C switch which I located on eBay however I could not locate the other switch (KSD1 135 C) on eBay in case that one needs to be switched as well. Is it obvious to the eye if a sensor has become defective? I guess for the wires they would look burned out.
@@raffiaynaciyan2862 Your reset button maybe defective. Try measure the continuity of the reset switch after it turned off by itself. Make sure not to press the button before you make the measurement. Hope it help.
@@raffiaynaciyan2862 Wont help your from a year ago, but anyone else searching the thread: I bought an air distiller off Craigslist for $25. Sure enough it shut off after about 40 minutes. It was the temp sensor attached to the pot bottom. The old disk sensor was KSD1 150 C. I replaced it with KSD301 135 C from Ebay. I think 5 sensors was under 4 dollars even with shipping! Distiller has been running for 2 hours now with no resets!
Hi I know you wrote this a year ago but just read it now. Im just wondering if I can ask you.. The fan on mine still works but it wont heat the water at all. Im guessing its the heat sensor/s but when im saying that I'm just copying others because I have no clue what to get to fix it! Is there any chance you could advise me what to get and where to get it please. Mine is a zokop 4L one but looks the same as the one in the video. I'd be so grateful for your help.
What an informative video. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to you. I currently have my distiller disassembled (by myself) because of a leak. The stainless steel they use is SO thin, and usually starts to develops holes after years of use. It has nothing to do with "uncleaned calcifications". My unit is very well maintained. I keep it clean. The quality of stainless they use is the main problem. That's too bad because the product like you said is excellent in every way. Yeah, they do not want you fixing your own distiller so they have stickers everywhere warning you about the dangers of getting electrocuted, losing your warranty, etc., blah, blah. I am a senior citizen and I dared to open my own distiller to see what needed to be fixed and to my surprise, this appliance has few parts and is simply assembled. My father always told me, "If other people can do it, why can't we?" So I repair anything that goes wrong in my household. A tip to all of you who use this type of distiller, use a timer to turn the device off after 5 hours of distilling. You will not have an inordinate amount of difficult to clean up residue. There will still be a bit of water left. If you add a fourth of a teaspoon of citric acid powder into the water before you start distilling, you will never have to deal with any residue. The distiller works at about 212 (F). The boiling point of citric acid is 590(F), so the citric acid will not actually be in your finished distilled water. It will be left with the little amount of water left in the distiller if you set your distiller to turn off after five hours.
I was really depressed when my distiller died today, wasnt that old. Your inspection video motivated me, to perhaps tear out the electronic temp LCD and bypass the circuit board. One last try, before I ripped it apart, It miraculously worked again. Yay.. Thank you for this video.
seriously dude, you did an excellent job reviewing everything about this product. I bet companies would pay you to do reviews of their products and you could be like Angies List or Consumer Reports for products, and people would buy based on your review.
Thanks so very much vuaeco. I did not realize that there was a thermal switch at the 'power switch' by lack of a better word. I thought I fixed the faulty thermal switch in the top unit by bypassing it with a jumper wire. Thanks to you I discovered the faulty thermal switch at the 'power button'. After I jumped the switch with a jumper wire, its working fine now. To avoid overheating I have used a timer to shut off the unit after 3 hrs and 50 minutes. Thanks again! GREAT video!
That's nice Henk. I, too, use a timer to shut off around 3 hours and 40 minutes. A bit earlier than yours but I want to have some liquid left so to make my cleanup job easier.
@@vuaeco Hi vuaeco my distiller has an issue with the fan. Initially it was working but very noisy and made a rattling sound. Now it has stopped working rattles a little and mostly steam comes out of the distiller. Any solution for this issue ?
Henk Bloemhard, The problem running it without an over temp switch is that if ANYTHING goes wrong with the timer, it will sit there and keep frying until something very bad happens. Thermal safety switches need to be looked at like pressure relief valves on pressure vessels. A must-have safety feature, like an electrical fuse or breaker. I see your comment was 3 years ago, I pray you haven't found out the hard way and lost your house or loved one!
Thank you so much for posting this. Mine wouldn't work because I had a pin hole in the condenser tube I thought was supposed to be there as a vent or something. I was able to see that it is not supposed to be there. I hope I can solder it now. Thanks again!
I cleaned my fan and heat sink a few days ago because it wasn't distilling, half the water evaporated and water was leaking down the fan's power cable.. now is ok again :) Also i have the 240V 750W version for Australia (248V actual output in my house), and i measured it to actually use 985W until boiling time, then it uses less watts.. It was advertised as making 4Litres in 4 hours, but it's actually 3.5litres I have another one in Turkey which uses 230V, it takes 4hours and 19 minutes to make the 3.5Litres
Its a great video and well presented but I believe you are mistaken by stating the sensor in the center of the unit will shut the unit off. The one that will shut the unit off is what you call the power switch and its a thermal switch that is manually reset that is why it turns the unit on and you have mistakenly called it the power switch. The way it works the thermal switch turns the unit off when it gets hot and keeps it off until you come back and push the reset button to turn it back on. ITS A SAFETY CUT OFF THERMAL SWITCH. In case it got hot for any reason including running out of water. I have looked all over for its replacement and not having a valid cat # its almost impossible to find. There are many out there but they are auto reset like the sensor in the middle that keeps the water at the boiling temperature. BUT YOU NEED ONE MANUALLY RE SETTABLE! It must be single pole 120 Volts min 7 amps with normally open contacts and manually re settable. And the key information required is at what temperature it kicks open. I do not know this and its critical to have the correct temperature for the distiller design or it will burn. IF SOMEONE HAS THIS INFO PLEASE SHARE! aLSO MAKE SURE THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE AND MOUNTING IS EXACTLY AS THE ONE ON YOUR UNIT OR YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO INSTALL. The replacement is easy just remove the 2 wires and take the thermal switch out by removing its 2 mounting nuts. Whem re-installing you MUST coat the back of it and the surface where it will mount with high temperature silicone grease to increase the thermal conductivity. IT WILL NOT WORK CORRECTLY W/O THIS GREASE.! GOOD LUCK! And please share the required temp rating info and where to buy with the cat # if you have this info.
You can take it to a dryer repair shop and buy one or you can give it a few really sharp raps and the disks inside should snap back together.. essentially resetting it. Been there, done that, experience is a great teacher 😖
This is a great summary, I’m having the same problem here and I considered just buying an actually decent distiller but replacing a part is cheaper so this helps out!
well the problem is that the working thermostat is worn and moves to a higer temperatur before its cuts out , i put some insulation just around that thermostat and it cuts the temperatur earlier , one can also change it to a lower thermostat like 135 c , now the safety shut of when the water is gone not before ,
Hi. You claimed that the tubing in the upper fan part does not use heat sinks. In fact, it does. I heat sink is made of cooling fins. You have the circular cooling fins along part of the length of the tubing. These fins get cooled by the fan, which in turn cools the water vapor, changing it back to water (distilled). And yes, I love this distiller's design for its simplicity. You claim to get nearly 100% distilled water with it. This is the type of review worth knowing. Thank you for your video. I enjoyed watching it and finding out how the distiller is made.
i removed the problematic turn on switch and connected the quick- disconnectors.i use a timer to remind me to turn unit off until i can find a new turn on switch.i will replace my unit when that day comes.so far i have been happy with it for 2 years.
Mine just stopped working after 6 years...I took it apart credit to this video...Checked all the important connections to the boiler chamber....I saw that there was a little erosion/limescale on some of the connectors...cleaned thema little, reconnected and voila...It's working like brand new!!!!
Thank you for taking your time to show us the insides of our distiller! Yours looks exactly like mine, a CO-Z 1 Gallon Water Distiller. But from day one, if I let it shut off with the over temp shutoff, it will burn the bottom. I want to try and put a slightly lower shutoff that will allow it to get MOST of the water distilled, but not all. There has to be a gradual increase of temp on that high temp shutoff switch as the water level gets lower. I want to see if I can find a switch that will open at a slightly lower temp to keep it from burning, but distill most of the water. I'm using a timer set at 3hrs and 45 min right now, but it will occasionally fail. Do you know the thermal rating on the original switch? Again, thank you very much for giving me the courage to open this thing up. Looks very easy like you said. Besides, I fix much more complicated equipment than this in my sleep. LOL
The one I bought came with an extra red wire with some resistors on it in the packaging. Now I think I know what it's for. (knocking down the temp for intoxicating results)
Thank you for your informative video. While filling my distiller with water I walked away and forgot I was filling it. It overflowed for several seconds (surprise!)! What should I do? Would the water leak inside of the unit? How long should I let it dry?
Hey guys we keep coming up with tricks to fix the "HEAT SENSOR" without specifically recognizing that there are two of them: one in the center of the bottom plate (that I believe is auto reset) and the other (lets call it the power switch) located at the manual reset button. So unless we specifically state which one we are talking about some viewers may apply the solution stated to the wrong sensor creating a hazard condition specifically when jumping the sensors. The question I have in my mind is that if the one at the power switch turns the unit off automatically and on manually whta is the function of the one in the center of the heating plate?
@@jamespier5476 Hi, the function of the one in the center is a sort of safety feature , a second line defense. In case thermal switch at the button fails to open when it reaches 110c, the kettle will run dry and burns. So the second switch cut power when the temp reaches 135c. But since it is auto it will turns on again when the temp drops. Distiller will turn on and shuts ,till it gets your attention.
@@guppiesstories5942 the one in the middle is to keep the heater up to 150 celsius , and its a NO switch , the one one the side is safty swich which shut of the current when the temperature reach 110 celsius (when its dry, out of water ) and that the one thats making the trouble because it resets before the destillation is finished .
@@breakfastbuddy5 A NO[normally open] switch is a normally open switch. So no electric current is flowing through. So how does the middle switch keeps the heater up to 150c ? The correct specification is that the middle thermo switch is a NC [normally closed] auto switch rated at 135c. It is auto, that is to say it will stay closed till the temp hits 135c, and it opens cutting off current. When the distiller cools down, it will automatically closes, but no electric current will flow because the side switch which is a manual switch has already open, unless the side switch has a failure like melted in the closed position. The side switch will stay open till it is manually reset. One must remember the temp of the distiller seldom hits 135c under normal working condition. You are right to say the side switch is the trouble maker because it is the hardest working part of the distiller. The middle switch remains as a safety feature/alerting failure
Thank you very much!! I have a question: I have a similar unit, although mine, Vevor branded, has a dedicated on/off switch. (I don't know if that makes things easier or more complicated.) But I use a nifty little 12 hour countdown timer set to 4 hours (and I always monitor the output just to be sure) so I never trigger the built-in heat sensing shut off. (I also try to make sure I leave some water in the bottom of the pot so it makes cleaning easier.) By avoiding the high temperature sensor cut off shut down should I expect a longer life out of this unit/is it easier on the wiring?
Many seem to have a problem where the power breaker location gets hot that it will break prematurely causing no water collected. You have a solution for that?
Thank u, this video has been super informative. I have 2 of these same style distillers that are not working. I've already ordered the replacement for one of them. Your video helped to figure out the other distiller needs a sensor. I cannot find it any where online. Please can u or anyone tell me a website that carries these kind of parts
Thanks for your great instructive video, could you please tell how would it be possible to install digital heating thermostat to adjust desired temperature (for example heat only up to 80°C )
The only seem to offer one with 110c which most people seem to be buying. www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-Manual-Reset-Temperature-Switch-110-C-NC-Bimetal-disc-thermostat-KSD301-/392268428153?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286
I've had several of these distillers and power switch sensor is what always fails. Now that I know how to open it up I'm going to try and repair two distillers that stopped working. Where would I purchase the sensor parts ?
first thought I had to repair my distiller because of a short circuit the water droplets caused but realized I just had to push that little button on my outlet
Home run! Your next video should be how to replace the thermostats when they fail and we will support you by buying the thermostats from you .... deal?
Changing the one at the center of heating plate should be easy as Vuaeco says but that is not the only thing that can go wrong the one at the power switch can also go wrong and its complicated to change depending on the model unit you have and in some you have to buy the mounting plat with it. Also the start button would have to be adjusted correctly to operate the sensor switch and it has its own mounting variations depending on unit. So I hope Vuaeco hears you and does a second video. Great video Vuaeco and great camera. Thanks! My unit is similar to yours and it turns off way before the completion and as I turn it on it goes back off within 10 minutes. So I'm still trying to figure out which one is the sensor that turns it off.
Bought,as mistake 110VAC version and connect it to 220VAC local power. As I saw,fan was damage. Where can I buy the new one? If there is only it can be damage or heating element also need to be replace to 220VA?
my unit like this one is serving me well for 2 years and now the [power switch]heat sensor button is getting damaged by heat from quick disconnector.a part replacement would be great.the name on my ebay unit is [z].
The switch that is on mine, the one on the bottom of the pot is a KDS1 195 any ideas to what one to replace it with? I don't want to throw the unit away. I was thinking the 135C switch, is that correct? Thanks.
Hi! Can you please identify the thermostat in the (roughly) centre of the base? I was given a water distiller and I think the previous owner installed the wrong thermostat so I need to find the correct replacement. I hope you can help.
Thanks so much for creating this video. Do you know what the temperature of the water is while inside the still? and does it stay constant right up to the end where it changes to a higher temperature?
I don't need to measure the inside temperature to know but I can tell you right off the bat that it's 100 degrees celcius inside the still all the way until it runs dry. Temperature only creeps up after the pot is devoid of water and dried out. Only then the sensor will sense the difference in temperature and shut off the unit. The same thing happens inside a nuclear reactor and that's why they use water. Once the water is gone (pump is dead like the one in Fukushima), temperature inside the reactor will start to rise and melt everything. (unlike the water still, you cannot shut off a radioactive reaction).
What's the part number for the fan motor and windings . Yes it looks like the microwave fan motor but I didn't see the exact shape yet on AliExpress thx
Great job I bought few of those thank you. Has anyone tried the Poland spring distilled water ?i am buying it now but it has a strong plastic smell and do not seem to trust the company with the class action law suit. I also bought the trader joe distilled water .if anyone has feedback on both of these store bought distilled I would appreciate it .
Some other reviewers showed that the end of the distiller where water drips out of the stainless steel has a silicon L shape pipe then to the stainless steel spout. Can that silicon/plastic pipe be removed and still drips fine, continue out to the spout? I am trying to avoid having any "plastic" touching the water. Is that possible?
I bought a very similar distiller from eBay. But for some reason when I tried it out it boiled out and the liquid that did distill came out hot and the same color as my mash/wine. Almost like it was heating up to hot. Any suggestions what I may have did wrong?
Do you know where i can get a element for a megahome, as Megahome in the UK dont have them, there has got to be something similar element wise that will work
I bought my first distiller of this type which I paid almost $200 nine years ago, by 9 months it stopped working. Since it was under warranty was replaced by another that only lasted 6 mos. the following ones never lasted more than 9 mnths. My current one ( # 8 distiller) just broke 3 days from reaching 12 months. I least after the 1st one, the rest of them I paid average $80 from amazon suppossedly "NEW". You mentioned only 2 things can go wrong, sensor & "ON" switch. One of them burned the electrical cord from the plug. I tried to replace parts but they were going to cost me $80 so every time I end up ordering another from amazon. Where can I buy just those parts , are they generic stuff? I'm tired of discarding all this metal, cables, platic . HELP! Thanks
Hi, I have bought 9 machines in 7 yrs, the first 8 broke down within 6 to 9 months, my current one amazingly has lasted 20 months but has started to turn off after running for a a few minutes. Where can I find parts, like sensors, power buttons & wiring, I keep browsing the internet and nothing comes up. Thanks for your informative video.
Those numbers no longer exist. If you Google them you will get very many different items. The closest is the one labeled KSD 301. I don't know if it will do the job. It looks similar but we need to know the temperature rating at which it will open so we can replace with similar otherwise you may burn the unit or causea home fire.
Madge nowhere in the video he shows a fuse and I don't see one in mine. Maybe your model is different because of the UK requirements. Ask the person you bought from. Good luck.
Other videos show how you can take apart the top, remove the fan and drill a small hole into which you can insert a metal thermocouple sensor so that you can monitor the temperature with an external device.
My one stopped heating and I thought it is because i think the heating element cracked off the pot after 4.5 years of everyday use, but I see the same thing to yours, so it might be the sensor problem i guess
I have the same distiller. I've got what looks and feels like small chips of black rubber or charcoal coming out with my distiller in the water. Any idea what it could be? Please help
The only things that are in contact with the hot water inside are the stainless steel internal pot, the lid, and the silicone seal. I don't think there's anything of black rubber or charcoal inside this distiller. Maybe it came from the outside?
Take your spout apart. Some brands were shipped with an optional charcoal filter that fit in the spout. Your's may have deteriorated. The cooling coil should not have any particulate.
you should really label this vevor water distiller 750w 220v 110v tear down. UPDATE: new units doesn t have a ce sticker at the bottom. can you make an new video showing the infamous air hole in the cooler unit?. need this for my cpap machine and to drink with added minerals.
How is a $400 better than this?. Also, the problem is the bottom is burnt by the time the heat sensor switches off. I just timed how long it takes to do a cycle and set a count down timer on my phone so I switch it off before the water level gets too low.
Eh, those burnt mineral deposits can easily be dissolved with citric acid. Makes the pot perfectly shiny again with practically no scrubbing. I've tried vinegar, but that works too slowly. Citric acid is key.
What narrow pipes? Are you referring to the coil in the head/fan unit? How do you know if that is clogged? Yes, I also have constant shut down problem and I'm trying to debug it. I realized it's related to the switch.
@@dknc7393 The pot sensor has failed if you notice that you can fill the pot up, turn it on and it runs for less than an hour and turns off. Both sensors can be ordered over Ebay and are not hard to replace.
Yup, in fact, you probably want to remove it every so often to replace the activated carbon filter in there every so often. That will eventually get saturated with VOCs or other contaminants and become ineffective, so it's wise to change that out regularly. I just fill one of those tea filter bags with bulk coconut husk charcoal granules once every quarter for peace of mind.
\My Mophorn Pure Water Distiller 750W, Purifier Filter Fully Upgraded with Handle 1.1 Gal /4L, stopped working while plugged in. The unit had tripped the electrical outlet it was plugged into and two other electrical outlets. After watching your video, Teardown: Ebay 1-Gallon Water distiller. What's inside and how it works? , I want to replace the heat sensor. Do you agree? How do I find the part number for the heat sensor?
1. KSD301 or KSDS snap disc manual reset sensor/switch (reset switch) 2. KSD1 135 degree Centigrade snap disc normally close (NC) temp sensor/switch on pot bottom (turns heating coil on and off) The old disk sensor on mine was KSD1 150 C. I replaced it with KSD301 135 C normally close (NC) from Ebay. I think 5 sensors was under 4 dollars even with shipping! Distiller has been running for 2 hours now with no resets!
Well, it's an electric kettle with a very efficient condenser coil on top of it with a high-flow exhaust fan. If you wanna jerry rig a similar contraption on top of your electric kettle, be my guest, but this is purpose built with all the proper silicone gaskets to condense every bit of vapor with hardly any water lost to steam.
It says 120VAC input but anybody try 240VAC on this distiller? Would rather have better balanced 240VAC input when running so many watts for so many hours. Also 240VAC would be better with my solar inverter's output instead of always loading one leg of the home power circuit on just the 120VAC.
Looks like a gallon from this unit would cost me $1.60 today for electricity plus the depreciation value of that unit. Store bought starts to be attractive.
What depreciation? The thing is dead simple to operate and relatively cheap to repair. It's not like this is a car where there's a secondary market for these things.
The units cost 50 to 100$ and have a lifespan of-----? gallons. Put in the numbers and discover that store water which is monitored and tested is the better buy.@@MikeTrieu
This electric distiller uses the power coming from my solar panels. Does it count as a solar distiller? :D I've been producing too much solar power from my system that it starts to make more than we consume. I need a way to utilize this free power or it will go to waste. This is one of the way I use my excess power. I'm very careful when it comes to drinking water. It's not hard to make a solar distiller. But to make one that is safe enough to drink, the materials are very limited to stainless steel and glass. And that makes it challenging and expensive.
This man obviously didn't use that distilled. I have been using distillers for years and particular this one has LOTS of problems believe me. Please buy good brand one, not the cheap like that , unless you want constant headache.
With the lousy quality of these components and the up front cost plus electricity, store bought distilled water is an absolute bargain. Such water is vacuum distilled and requires little energy with less carryover of minerals to the finished product. Also, the heating elements from China are notorious for breaking and for that there is no fix. Just a quick calc in my head, with power @.30 per KW, a gallon costs about $1.60 + which is nearly the cost in the store. The only advantage is NOT having to carry the water and end up with a plastic bottle.
Even at the crazy high price of .30 per KW a gallon would cost at most 90 cents. Nowadays distilled water sells for $1.35 gallon in my area. Cost in my neck of the woods is 36 cents a gallon to make my own.
One can safely assume that the finished quality of commercial water is monitored and would have far less carryover of contaminants than these small Chinese units with such a small condensing unit and without any documentation or certification of finished water quality. Add in the cost of the unit and assumed lifespan and store water is cheaper. @@LaVidaLocaHomie
I love to do it myself to the most extreme repairs. But in this case, my time is better spent buying the certified and monitored store water. I declare chinese bullshit upon this product, and most will be in the landfill after a few hundred gallons of partially distilled water.
