U.S. Water News Online
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. -- Imagine creating crystal-pure water out of thin air.
It's being done now in the office of Grand Junction businessman Tim Stubbs.
Stubbs believes the invention, called a Vapaire, will improve drinking water supplies for people throughout the world.
The Vapaire is an innocuous-looking machine the size of a typical water dispenser. It offers two options: cold water for a summer refreshment or hot water for a cup of tea.
It quietly hums, much like a water cooler.
The hum collects water from the ambient humidity while purifying the air at the same time. Thick, humid air of the Midwest or East Coast works better than the dry air of western Colorado.
Still, Stubbs said, the Vapaire can collect up to five gallons daily of pure water here in Grand Junction during certain times of the year.
The novel idea is a modified version of a dehumidifier.
Often found in humid areas, dehumidifiers do just that -- they extract water vapor from the air. Typically, people who operate dehumidifiers need to empty slimy water every day from the machines.
The Vapaire adds several filters to a similar process -- it cleans the air and makes the water drinkable.
San Antonio resident Terry LeBleu invented the machine in the 1980s and brought the idea to Salt Lake City businessmen Doug Lloyd and Steve Thomsen.
``We were so taken by the idea that we solicited Sigfried Biere,'' an engineer who further refined the Vapaire's design, Thomsen said.
Lloyd recently visited the Korean factory where the first 60 Vapaires to be sold on the open market rolled off the assembly line. All of those machines have been sold.
One of the first Vapaires manufactured sits in Stubbs' office.
Stubbs, who owns businesses in Grand Junction and Salt Lake City, became acquainted with Thomsen and Lloyd in Utah. The duo hired Stubbs and his partner, Lindsey Coleman, to sell Vapaires in the United States and Mexico through their Pure Water Solutions distributorship.
Stubbs touts the machine as providing a healthier alternative to bottled and tap water for U.S. markets. The cost for electricity and air filters for a Vapaire comes to about $18 a month, Stubbs said.
It is believed the Vapaire can help people who live in Third World countries, where water sources are either scarce or impure.
``This could have a real positive impact worldwide,'' Stubbs said.
``We want to help people who hike five miles a day for water with jugs on their heads,'' he said. ``It's the evolution of water.''
Groundwater and surface water sources in developed countries can contain impurities from gasoline, oil, pesticides, herbicides and other pollution, Stubbs said.
The water in the Vapaire is so pure because air must travel through two air filters before being collected in a vessel inside the machine, Stubbs said. There, the water is further filtered.
Stubbs and others plan to market the machine to people who have diseases that require them to drink pure water.
``With bottled water, the only thing you can be sure of is that you're getting water in a bottle,'' Stubbs said.
``There is not anything else like this available.''
Return to the U.S. Water News Archives page Or Return to the U.S. Water News Homepage
Editor@uswaternews.com
*Your Name:
*Your Email:
*Friend's Email:
Use a comma to separate e-mail addresses:
*Your Comments:
Hi, I thought you might like to read this article.
*Required Fields