My journey into the world of water began with my first realization of the reality of water scarcity. In 2010, my parents started an olive oil farm near Los Angeles with 14 acres of young olive trees. But before their first harvest, they received a letter from the state of California that read: good Water may be limited due to drought. it was Awakening It was a call that threatened their health.
Early the next morning, while walking the dog, I noticed that the blades of grass were covered with dew that shone like prisms. water! From nothing. We thought there must be a way to take advantage of this natural process. I built countless prototypes to find a way to reliably, cheaply, and as safely as possible extract water from the sky.
I discovered that water vapor can be captured from the air and converted into drinking water. Early designs were large, heavy, ugly, expensive, and produced a lot of water. Although progress was slow, I felt like I was onto something. So I founded DewGood, the first company to explore a new source of drinking water for humanity.
reality bites
A closer look at the world of water reveals that the problem is much more serious than just a lack of agricultural or drinking water. The world once again had a water crisis. quality. All of us who grew up in this country believed that clean, safe tap water was a God-given right, but that was a myth.
Case in point: I attended the Water Unity Festival in Flint, Michigan.“ There I met a mother who had lost two sons to lead poisoning from Flint’s water system. This was so shocking that it cheered me up to the core. I no longer question humanity’s deep need for pure water where it is needed. I focused on producing water for my own consumption.
They struggled to achieve commercial success because each machine was expensive to manufacture and still fairly large. I met my partner in 2019, Tyler Brereton, by chance. Tyler saw great potential in water harvesting technology. We realized, “If only we could make it cool.” TEsra,“ Water-making appliances can take up space in your kitchen. Together, we evolved DewGood into a new company focused on appliance manufacturing. spout water.
Dialogue with our customers has given us clear direction. Many people were concerned about using plastic bottles and wanted something that was higher quality than tap water, but without the cost and complexity of water delivery. Our mission was focused on building equipment that provides the highest quality water free of contaminants and using sustainable methods that do not deplete natural resources. We wanted to end the tyranny of plastic bottles and designed a countertop device that fits effortlessly into people’s lives. Access to pure water should be easy, wasteful, and enjoyable.
From concept to product
We introduced a spout monolith that can produce 2.5 gallons of fresh water daily from the air in a customer’s home. People reacted to this device as if it were magic. It turns out that most people understand that there is moisture in the air. Few people imagined that it would be possible to produce gallons of great-tasting water a day. As Arthur C. Clarke observed, sufficiently advanced technology can seem like magic.
With these encouraging signals, the Spout team set out to further improve the product by offering better functionality and a sleeker look. Fred Bould, who designed the Nest Thermostat, partnered with us to create an elegant, highly functional appliance that is the center of freshness in every modern home.
Meanwhile, the world’s water problems continued to worsen. The reservoir continued It dries up when there isn’t enough left.. 500 billion plastic bottles It is used all over the world every year. only Approximately 9% It has been successfully recycled. on the other hand, News about microplastics Our food, water, bodies, and even the bodies of our fetuses continued to deteriorate.
inside a plastic bottle
Curious and wanting to better understand where these microplastics are getting into our water, I took a very close look at a plastic water bottle with a powerful Leica DIC microscope. . What I found was quite shocking.
When viewed under 400x magnification, it looks smooth and shiny, but it’s clumpy and gross, filled with tiny microplastics. It was also clear that these small pieces of plastic often come from the way the bottles are made. This is what I saw.
- Small cracks caused by stress during manufacturing.
- Cutting or trimming a bottle leaves behind loose pieces of microplastic.
- Remnants of chemicals used to keep the plastic from sticking to the mold.
- Small irregularities and depressions on the inner surface of the bottle can cause microplastics to flake off due to uneven cooling.
- Degradation particles produced as additives, colorants, and stabilizers in plastics break down during use.
- Dirt and debris introduced during manufacturing can contaminate the water inside the bottle.
We knew we needed to test the spout water to ensure that the water our machine produced was a reliable alternative to bottled or tap water. We engaged Hydronomy, a reputable third-party laboratory, to conduct comprehensive testing of our water samples. You can test your water by mail using Hydronomy simple lab service.
spout provides
Our tests with SimpleLab focused on high-density polyethylene (Plastic #2), which is commonly used in household products such as bottles and bags. High-density polyethylene microplastics can carry toxic chemicals and pathogens, which can pose serious health risks, including hormonal disruption and increased cancer risk.
SimpleLab analyzed microplastics in spout water across a range of sizes from 10 to 5000 micrometers. This is approximately the size of a single red blood cell to a small pebble. The results were clear and conclusive. No microplastics or PFAS were detected in spout water across all size categories (See full test results here).
We believe the results of this study prove that Spout’s advanced filtration process can effectively remove even the smallest plastic particles, ensuring our customers receive the highest quality water. To put this into perspective, a recent study by Orb Media found that: 83% of tap water samples worldwide Contains microplastic fibers Pollution rate in the US reaches 94%. When spout water is tested under the same conditions as regular tap water, it can outperform 93% of samples from U.S. water systems.
By ensuring that spout water is free of these harmful microplastics and chemicals, we hope to provide humanity with a healthier alternative, the purest and safest water possible. I am. Think of the spout monolith as a private water well that can be installed in any kitchen. in In larger formats on rooftops and on farms, we provide everyone on the planet with a safe, secure, pure and unlimited source of delicious water.
About the author
Reuben Vollmer is CEO and co-founder. spout water. He was born and raised in California. Learn more about Spout and reserve your machine here. spoutwater.com. Use discount code MITCH911 to get $100 off.
