7 News Features: Water from air

WSVN -- Movie: "What I really need is a droid who understands the binary language of moisture evaporators."

In the movies, making water from thin air was once science fiction, but now in South Florida, the fiction is a fact.

James Spencer: "You plug it in the wall, you flick the on switch, and in about two minutes it starts making water."

The Spencer family has a water generator right in their kitchen, pulling water vapor from the air and giving them plenty to drink.

James Spencer: "The water is incredible. Good tasting. Actually, I enjoy that water better than the taste of bottled water."

This machine makes five gallons of drinking water a day.

Richard Groden, President of Island Sky: "The water in the air is abundant, and all you have to do is go get it."

Richard Groden's company created the device when he was working on an island in the Caribbean that had to ship in its drinking water.

Richard Groden: "I've had a lot of people say that to me, 'Wow, this is so simple, why didn't I think of that?'"

So simple. Extracting the water from our humid air, then filtering and sanitizing it.

Philip Verruto, Water Pure International: "Our slogan is 'Water from air, it's always there.'"

Philip Verruto founded a company that sells another water-producing machine. A machine that he says is not only nice, It's becoming a necessity.

Philip Verruto: "Here, in the United States, we're getting news everyday of water shortages, serious water problems that are now affecting us here in our country. We've been cognizant of it happening in third world environments, but now it's struck home, and it's time for us to really do something about it."

The machines are not cheap, costing about $1500, but the makers say, since it eliminates the need for bottled water, it pays for itself within a year. By eliminating the need for bottled water, it helps the environment.

"Bottled water leaves the bottles. They have to be disposed of. They fill up the landfills, and bottled water is expensive to transport."

Not only are the machines being targeted for homes, they are also being sold to offices.

Maggie Hodges: "They were a little afraid of the technology originally."

Now, when people gather around the water cooler at Incredible Discoveries, the topic is sometimes the water cooler.

Maggie Hodges: "The taste has been phenomenal. Everyone has been very positive about how it's tasted."

Most of the machines sold today make five gallons of drinking water a day. Groden also has a machine that will eliminate city and county water bills completely.

It'll produce up to 300 gallons of water in those conditions. The average household uses somewhere around 250 gallons of water a day, so it would provide enough water for the entire house.

"I'll be the first kid on the block to get that one also."

Spencer is one of the early customers who is happy he invested in the machine. In part because his family is happy.

Jameris Spencer: "It was really good. It was a lot better than regular water. It actually has its own distinct taste to it, so I like it."

They say money doesn't grow on trees. But be patient because whoever thought they could make water appear out of thin air?

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Island Sky
Water Making Machines
www.islandsky.com

Water Pure International
www.waterpureinternational.com