Smart Water Box: An Honest Review

A while back, I kept running into the same problem every summer. I felt like I didn’t have a reliable water source in case of an emergency. My rain barrels would run dry by the middle of July, the creek would get low, and the only thing left coming out of the hose was treated town water that my seedlings hate. It was clear that I needed to do something…

I started to panic a little bit and this is why I went looking for a way to make my own clean water without depending on the rain that wasn’t falling. That search is how I landed on something called the Smart Water Box. I bought it, I built it, and now I want to tell you what that was like.

What You’re Actually Buying

The Smart Water Box is modeled after the same atmospheric water generator (AWG) technology the military uses in remote deployments where there’s zero access to clean water.

Now, a commercial AWG unit runs anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 or more depending on the size. That’s a serious investment. This guide gives you the blueprint to build your own version for a fraction of that cost and the guide itself costs less than a large pizza and a couple of drinks on a Friday night.

So, what you get inside:

• Full blueprints for the Smart Water Box.
• Step-by-step written instructions in PDF format.
• A complete video assembly walkthrough.

At first I was disappointed because I wanted the physical book, but after I gave it a second thought, I realized that getting these instructions as a PDF is so much more profitable. In reality, if I were to get this project as a fancy hardcover book, the price would have been higher.

Also, when you buy the physical book, besides paying for shipping, you also have to wait for the book to be delivered. On the other hand, for this digital guide, you get instant access to both the PDF file with the instructions and the video. Just one click and the next second I had everything I needed.

For the whole package I got when I bought the Smart Water Box, I paid a fair price and got the chance to build a device that produces water even when there is an ongoing drought. Then I made my own physical copy. I simply printed the whole thing for $2. That’s all I had to do!

Even though this might look like a simple PDF, keep in mind that these instructions help you create a valuable device that will help you produce water for years. This means you’ll have water on demand no matter what and also this helps you save all the money you would have paid for water bills.

Once you have the plans, you can use them to build this device however you want. This means that if you want to build something bigger that produces even more water, you are free to do that. The freedom it offers you is a real perk. Maybe you have an idea to make it work even better and since you’ve built it with your own hands, you can also be the one modifying it.

How the Smart Water Box Works

How this device works is simple. Imagine it as a dehumidifier. This is the DIY version of a dehumidifier you can build yourself on your homestead. If you’re wondering why not simply buy a dehumidifier and use that, well, this one is designed to be used in your backyard.

The dehumidifiers you find on Amazon or in most stores are meant to be used inside your home. They don’t have cables long enough to reach outside and they are not designed to gather large quantities of water. Because of this, if you were to somehow use them outside, you would need to empty the water bucket once every 2 hours.

Even more, if a storage-bought dehumidifier breaks down and you want to repair it at home, you’ll need to take out a lot of cash from your pocket. Why? Because the big companies that produced them want to take advantage of this and they are the only ones providing replacement parts, so you are forced to buy the parts from them and pay a fortune. 

Now, if you decide to build the Smart Water Box, you are the one building it and you can source the parts from wherever you want. Think of this as a long term investment.

Also, with this one, you have the advantage of being able to upgrade it however you want. If you want to make it produce more water, all you have to do is scale it up, and you’ll have more water. 

Ok, now on how it works:

• The Smart Water Box pulls moisture right out of the air and turns it into liquid water. There’s a little electric part inside that gets cold enough that the humidity in the air condenses on it, the same way a glass of iced tea sweats on a hot summer day.
• The water drips down, collects in an insulated box at the bottom, and comes out a little spigot when you want it.
• A small fan and pump keep the air and water moving so it all works together.
• Since it relies on humidity that’s already in the air, it pulls water straight out of thin air. It doesn’t need rain, a well, or any other water source.

Imagine that sticky humidity that sometimes makes it hard to breathe – why not take advantage of it? This is exactly what this device does. The more humidity in the air, the better.

See it as an extra helper on your homestead. I mentioned that it doesn’t need rain to work, but if it rains and there’s more humidity in the air, the Smart Water Box will simply produce more water. This means that if you already have a rainwater catchment system, this device will add some extra gallons to your reserve.

Depending on the humidity where you live, most people building the standard version see somewhere between half a gallon and two gallons a day, with muggy summer conditions on the high end and dry, cool days on the low end.

The Guide and The Materials List

When I received the guide, I was not expecting much, but to my surprise, this is an 85-page-long guide full of diagrams and images, so that literally ANYONE can build it. The first pages explain the physics behind how the device works. Next, the guide offers you some design examples and also the mounting method and guidelines. 

“The fun part” starts on page 13, where you can find the tool list and also a list of all the materials you need. Regarding the materials, I want you to know that I didn’t need to make any trips to the store because I could find everything I needed on Amazon. This is also what the creators of this device had in mind: to make it as accessible as possible. They are the same folks behind a handful of other homestead build guides I’d seen floating around before, and from what I could find, thousands of people have already put this specific design together. If you ask me, they did a pretty good job. 

Once you are done with the materials, the guide offers you some very detailed drawings of the building instructions. Both the diagrams of the materials you use and the whole set of plans for the step-by-step instructions are structured very well.

I’ll show you an example in the video below:

Most of it is stuff you’d recognize. There’s a good bit of PVC pipe in a few sizes, some elbow and T-shaped fittings, an insulated box, a small water faucet like you’d put on a rain barrel, a little pump, a fan, some copper tubing, clear hose, the cooling parts, and the usual odds and ends like screws, silicone sealant, thread tape, and zip ties. 

What I appreciated is that the list doesn’t just say “PVC pipe” and leave you guessing the rest. Every piece has its exact length and diameter spelled out, with a drawing showing you what it should look like. 

Putting It Together

This is the part where I was most nervous. But everything went out smoothly. I set aside a weekend, figuring it would eat both days. It didn’t. The guide breaks the whole build into clear steps, each one with a drawing and a short comment telling you exactly what you’re doing and why. 

Also, what actually helped me the most with the building part was the included video. In this video below, you can see someone build this device in incredible detail. Imagine it like you’re in the same room with someone building it.

And when I tell you these people were careful to cover everything, I want to tell you that the video is almost two hours long. This is approximately the time it will also take you to build it. 

Does It Actually Work?

Yes, it works. But I want to tell you more about what “works” looked like for me so you can know if this is the right device for you or not. 

I want to start by telling you that this is not a faucet. This is not going to fill a stock tank in an afternoon. But what this DIY device does is steadily produce clean water out of thin air, day after day, with no rain, no well, and no effort. Imagine this as a steady and reliable solution that fits perfectly on any homestead. When there’s nothing producing water, there’s the Smart Water Box. 

Here’s the final result of the project:

Quick note: One thing worth knowing going in – like anything that collects standing water, the box needs a quick clean every few weeks, just a rinse and a wipe down, to keep it from growing anything you don’t want in there. Takes me about five minutes and it’s part of the guide, but I’d rather you hear it now than be surprised later.

On a warm, humid day, it does its best work because there’s more moisture in the air for it to pull from. On a dry, cool day, it slows down. That’s just the nature of pulling water from air, and the more humid your climate, the happier you’ll be with it. 

For me, having a steady trickle of clean water that doesn’t depend on the sky is the whole point. When my barrels run dry in late summer, this keeps my seedlings and my sensitive plants drinking the soft, clean water they actually want instead of the hard town water that builds up salt in my garden beds. 

So, considering how important water is, especially in the summer, I managed to get a very good discount for the Ask a Prepper community. Many of you need to have alternative water solutions on your property and this device is a practical and safe solution.

If you are interested, click on the banner below for a preview of the project + a deal you cannot refuse:

At first I disliked the idea of buying instructions instead of a finished product, but once I opened the guidebook I realized this was a serious device.

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