Patent ID: 7368040

Claim:
A method of heating fluid and distilling fluid comprising: heating a first fluid in a main tank by means of a main gas heater including a pilot light for heating said main tank; passing said first fluid to said main tank by means of a condensing tank; vaporizing a second fluid received within an evaporator tank, and heating said second fluid received within said evaporator tank by means of said pilot light; exchanging heat between said second fluid vaporized by said evaporator tank and said first fluid in said condensing tank by means of a condensing coil disposed in said condensing tank; and providing a distillate tank for receiving distilled fluid from said condensing coil; wherein heating said second fluid in said evaporator tank by means of said pilot light further occurs when a level in said distillate tank equals or exceeds a level in a delaying float bowl tank for thereby substantially continuously allowing second fluid in said evaporator tank to be heated and vaporized, for providing distilled fluid and further substantially continuously allowing first fluid in said main tank to be heated by serving as a substantially constant source of energy for igniting gas for said main gas heater, said method further comprising regulating fluid flow to said evaporator tank according to an amount of fluid in the delaying float bowl tank with a first fluid flow regulator, and regulating fluid flow to said evaporator tank according to an amount of distilled fluid in said distillate tank with a second fluid flow regulator.