Hi Mike,
Water purification by boiling:
Maintaining boiling temperature for sufficient time will kill most bacteria in the water - other impurities will remain.
To remove impurities such as detergent, distillation is required. The steam from the water is collected and condensesd to 'distilled water'. The impurities remain in the undistilled water.
Within the Steamate the only (incomplete) distilation that takes place is the condensation within the expansion chamber, and this water is no longer part of the solution run.
The water within the Steamate does not boil even at 110 C due to the pressure within the unit but turns to steam only when it exits the jets into atmospheric pressure.
John.