Getting water out of thin air sounds impossible. Chris Olsen checks out a machine that does just that at this year's PNE.

It was first invented by a North Vancouver man more than 20 years ago. Now, after years of research and development the" Watair" is on sale for the first time in British Columbia.

The Watair Atmospheric Water Generator takes our moist air and condenses the water out of it.

"It's no different than when you take a cold drink out of the fridge and you put it on your counter and you get that puddle of water under there. That's basically the concept that we are using," Trevor Bentley of Watair said.

The more humid the climate the better, so it works well on the coast but may not work year round in some areas of the Interior.

"Now in Kamloops it's not going to work as well all the time," Bentley said. "It will work sometimes. You are just not going to get the yield year round."

Here's how it works. Moist air is drawn in through a filter where it condenses. The local distributor, Judi Gimenez, says the water is then collected and run through a series of filters before being sterilized by ultraviolet light.

"This system will also re-circulate that water every six hours so no water is ever sitting stagnant," Gimenez said.

The units aren't cheap. They cost $1,500, but the company claims it can generate pure water for about two cents per litre including power and changing filters.

CTV News asked fair goers how it tastes.

One woman noted that it tasted good and she preferred it to the bottled water she was carrying.

"This is better, way better," she said.

But not everyone is sold on the idea, even if it has the added benefit of lowering the humidity in your home.

"We get pretty good water in Vancouver, so I'm not sure I want to pay extra to get some extra water," one man said.

The Watair holds up to 14 litres of water and can make up to 24 litres per day. It can even hold a litre of nearly boiling water for any hot drinks you like to make. Some people think that sounds pretty good on a day we're hearing about e-coli in a local water system. Finally, if you've been paying for bottled water this would eliminate the need for that.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen