Abstract: A desalination system employs vacuum to evaporate heated water through a separator material. The evaporated water is then passed through a heat exchanger wherein the heat is exchanged with an inflow of water to the system to heat the incoming water and greatly increase the overall system efficiency. The incoming water heated in the heat exchanger may then be passed to a heater to further heat the water before being provided to an evaporator. A vacuum is drawn across a separator material in the evaporator to produce evaporated water vapor that is purified. This water vapor is then provided to the heat exchanger, wherein the water vapor is condensed and the incoming water is heated. An ozone disinfecting system may produce ozone that is mixed with the condensed water to produce a purified and disinfected water that is suitable for consumption.