Is Rain Barrel Water Safe To Drink

While collected rainwater is high quality water it has been exposed to anything that s on your roof.

Is rain barrel water safe to drink.

Here are some things to consider before you install a rain barrel. Another fact that household must be aware of is the fact that empty plastic containers are usually not constructed of food grade plastic so they are considered unsafe for storing consumable products. For emergency or short term use of rain barrel water for drinking boiling is the best way to purify it because boiling kills viruses parasites and bacteria that cause diarrhea. Since you have algae build up the barrel doesn t get fully drained and replenished and gets stagnant.

It has long been cautioned that people should not use water collected in a rain barrel for drinking water or for watering plants that you plan to eat. In fact it s been linked with disease outbreaks according to the centers for disease control and prevention cdc. Most rainwater is safe to drink. The problem with rain water is with the collection and the storage.

Because most rain water collection systems are not intended for drinking they are not good at preventing contamination. When we are putting in drinking water systems from rainwater tanks we generally install a two stage sediment filtration system starting with a 20 micron filter followed by a 5. If it s an open top barrel it s subject to getting all kinds of contaminants. The reason is that the barrel may contain bacteria or unwanted chemicals that combine with the water as it runs off the roof.

You can t drink it without treating it first. Actually rainwater is the water supply for much of the world s population. These are the reasons why drinking rain barrel water is not recommended unless your installed rain barrels had sophisticated purification and filtration system. Using a rain barrel is situational and other than a vitamin supplement mix i m hesitant to add anything to their drinking water.

Stored rainwater has similar bacterial load to a creek or stream in nature. Rain water that is safe for drinking. The good news is it s easy to treat rainwater for safe drinking. The levels of pollution pollen mold and other contaminants are low possibly lower than your public drinking water supply.

Cisterns that are intended for drinking water should be properly maintained 8 11. Let s look at the first stage of rain water collection. This may make the treated water less safe. In ohio all rainwater systems that are used for drinking water must be filtered down to at least 5 microns which is small enough to filter out cysts from the water.

The water isn t safe to drink. Making rain barrel water safe for vegetable gardens. Remember it comes off a roof so it may contain bits of asphalt roofing chemicals.