Can you drink rainwater?

Resilience, Emergency Water Back Up, Independence.  AQUALOOP 

Have you ever wondered whether or not it's safe to drink rain water? The short answer is: Yes!

Here's a look at when it's not safe to drink rain water,  and what you can do to make it safer for human consumption.

When You Shouldn't Drink Rain Water

Rain passes through the atmosphere before falling to the ground, so it can pick up any contaminants in the air. Now most of NZ is pretty safe in regards to contaminants, but it's not a great idea to drink rain water falling near chemical plants or near the plumes of power plants, paper mills, etc.

Rain Water That Is Safe for Drinking

Most rain water is safe to drink. Actually, rain water is the water supply for much of the world's population and around 15 - 20% of New Zealander are relying on it.

The levels of pollution, pollen, mold, and other contaminants are low -- possibly lower than your public drinking water supply. Keep in mind, rain does pick up low levels of bacteria as well as dust and occasional insect parts, so you may want to treat rain water before drinking it.

Making Rain Water Safe

Roof

If you intend to build, select a roofing and gutter material that is neutral, non toxic and easy to clean. If you have an existing roof have a look at it and your gutter, a painted roof could leach out toxic components, asbestos is a no go. More info regarding roofs available from the following website:  http://www.level.org.nz/water/water-supply/mains-or-rainwater/harvesting-rainwater/

Filtration and Water Treatment

We recommend to pre-filter the rainwater before it enters the tank. Leaves and coarse particles will be hold back, thus minimizing the build-up of sediment on the bottom of the tank. A calmed inlet to avoid that the incoming rainwater is disturbing the sediment is also a must.

  PURAIN PR100 Rainwater Filter

A ultra filtration system treats the water further and ensures that the treated rainwater is safe for consumption.

AQUALOOP Water Treatment System

Eliminates 99.9999% of all bacteria and 99.7 of all viruses, 0.2 micron filter (0.0002mm), life expectancy 10 years.

The AQUALOOP System was tested by Rainwater Harvesting Centre at Massey University in Wellington. No e-coli and coliform passed the filter even with high amounts of them.

In general is it easy to make your rainwater potable, we have the right knowledge and gear for it. Having a system like this ensures that you have a water supply that is without chemicals, bacteria and available in emergency situations.

More info under:

https://aloaqua.co.nz/collections/rainwater-harvesting-systems