Can you drink rainwater?
Yes, rainwater can be safe to drink, but water collected from a roof needs to be handled and treated properly before it is used as drinking water. Learn what you should consider.
Wondering if you can drink rainwater?
Yes, rainwater can be used as drinking water if it is properly treated and tested. Water collected from a roof, however, should not be consumed directly without treatment.
As rainwater flows over roofs, gutters, downspouts, and other materials, it can pick up dirt, particles, pollen, bird droppings, and other contaminants.
RainTact shows how much rainwater your roof can collect
With RainTact, you can calculate how much rainwater a specific roof can collect.
You enter the location, roof area, and roofing material. RainTact uses historical precipitation data together with its own calculation engine and shows results for both the year and individual months.
The roof affects water quality
The more materials and contaminants the rainwater comes into contact with, the greater the need for treatment.
Roofing material, the condition of the roof, leaves, dust, pollen, and bird droppings can all affect the water. A clean and well-maintained roof therefore provides better conditions than a heavily soiled one.
Filters can treat the water automatically
A rainwater system can be designed so that much of the filtration happens automatically.
Filters can be installed at or near the tank to capture particles and dirt. The water can then pass through additional treatment stages before it is used.
The tank should also be protected from dirt, animals, and sunlight, and cleaned when necessary.
Drinking water requires more than a basic filter
A simple particle filter does not automatically make rainwater safe to drink.
If the water is going to be used as drinking water, microorganisms and other possible contaminants also need to be addressed. Water quality should therefore be checked through testing, and the system should be adjusted based on the results.