Is Self Collected Rainwater Safe to Drink?

The debate about whether self collected rainwater is safe to drink has been going on for a long time.

Looking on online message boards, you will find some who claim that their families have been drinking rain water for decades with no ill effects, while there are detailed scientific journals that warn us that rain water is not safe to drink.

So Who are You to Believe When it comes to Self Collected Rainwater Safety?

The truth is that there are several factors that you have to take into account.

The first is the level of pollution in the specific area where the rain water is collected. In many big cities, for example, there is plenty of evidence of acid rain – as rain comes down it  mixes with elements that render it acidic enough to corrode solid structures.

This kind of rainwater is obviously not safe to drink. If, however, you live in a relatively rural setting far away from pollution sources rainwater may be safe to drink.

The other factor to take into account is the kind of tank that the water is stored in. There are two main types of tanks that are used to collect rain water – concrete and plastic UV resistant tanks.

Concrete tanks are not the best as over time micro-organisms develop on the walls of these tanks and end up in your tap water. These tanks are also extremely hard to clean.

Galvanized plastic UV tanks tend to be safer in both these respects and since they are designed to be replaced every few years it is unlikely that enough micro-organisms will develop to adversely affect health.

Whether the tank is open or closed also matters. An open tank is not recommended. If you plan on installing a rainwater tank it is best to invest in one that is covered.

If your mind is made up about drinking rain water there is two additional steps that you can take to make sure that it is completely safe.

Step 1, boil the water.
Step 2, you can use a water filter jug from ZeroWater to trap many dangerous metals and contaminants that may have made their way into the system.

We have created a comparative list here as to what ZeroWater water filter jugs remove.

Our water filter jugs do not cost much, depending on how much water you plan to filter.

If you only want to filter your drinking water a jug that costs less than £25 will work for a few years. All you need to do is change the filter every month or so.

You can find out more on how ZeroWater water filter jugs work on our website here: