If you live next to an airport, busy road or a nasty factory, then I would worry, particularly if it doesn't rain frequently. If none of these apply, I would just empty the rainwater out if it's not been raining for a long while.2wheelsx2 wrote:I've talked about doing this, but am always concerned about pollutants in the air. Do you have a diverter which doesn't fill the tank until after it's rained for a while?
No, but the tube between the gutter downspout and the rain barrel just pops on and off.Do you have a diverter which doesn't fill the tank until after it's rained for a while?
A standard US shingle roof. I have no idea what it is made of, but it is several years old.What kind of roofing do you have on your house/garage?
But the whole reason for using these type of compounds is that they are waterproof - so not much of it should run off into the water, unless it's VERY freshly laid.kruseman wrote:The reason I asked was indeed some concerns I had about bitumen/asphalt shingels here in Holland contain.
Same here, I've got storage for about 1300 litres of "poor mans RO" all together. I've used it for over 20 years and I've never had any problem. I live about 10 miles east of Bath in the UK, where our tap water is good quality, but hard (17dKH).Poor man's RO unit. Produces 57 gallon of RO water per day...when it rains
All you had to say was "potomac". lolShane wrote:No, but the tube between the gutter downspout and the rain barrel just pops on and off.Do you have a diverter which doesn't fill the tank until after it's rained for a while?
A standard US shingle roof. I have no idea what it is made of, but it is several years old.What kind of roofing do you have on your house/garage?
I understand the concerns people have, but I have been using rain water for 20 years without an issue. I am far more concerned with what comes out of my tap (pH 7.6, GH 9, KH 5, chloramine treated, flouride added) from the Potomac river than what comes off the roof.
-Shane
PS I agree with Mats' above advice. I would not try this if you live next to an airport, freeway, or factory.
Depends on what the pollutants are. For example nitrous oxide, which will make nitrate when mixed with water, is not captured by carbon, nor do I believe for example jet fuel would be - but perhaps some of the burn-off products of jet fuel is. Heavy metals are, so if you live next to some heavy industry that leaves a load of soot and grime, perhaps. If there is "visible" pollution, you may also want to use a particle filter of some sort (similar to what goes before an RO unit).exasperatus2002 wrote:If, air pollution was a concern, couldnt it be filtered thru carbon?
Like the "carbon" above, it very much depends on what you are trying to remove. I don't know EXACTLY what Seachem prime contains (or any of the other similar products). But I think to a large degree, aside from chlorine, these products are more related to scaremongering about removing "hevay metals" and such things. There shouldn't be much heavy metals in your water - if there is, don't drink it! There CERTAINLY shouldn't be much heavy metals in the rainwater, or you shouldn't use it [even if you can remove the heavy metals themselves, other compounds are likely to remain].N0body Of The Goat wrote:Would there be any value in treating the rainwater with Seachem Prime, to remove any "nasties" that may be in the water?
I don't see a problem with collecting rainwater - other than the supply varies depending on rainfall, which can be tricky to deal with...We recently had our water useage changed to metered (rather than a set monthly fee related to the value of the house/flat) and while I've had three broods of Steatocranus casuarius and Ilyodon xantusi raised in Southampton's hard alkaline tap water (ph 8-8.2; kH 11; gH 13/14), I'd love to see some of my Micro/Synodontis or my Ctenopoma acutirostre spawn, by mixing the tap water with some rainwater.
Thanks of the input Mats. I was just worried there may be some sort of problem like with resins from some trees and such. And yes, the filtration prior to use is probably a good idea.MatsP wrote:Doubt pollen is bad for the fish, but again, you can filter it through some filter floss or a particle filter cartridge like those used for RO systems.
That's a given there. I'd flush them all out every week before collecting if I were doing this.racoll wrote:I wouldn't be so concerned with airborne pollution, but rather what lurks in the gutters: bird faeces, microorganisms, decomposing leaves, algae, general organic sludge etc.
I guess it would depend on the overall cleanliness of the gutters, but could certainly have the potential to reduce water quality if they were pretty clogged up.
I almost wrote "Polutomac" but was not sure everyone would get it.All you had to say was "potomac". lol
Ha! Good one. There are some pretty good amalgamations of words out there. One of my favorites is "diabesity".Shane wrote:I almost wrote "Polutomac"
Absolutely perfect, all of those rainy days (and snow) will very effectively remove all aerosols from your rain-water, and I would be very surprised if you have any more than 10MicroS conductivity of solutes in your rain water. We don't get much snow here, but big wet flakes of snow are a brilliant for cleaning the air up, and the only time my rain water has been anything near pure H2O was after the snow in 2010/11. <http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 3&p=207735>.It's not so bad in my area, because I essentially live a northern rainforest (Vancouver, Canada), where it rains 250+ days a year, but drizzling rain.
This is one of the reasons for having 2 water butts linked together with a tap, you can drain and clean the butt linked to the diverter, without losing all of your water. The second butt, from which you draw the water, always remains free of organic debris.I wouldn't be so concerned with airborne pollution, but rather what lurks in the gutters: bird faeces, microorganisms, decomposing leaves, algae, general organic sludge etc.
I guess it would depend on the overall cleanliness of the gutters, but could certainly have the potential to reduce water quality if they were pretty clogged up.