Can You Drink Rainwater? Is There Seriously Anything To Be Worried About?
Most people don't drink rainwater in America as their normal source of drinking water because they have tap water. Many wonder if it's acceptable to drink rain water. The concern might be because one is making a backup plan to have other sources of drinkable water for a disaster or survival situation or even because they distrust their local tap water. Actually, collecting and properly storing rain water is a great idea, especially as a water back-up for your survival in the event of any type of disaster.
For the most part is it safe to drink your rain water if you run it through a commercial purification and filtering device. Get a high quality purifier and most rain water will be perfectly safe to drink.
What Can Make Rainwater Turn Bad?
If you let it sit for days, quite a few problems can occur. It's important to not store rain water for too long if you are going to use it to drink. You can get away with a few drops of chlorine in the water to make it last an extra few days, but it's best to use the freshest water. Another thing that can make rain water go bad are the surfaces the water runs over. At times there can be fecal matter from birds or other animals than can contaminate the water and potentially make you very sick.
Every area is a bit different so if you are concerned about the quality you need to test the water. Get your tap water tested, your rain water tested, and your purified rainwater tested. This will show you what is in each source of water and how good your purification system is.
If you are doing this for survival, get a quality filter and make sure you know how to use it. If you aren't sure about the quality of the water, boil then purify and that should take care of most problems.
Some wonder if you can drink rainwater. With proper filters and purification devices it should be something you can do in most places.