Roofing for drinking water collection?
Posted by SMB-1988@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 12 comments
I'm building a roof for my chicken's fenced area. Repurposing old plywood to keep this a minimal cost project. I have a water barrel that I'd like to fill with run-off from this roof for collecting rainwater. I'm wondering if there's a type of paint I can use to protect the wood and keep it safe for drinking/gardening? Shingles aren't ideal for drinking water, and metal roofing is way out of my budget currently. I thought about a tarp but I'd like it to look nicer if possible. Any advice? I'm currently thinking I'll do a tarp until I can spring for metal roofing but I'd like something more permanent from the get-go if possible.
hornetmadness79@reddit
I would be particularly worried about the water being contaminated by chicken feces
SMB-1988@reddit (OP)
The chickens don’t go on the roof. They are contained to the fenced area under it.
SgtPrepper@reddit
It's a really tricky prospect. You'd need non-toxic shingles, a way to filter any debris, and even then some sort of random bird poop or caterpillar off a tree could fall on the roof and end up in your collection barrel.
On the other hand you could certainly use the water for gardening, toilets, and any non-potable needs you might have.
smokeymcdugen@reddit
Could do an epoxy on top of staining or painting it.
I would recommend a setup where the first bit of runoff is discarded, so dirt, insects, and bird droppings have a good chance of not being included.
Dragnet714@reddit
How does one do that? Sounds complicated.
Cute-Consequence-184@reddit
Be sure to have a bypass spout so the first part of the rain is discarded
ommnian@reddit
Just go buy a few sheets of metal or plastic roofing. Ours has the clear plastic rooftop stuff which was pretty damned cheap.
SacredGremlin@reddit
What about corrugated PVC panels or the equivalent?
MrHmuriy@reddit
I collect rainwater to water my garden. But I don't really want to use it for drinking - I don't live in the desert, and even water from a shallow well, which is only used for watering, is probably cleaner than water from the roof.
AdditionalAd9794@reddit
In my opinion shingles are fine, especially for gardening. I would disregard this idea that one roof material might be better than the next. Treat the water regardless as if it were dirty, secure means to purifiers and filter.
Just my personal thoughts, even if you do have a metal or epoxy roof or whatever. There's too much potential for unforseen by you contamination
Relative_Ad_750@reddit
It’s one thing to use the water for gardening, quite another to drink it. You’ll need some serious filtration and probably some chemical treatment of some sort to make it safe to drink due to the bird poop and other junk that will collect on the roof.
Traditional-Leader54@reddit
I would check out NarrowwayHomestead on YT. Nate has a pretty extensive rain water catch system including a first flush diverter and aeration system.