# Article on rain water tank safety



## earle (30/11/17)

http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2017-11-30/rainwater-tank-safety/9157240


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## Bribie G (30/11/17)

Good article. We drink exclusively tank water, it goes either into the kettle and gets boiled, or filtered with a Brita water jug and into bottles that sit on the counter. And of course into the urn. 
I've been a bit lax in changing the Brita filters, will pick up a new 3 pack tomorrow. 

We're pretty well pollution free here in the hills apart from the odd bush fire, but certainly a lot of bats and birds.


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## lfc_ozzie (30/12/17)

Haha just came here to ask if rainwater would be ok to brew with, just moved to a new place, but guess I don't drink it so why use it in my beer. If I use bottled water is it a clean slate for water additions?


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## Danscraftbeer (30/12/17)

lfc_ozzie said:


> If I use bottled water is it a clean slate for water additions?


Yeah but it seems a bit expensive if your doing all grain. Also variable. Some bottled waters have been found to be dodgy sometimes.


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## SnailAle (30/12/17)

Of course people in the industry don't want you drinking it, they lose a lot of money by not being able to monopolize an essential service like water so scare tactics like this is what they resort to.

I'll never forget my boss telling me when I started working for a water Corp that any time water is treated it becomes carcinogenic, the trick is to work out the balance to minimise the risk. I'll take natural rain water that helps develop immune systems over that thanks.


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## MHB (30/12/17)

Don't immunise children...
Aliens are visiting earth...
They invented everlasting tyres in WW2, but its a secret...
The grassy knoll... its all about the grassy knoll


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## Danscraftbeer (30/12/17)

I wont drink water run off my roof no way. I've been, seen all the things that land on there including chewed dog bones that Crows carry out of backyards. Possum, bird shit. Cleaned out a gutter area of accumulated moss and leaves that's composted then turned anaerobic stink. Although, Rain water only for my Aquaponics top up water and best for the garden. To think of drinking it I'd have to boil, let the trub sit and filter that clear water but maybe I'm really just being fussy here. If I lost my Melbourne water on tap etc.


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## BJB (30/12/17)

Danscraftbeer said:


> I wont drink water run off my roof no way. I've been, seen all the things that land on there including chewed dog bones that Crows carry out of backyards. Possum, bird shit. Cleaned out a gutter area of accumulated moss and leaves that's composted then turned anaerobic stink. Although, Rain water only for my Aquaponics top up water and best for the garden. To think of drinking it I'd have to boil, let the trub sit and filter that clear water but maybe I'm really just being fussy here. If I lost my Melbourne water on tap etc.


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## Danscraftbeer (30/12/17)

BJB said:


> View attachment 110791


I eat lots of bacteria, I mean Organic. As for balls yu wanna try some of my chilli sauce MF?


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## lfc_ozzie (31/12/17)

Danscraftbeer said:


> Yeah but it seems a bit expensive if your doing all grain. Also variable. Some bottled waters have been found to be dodgy sometimes.



Its $4 for 10L so would be about $14 for water for my set up doing all grain. Might just filter the tap water for sediment and then pre boil and see if the rainwater is ok. What would be a typical water make up for rainwater so i can eyeball some water additions?


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## Hpal (31/12/17)

I grew up on tank water, it’s the best, no one I know ever got sick from tank water. Actually I rarely get so much as a cold and drinking tank water has probably helped that, we never even had a filter of any sort on the tanks until I was in my 20’s. 

Use the tank water.


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## fungrel (31/12/17)

lfc_ozzie said:


> Its $4 for 10L so would be about $14 for water for my set up doing all grain. Might just filter the tap water for sediment and then pre boil and see if the rainwater is ok. What would be a typical water make up for rainwater so i can eyeball some water additions?


I bought a l RO setup as I was doing one batch a week and it would've been too expensive to use bottled water ($14x 42 weeks).

If you're going to go to the trouble of filtering AND preboiling, I would just go with RO to save a lot of time.


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## Midnight Brew (31/12/17)

When it comes to rainwater and bacteria, if it survives the mash, boil and time in a roaring hot cube, then maybe it deserves to live.


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## BJB (31/12/17)

We have nothing but rain water, my wife filters hers with a Brita jug. I drink straight from the tank as I have for years, best water there is as far as I'm concerned.


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## MartinOC (31/12/17)

Just read the article. What a crock of absolute, unmitigated SHIT! Research sponsored by a water company, no doubt.

We've been on nothing but tank water for the past 4 years since we moved to Kinglake (Vic). Everything comes off the shed roof. Apart from a coarse filter prior to the pump (changed every 6 months or so - If I actually remember...) it's perfectly fine. Drink it straight, brew with it, bathe in it, shoot it up intravenously. None of us have had any health problems that could be attributed to tank water.

I used to think that Melbourne tap water was absolutely fantastic until I now drink/brew with tank water. Melbourne tap water now tastes awful.

That reminds me, I really should clean-out the gutters.....


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## Lyrebird_Cycles (31/12/17)

It's very dependent on the location and condition of the collecting roof.

I'm with MOC, I spend about half the year under 500 m^2 of roof in Beechworth and use the water collected from that roof for everything (perforce, as we are 5k from the town water reticulation system). Lovely skyjuice.

My mother, however, who has been on tank water from her roof in the Blackall Range in Qld for nearly 30 years has recently had to stop using it due to _Giardia.
_
If I collected water off my roof in Melbourne's west, a couple of hundred metres from Kororoit Ck Rd with its concentration of heavy industry, I'd be running it thorough an RO filter before I touched it.


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## timmi9191 (31/12/17)

Dang.. giardia in the tank water. That'll take some getting rid of.

Had a friend that got giardia on a trip to thailand when he put his tongue in a... ohh doesnt matter


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## Danscraftbeer (31/12/17)

_Giardia. _See without even knowing that how does it get into your mums tank water? Like I mentioned its surprising how many dog chewed bones I've removed from my gutters thanks to Crows. I sometimes here them rolling down the roof into the gutters after Crows have lost their interest in them. The odd road kill too, small skeletons. Gut parasites! I wont take that risk. Even if i was desperate there is that haunting thought in the back of my mind. Along with all the decomposed possum turds and bird shit etc... Probably all nothing to worry about though.


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## timmi9191 (31/12/17)

Typically transported by fecal matter. Eg birds rats possums etc shitting in the tank or on the roof


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## Lyrebird_Cycles (31/12/17)

Danscraftbeer said:


> _ Giardia. _See without even knowing that how does it get into your mums tank water?



Possums apparently. 

Mum is 93, lives by herself and has to be careful because her immune system isn't what it was.


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## MartinOC (31/12/17)

Danscraftbeer said:


> _Giardia. _See without even knowing that how does it get into your mums tank water? Like I mentioned its surprising how many dog chewed bones I've removed from my gutters thanks to Crows. I sometimes here them rolling down the roof into the gutters after Crows have lost their interest in them. The odd road kill too, small skeletons. Gut parasites! I wont take that risk. Even if i was desperate there is that haunting thought in the back of my mind. Along with all the decomposed possum turds and bird shit etc... Probably all nothing to worry about though.


Just brew with it. FFS

It can only add to the flavour.......


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## Garfield (31/12/17)

Midnight Brew said:


> When it comes to rainwater and bacteria, if it survives the mash, boil and time in a roaring hot cube, then maybe it deserves to live.


Saw VII


Don't forget fermentation drops ph which kills some micro flora too


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## Danscraftbeer (31/12/17)

MartinOC said:


> Just brew with it. FFS
> 
> It can only add to the flavour.......


Brewing has no worries. Its a massive process. I was just thinking in general drinking terms. I drink lots of water. I cringe a little to drinking my tank water as is unless desperate. Like post apocalyptic desperate.


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## MartinOC (31/12/17)

Danscraftbeer said:


> Brewing has no worries. Its a massive process. I was just thinking in general drinking terms. I drink lots of water. I cringe a little to drinking my tank water as is unless desperate. Like post apocalyptic desperate.


Weenie! Just drink it.


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## Danscraftbeer (31/12/17)

Possum shit and piss tea! with chewed dog bones and crows filth. Pollution fall out. Anaerobic bacterial activity. Nup!
Given I have small tank capacity so its more concentrated.


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## Chods1 (19/1/18)

Danscraftbeer said:


> _Giardia. _See without even knowing that how does it get into your mums tank water? Like I mentioned its surprising how many dog chewed bones I've removed from my gutters thanks to Crows. I sometimes here them rolling down the roof into the gutters after Crows have lost their interest in them. The odd road kill too, small skeletons. Gut parasites! I wont take that risk. Even if i was desperate there is that haunting thought in the back of my mind. Along with all the decomposed possum turds and bird shit etc... Probably all nothing to worry about though.


I hope there's nothing to worry about as I've been using/drinking rainwater for around 66 years. No filters, no chlorine or UV stuff. The only time I got crook from water was when I had to live in town for a few months [Kerang]. The only thing I have noticed is that I need to add a little water hardener to the brew otherwise it's a little sweet.


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## timmi9191 (19/1/18)

Lyrebird_Cycles said:


> Possums apparently.
> 
> Mum is 93, lives by herself and has to be careful because her immune system isn't what it was.


@Lyrebird_Cycles how has she sanitised her water system? Interested to know as giardia is resistant to just about every known sanitizer.


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