Treating the water in your rainwater tank before drinking it is important because water from your roof is contaminated with as many as 18 different contaminants, including harmful bacteria, viruses, moulds and chemicals.
Drinking this water over a long period of time increases the risk of health problems.
In this article, we’ll show you how to prepare your tank water for drinking correctly and what else you can do to create the best water you can from your tank.
How To Prepare Your Tank Water For Drinking
1. Collect your water and pour it into your kettle. Switch it on and let it boil for at least 60 seconds to 2 minutes.
2. Let it cool before storing.
Boiled water should have no smell, so if you detect a strong smell from the water, continue boiling for another five minutes.
Boiling has been shown to kill some of the disease-causing organisms that are likely to be in rainwater tanks, but certainly not everything.
In fact, you'll find most of the bigger threats still remain in the water after it's been boiled.
Skip the boiling, get it through a water filter!
There are much better alternatives to boiling your rainwater, and much quicker too.
You can get a Benchtop or Undersink Water Filter to completely treat your water in one go, and save you time.
Water Filters remove dirt, bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, chlorine, and other harmful contaminants from your drinking water which boiling will not do.
Install a Rain Water Tank Filter, UV light, or even a Benchtop Water Filter.
A water filter also ensures all contaminants that could have been picked up from the roof, gutters, or pipes are entirely removed.
Our Advice
The best course of action is to install a Rain Water Tank Filter that treats all of the water that will flow into your home.
We always recommend a second line of defence, too, being a Benchtop or Undersink Water Filter, which will catch any contaminants that are a threat between the water tank and your kitchen sink.
Understanding Rain Water
We created a helpful resource for those who are still learning how to Understand The Water Coming Out Of The Rainwater Tank.
We talk about the challenges with Rain Water Tanks, what dangers lurk inside the tank and everything you can do about it. You can check that out anytime and feel free contact us if you have any questions.
Our Ultrapure range of Benchtop and Undersink Water Filters treat water at 1L per minute, making it the cleanest possible water you can ask for on demand.
While boiling tank water helps, a rainwater tank filter or at least a point of use filter is a must if you want truly clean drinking water.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about which products are perfect for your home.
Be sure to check out our collection of Rainwater Tank Filters.