Can you drink rain water after boiling it?

While many people in the world use rainwater as their main water supply, the water picks up bacteria, pollution, mold, pollen, and other contaminants. You can treat rainwater to make it drinkable by using water purification tablets or boiling it.

Is it safe to boil rainwater?

Water treatment options include filtration, chemical disinfection, or boiling. Filtration can remove some germs and chemicals. Treating water with chlorine or iodine kills some germs but does not remove chemicals or toxins. Boiling the water will kill germs but will not remove chemicals.

How long should you boil rain water?

Most health organizations, including the Center for Disease Control, recommend that you boil water vigorously for 1 minute up to elevations of 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) and 3 minutes at elevations higher than that. You’re guaranteed to be safe from giardia and crypto if you follow those guidelines.

How do you sanitize rainwater?

The most common methods for disinfecting rainwater are chlorination, ultraviolet light irradiation or heat (boiling).

Is it advisable to drink rain water?

It is possible, therefore, for us to drink untreated rainwater. This is because rainwater is pure, distilled water evaporated from the sun – nothing else. However, when rainwater falls from the sky, substances from the air and land melt into the rainwater. This water (groundwater) is relatively safe for drinking.

Is rain water OK to drink?

Like just mentioned, rainwater is safe to drink—for the most part. Drinking rainwater directly from the source can sometimes be risky as it can pick up contaminants from the air and can even include the occasional insect parts. In order to drink water safely, be sure to get it from a bottled water company.

How do you store rainwater for drinking?

Rainwater storage containers should be opaque to prevent algae growth as well as screened or periodically drained to prevent mosquitoes from breeding, which can lead to disease. Of course, persons with a weakened immune system should always be careful with their drinking water source.

Are there chemicals in rain water?

Rainwater is a mixed electrolyte that contains varying amounts of major and minor ions. Sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, chloride, bicarbonate, and sulfate ions are major constituents, to- gether with ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, nitrogen, and other nitroge- nous compounds (Hutchinson, 1957).

Does rainwater have minerals in it?

Rain contains few salts, minerals, treatment chemicals or pharmaceuticals often found in municipal tap water. Though relatively pure, rainwater can contain particulates from the atmosphere, such as dust or pollen. Well water can be very hard because it contains minerals from the bedrock it comes from.

Is it safe to drink rain water?

Most rain is perfectly safe to drink and may be even cleaner than the public water supply. Rain water is only as clean as its container. Only rain that has fallen directly from the sky should be collected for drinking. Boiling and filtering rainwater will make it even safer to drink.

In most places, you don’t even need to boil it, rainwater is mostly relatively pure, but it some industrial areas it can pick up dust and other nasty particles, such as heavy metals and boiling isn’t going to remove these. Biological contamination of rainwater with human pathogens is rare.

Can You boil rainwater to make distilled water?

Unfortunately, just by boiling the rainwater, it will not get rid of ALL of the organisms that may be inside the water, as some can survive boiling point. That is why people in the know ALWAYS recommend using a distiller. The problem with using a distiller is that distilled water has a strange taste to it, even though it is PURE water.

Is rainwater safe to drink from a cistern?

Cisterns can provide safe water for many uses, but do not assume rainwater is safe to drink. Collecting and using rainwater can be a great way to conserve resources. Some people use rainwater for watering plants, cleaning, bathing, or drinking.