how to make rainwater drinkable

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santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Fortunately all the major industrialized nations have been taking steps to reduce that pollution but we still have a long way to go.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
I don't suppose the chemicals used to treat tap water sound that pleasant either.

No they don't. I'm not overly fond of the chlorinated taste either. The addition of flouride into tap water has been debated but it does seem to be having a positive effect on dental health.
 

Corso

Full Member
Aug 13, 2007
5,249
449
none
I'm surprised I haven't died yet with all the contaminated air I must be breathing in.
Now it looks like the rain is going to kill me as well.
Raining.gif


It's no wonder no one ever survives life...

Sit back light a smoke and don worry about it....
 

locum76

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Oct 9, 2005
2,772
9
47
Kirkliston
Surely rainwater is distilled - in a natural kind of way - and therefore pure and lovely. I'm sure we've all looked up to the sky in a heavy rainstorm and just drank it as it falls... or is that just me?
 

treadlightly

Full Member
Jan 29, 2007
2,692
3
65
Powys
Surely rainwater is distilled - in a natural kind of way - and therefore pure and lovely. I'm sure we've all looked up to the sky in a heavy rainstorm and just drank it as it falls... or is that just me?

No,not just you. I think rainwater is worth a try
 

Pict

Settler
Jan 2, 2005
611
0
Central Brazil
clearblogs.com
Here in Brazil our rule of thumb is that during rainy season collecting it directly from the sky to a clean surface it is safe to drink. If it falls through a canopy of leaves it gets treated as if it was collected off the ground. Rains outside of rainy season can be hit or miss. The first rains of the season often fall as muddy water due to the level of dust in the air, there's no way I would trust that without filtering it. Later once rainy season gets going full bore it is perfectly clear.
 

Teepee

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 15, 2010
4,115
5
Northamptonshire
Although rain is essentially distilled, there could be some odd things in it:-

"There is a long history of strange objects raining from the sky, with these strange occurrences among the most notable:

1st Century: Pliny The Elder wrote about storms of frogs and fish, foreshadowing many modern incidents.
1794: French soldiers stationed in Lalain, near Lille, reported toads falling from the sky during heavy rain.

1857: Sugar crystals as big as quarter of an inch in diameter fell over the course of two days in Lake County, California.


1876: A woman in Kentucky reported meat flakes raining from the sky. Tests found the meat was venison.

1902: Dust whipped up in Illinois caused muddy rain to fall over many north-eastern U.S. states.
1940: A tornado in Russia brought a shower of coins from the 16th Century.
1969: Golf balls fell from the sky on Punta Gorda in Florida.

1976: In San Luis Opisbo in California, blackbirds and pigeons rained from the sky for two days.

The original article- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1254812/Hundreds-fish-fall-sky-remote-Australian-town-Lajamanu.html#ixzz1OR3t28zP

FWIW, I'd filter it first. :)
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,134
2,871
66
Pembrokeshire
We often get "red rain" ... poluted by Saharan dust..... and after Cernobyl the rain was none too healthy to drink....
Sometimes even rain needs filtering/purifying :)
 

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,694
711
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Where do you lot think you get your drinking water from?
Places like Thirlmere, you know a big old hole in the ground that fills with... Rainwater.
 

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,694
711
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When I lived on the farm (on the boarder of the unenclosed fell land in Cumbria) we had a water tank that was fed from the fellwater. No treatment at all although it sometimes contained peat floaties.

That's not to say that all rainwater is perfect but six of us all grew up OK drinking it.
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,134
2,871
66
Pembrokeshire
I was out on the Cumbrian hills when Cernobyl popped it's top, drinking water from the streams too.

Didn't do me any harm that I can tell of.

And I thought you ate Ready-Brek for that healthy glow :)
I was working in North Wales at the time and some of the groups we had booked into the Outdoor Centre I was at cancelled on "Medical Advice" as the water/air were so poluted as to be "a health hazzard" but we did not get danger money and the teams that did come through all drank hill water (as did I) with now noticable effect (how come we both have beards and an interest in the Dark Ages etc... - co-incidence or a side effect? :) )
 

treadlightly

Full Member
Jan 29, 2007
2,692
3
65
Powys
I was lucky enough to be out for a night in the woods on Sunday when we had some much needed rain. It tasted good, a little smoky, but better than the tap water I had with me. Made a very nice cuppa too.
 

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