Living Simply Can Kill You

[jhambley]

Isn't it frustrating how complicated living simply can be? For example, I'm researching rainwater catchment systems for our off grid cottage. The literature seems to scream "drinking rain water collected from your roof will make you sick". These articles then go on to describe how you must use micron filtration, chemicals, and UV treatment systems to make it safe even to bath in.

It's really hard to separate the fact from the hype making simple living so very complicated!

[Usingmyrights]

It's a toss up. Our forefathers did this kind of stuff without problems, but on the over hand they didn't have all the chemicals that we have today

[Forerunner]

The degree of complication is directly incumbent upon your proximity to society, at large.

Rainwater off a roof 50 miles from industry has yet to so much as leave me in a foul mood.

[jhambley]

Remoteness seems to play little part in the fear of water contamination. From bird crap to raccoon droppings, they will all kill you! Or so the articles seem to imply.

[goatlady]

It really depends on how much polluted atmosphere that rain fell through before reaching the ground as to how much pollution the rain water picked up and captured. Rain water coming off the older shingle roofs can be nasty stuff. For drinking and cooking purposes it probably would be best to run rain water collected through a really good water filter system before ingesting internally. How many birdies have pooped on YOUR roof? You want to drink water from a barrel that has that in it? Mold in the connecting seams of the rain gutters getting washed into the barrel every hard rain?

[where I want to]

Originally Posted by Usingmyrights

It's a toss up. Our forefathers did this kind of stuff without problems, but on the over hand they didn't have all the chemicals that we have today

Only if you consider dying of miscellaneous infections not a probem.

It depends on where you live just how much a problem you have collecting rainwater. I live in a place loaded with birds of all descriptions. I'm sure there are lots of diseases to be had from poop water run off.

[haypoint]

There is a fair amount of bacteria in bird droppings and it also carries zooilogical diseases.
Living the "simple life" is far from simple.
Planning next summer's garden, seed catalog on your lap, figuring the ingredients to over a thousand meals for each member of your family and guests, insuring that no matter what the weather, you'll have enough food, without breaking the bank doing it is tough.
People do not invest thousands in a water well because they are foolish and don't know how to catch rainwater. With every cheap or easy way to do something, there is a trade off.

[Forerunner]

God save the public water works.

[nostawmama]

I think that the forefathers also had more of an immunity to the most common of the bugs and such that are in the water. It is the same as the locals in developing nations being able to handle drinking straight from the stream but tourists will be stricken while ingesting no more than a sip!

I would have to agree with the posters about the chemicals on the shingles and the polluted atmosphere. Yuk!

[jhambley]

Originally Posted by haypoint

People do not invest thousands in a water well because they are foolish and don't know how to catch rainwater. With every cheap or easy way to do something, there is a trade off.

Just paid $4,150 to drill a dry hole...trust me, living simply isn't simple or cheap! Rural water system is only $11,000 to extend and with that I get the extra bonus of paying a monthly water bill

I knew bringing water to this place was going to be costly before I bought it. That's why we only have cattle running the property now. I have rural water at my other place but want to have a redundant solution if the SHTF.

[Pearl B]

Originally Posted by jhambley

Remoteness seems to play little part in the fear of water contamination. From bird crap to raccoon droppings, they will all kill you! Or so the articles seem to imply.

I think with articles they sometimes over-emphasize the health part of it cause they are afraid of getting sued if someone reads and trys it without using any common sense, and getting sick.

[haypoint]

Originally Posted by nostawmama

I think that the forefathers also had more of an immunity to the most common of the bugs and such that are in the water. It is the same as the locals in developing nations being able to handle drinking straight from the stream but tourists will be stricken while ingesting no more than a sip!

I would have to agree with the posters about the chemicals on the shingles and the polluted atmosphere. Yuk!

A lot did have great immunity. But a lot died young, too.

Psittacosis or Avian Chiamydiosis come to mind. Plus there is a type of avian TB that cattle can get from drinking water that birds crapped in..

[Danaus29]

I can speak on this subject from personal experience. Grandpa's house had a cistern that caught the rainwater from the roof. All of our water except the drinking water faucet in the kitchen was rainwater from the roof, stored in the cistern. The cows and the chickens had well water pumped in.

Anyway, for years and years I drank the water from the bathroom faucet. Never had any problems. Got married and took dh for a visit. He saw me drinking the bathroom water so he drank a half cup. He got the runs and stomach cramps from drinking the rainwater. It took several weeks and a couple rounds of medication to get his system calmed down. Took another few months before everything was back to normal.

So, speaking from experience, yes, bird poop rainwater CAN make you sick. Will it always make you sick? No. A lot depends on the individual and how susceptible their system is.

Would I drink rooftop rainwater that isn't treated now? Probably not. I grew up drinking the water from Grandpa's roof. But I haven't drunk rooftop rainwater in over 10 years.

[||Downhome||]

I had actually just read something to this effect moments ago and titled the same.

basically the author was commenting on roof water potentially being contaminated by coon scat and the little nematodes they harbor.

[grandma12703]

I wouldn't drink catchment rainwater but as far as anything else...absolutely I would shower, wash the car, and pretty much anything but ingest it. I might consider ingesting it after it went through my berkley filter but not sure. I would probably if worse scenerio happened boil my water for quite a while and then drink it. My animals all have a catchment system on their barn and they have always drank from it. They drink from the creek so I figure same things there as in the catchment system water. I wade and float the river so if I will do that I don't figure there is near as much stuff in my rainwater catchment system water as in that so all is good here as far as showers.

[Bearfootfarm]

Our forefathers did this kind of stuff without problems

Really?

They had an average lifespan of less than 50 years up until the early 1900's

[jhambley]

Lewis and Clark must have had some strong immune systems

[Cabin Fever]

[sisterpine]

LOL, that is a good one! I think the key here is to "think" before you jump off the rainwater bridge. We had rainwater only for many years in MT where the skys are clear but the birds and pollen and dust do fly! Screened the water going into the barrels and then filtered it comming out and still boiled it before drinking. We had no problems what so ever and DH was one of those types who always thought he was catching something.

[mekasmom]

Originally Posted by Forerunner

God save the public water works.

I think that is the idea of a lot of those fear mongering articles.
A lot depends on your own level of squeamishness too. If you are worried about bird flu or something boil it. If you are worried about chemical contamination then filter it the best that you can. The simple fact is that all water comes from the atmosphere at some point.