Is the water collected from the roof suitable and safe for drinking purposes?
This is dependent on the materials used for roof construction and the location of the building with respect to air quality. All rural properties (since the time of settlement, and still do,) use water collected from the roof for all purposes, including drinking. There is an abundance of technical literature, resultant from studies carried out by various universities, monitoring water quality of tank storage collected from roofs of buildings located in urban environments. The results overwhelming suggest that quality of water collected from the roofs of buildings is very good and suitable for drinking. However, there are numerous commercially available filtration systems which can be incorporated in the reticulation to ensure that water is of drinking quality. These filtration devices are relatively inexpensive and retail from about $500.
