Rain Water Tanks Alert

Nobody believes me.. rainwater tanks are VERY OFTEN health-threatening.

Firstly, they almost always have bacteria or parasites in them. WC Fields wasn't wrong when he said "I don't swim in the sea. Fish crap in it." Well, fact is, birds do the same into our roof-fed water tanks.

Secondly, if you live in an agricultural area you have this huge overspray collector that funnels all airborne pesticides etc from crop dusters or spraty systems used on windy days. I have seen reports of serious health issues in areas such as the darling Downs in Queensland Australia.

Thirdly, if you test tank water from a tin roof, be prepare to find lead and cadmium. This report confirms what we've always known.

Finally, rainwater in a tin or plastic tank is often VERY acidic. peter, my co-worker, was taking the dog for a walk this morning when he encountered a neighbour also walking her rickety old dog. They got to talking and it appears the dog and its mistress are both suffering really bad arthritis. peter - naturally - asked her what water she was drinking and her answer was "We only drink rainwater; it's straight from the sky so it must be the healthiest!" Peter gave her a pH kit to test the water and it was the most acid he's ever seen. And hey, this is a country town!

I've developed strategies to overcome all of these problems for my many clients who are in a similar situation, so give us a call or email Peter on peter@ionlife.info if you find yourself in a similar situation. My US readers may find themselves ina similar situation so just click on the link on the header to contact our US team.

Urine Test? No, Just Rainwater.

A customer came in last week asking about whether a water alkalizer would work on rainwater. (The short answer is yes, it will work.) He brought a sample of water from his lovely new rainwater tank and asked Peter to test its pH. Those of you familiar with our Jupiter pH test will know that it's not urine Peter is looking so amazed at; it's the water from the client's tank after testing with our pH reagent kit, showing a pH of around 5!

The simple fact is that while rainwater is a good 'green alternative' in terms of energy conservation, all those lovely pure raindrops fall through a few thousand feet of carbon dioxide and all the other nasties now in our air. On arrival, (if you have a plastic tank) it will be further acidified by the plastics in your tank. pH5 is one hundred times more acidic than neutral.