Drinking rainwater is not only safe, but actually safer than the water you get out of your tap. Tap water normally contains chlorine or other chemicals while rainwater is clean (assuming you don't have air quality problems) and even can have a little bit of good minerals in it.
Collecting rainwater for drinking is still illegal in California as it is in many states. However, in Texas it is legal to bring rainwater into your home for potable use.
Rainwater normally has a relatively low Ph, around 5.6, so slightly acidic, but totally safe. Amazingly, storing rainwater in a cement cistern or tank, like ours, brings the Ph up a little bit, to about 7-9, creating the ideal Ph for drinking water!
The most common limiting factor when considering drinking rainwater is the type of roof you have. Asphalt shingle roofs are the most popular type of roof and are the least safe, requiring a significant amount of filtering. Metal, cement and tile roofs are the most safe types and require minimal filtering before drinking. We will talk more about filtering in a future blog post.