Two unrelated questions about Asphalt roof shingles and diachomatous earth.

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The shingles on my roof are layered asphalt that contain "heavyweight fiberglass", and the top layer, where the rain hits, is asphalt covered with "granules". Does this mean I cannot safely harvest rainwater from the roof in an emergency?

What is diachomatous (spelling?) earth and what is it used for?

-- needtoknow (needtoknow@once.please), March 22, 1999

Answers

Diatamacous earth is the fossilized remains of little sea creatures from long ago. It is used for several things, depending upon purity. In a rather "inpure form", it is used in swimming pool filters. Food grade quality d.e. can be used in filters for maple syrup processing.

It also works well if added to grains for bug repellent(food grade). It can also be used on pets for flea control, in gardening for protection against various critters, etc- lots of uses.

As for your asphalt shingles, you can probably use water off of them- asphalt is not asbestos. It is also not water soluble so don't think it would be a problem. You should, if planning on using roof water, be aware of the "first flush" idea in which you discard the initial runoff to get rid of the dirt,etc- you can rig a set-up to do that with the weight of the first accumulated water dumping off.

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), March 22, 1999.


I read that the biggest problem with rain from a roof would be the first water that came off. After the initial rain washes the roof of any pollution you should be able to collect the water. Good collection systems allow you to avoid and bypass the initial amounts of polluted water. IMHO You should still be prepared to filter this water if you are going to drink it. I don't believe there would be any problems with asphalt shingles,however make sure you don't have any lead paint or lead flashings on your roof.

-- rain info (DocMortar@think.com), March 22, 1999.

Filter/boil any runoff before drinking. Bird/animal droppings won't necessarily be washed off in the first few minutes, and can make you very ill. With fiberglass shingles, you should still filter the water before boiling it. A sand/clay type drip filter you can build yourself will work for this purpose.

-- sparks (wireless@home.com), March 22, 1999.

All,

My spelling of d.e. was so bad I am surprised that you even knew what I was asking about! I will enter it in a search to see where I can get some. That asphalt/fiberglass had me anxious too, since I do not have a well but get plenty of rain usually.

Thanks to each of you who responded.

-- needtoknow (needtoknow@once.please), March 22, 1999.


Asphalt shingles deteriorate and crumble to dust, causing polluted rain water. I haven't verified this, but a friend told me that using water from this type of roof for drinking was banned in the 1940s.

-- KoFE (your@town.USA), March 22, 1999.


needtoknow,

Here is an excellent source for "d" earth. (I can't spell it either.) They also do a good job of explaining how to use it.

http://www.wholewheat.com/Pages/index.html

-- justmy (
justmy@2cents.worth), March 22, 1999.


needtoknow

As a landscaper mowing lawns over the years, I have noticed how the turf near the outflow of gutter downspouts often dies. It occurs where there are asphalt rooves. I always assumed that the petrolium product, which the fiberglass felt is embedded with, is carried off with the water and causes the grass to die. After seeing many of these dead spots at the runoff area of asphalt rooves, I have come to believe that this water is not potable.

In other websites, metal roofing has been recommended for the collection of rainwate

-- Jim (jamesfw@earthlink.net), March 22, 1999.


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