What's the best/safest roof material for rainwater collection (potable water use)? Surprise!

[Dover]

I had not heard about these studies. I'm always a little suspicious of studies, wondering if a scientist is secretly on some corporate/industry payroll whose sole objective is to manipulate results. Afterall it does happen, and with more and more frequency, that research is paid for by industry insiders to improve public opinion, profits, etc. But this looks legit to me. See what you think.





Excerpt:

Table 2d is a summary of several different scientific studies that were done in several different areas of the world, on different kinds of roof materials. Trying to decipher the information is difficult because the samples were taken at different times during the rainfall, at different locations in the rainwater collection system, and the units of measure in some of the reports, simply don’t look right. A good conclusion is that no matter what you make your roof out of, you will need to face the fact that you’re going to have chemical and biological contaminants to contend with – just like any other water you collect from nature. Those of you that live in an area that has historically not had any modern agriculture, transportation, industry, manufacturing, mining activity, lead based paint, or domestic animal farming in perhaps ten miles of your home for the past 100 years, and you don’t have trees hanging over your roof, will have little difficulty if you drink your harvested rainwater without further ado. For the rest of us, we need to plan on cleaning the rainwater at least in some basic way. Ways to purify the water will be discussed in great detail in the chapter titled Purification.

There are some startling results that might be concluded from this table. It appears that gravel and asphalt shingles are a good choice for roofing material. Indeed, there is a study by P. C. Van Metre, and B. J. Mahler; http://tx.usgs.gov/coring/pubs/rooftops%20Chemosphere.pdf in Texas, as well as Jürgen Förster in Germany, that suggest that the fillers and texture of these types of roofs reduce heavy metals and PAH runoff. PAH's are Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. There are about 100 chemicals that fit in this category. Most are carcinogenic and tend to be made from two to six benzene rings. The 2 and 3ring PAH's are usually from raw organic materials like oil, coal, and decomposing organic material. The 4 and 5 ring PAH's are from burning organic material like forest fires, home heaters, engine exhaust and even meat on your grill. It was widely thought that PAH's were coming from deteriorating asphalt shingles on homes (2 and 3 ring PAH's). Metre and Mayler have evidence that the PAH's coming off asphalt roofs are no more than what comes off of a metal roof. This suggests that PAH's are deposited on roofs and not sourced from roof material deterioration.

More info here >>
http://www.thecenterforrainwaterharvesting.org/2_roof_gutters3.htm

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BTW, I'm NOT pro-asphalt. It is not what I consider a sustainable material although at this time it is still among the most affordable (perhaps with the governments help?) and asphalt is recyclable. Kind of like plastics and other questionably eco-friendly choices, I think of it as a transitional material that is, or should be on the way out in favor of better environmental choices.

That said, here's a new asphalt shingle product that falls, price-wise in between regular asphalt shingle roofing and metal. It has a crystalized surface that reflects light away and saves energy. It's CRRC rated, meets minimum LEED requirements and is on the EnergyStar list, though it's not clear if they are approved for tax credits under the EPA guidelines. I don't see a certification statement on their website.
http://www.gaf.com/Content/GAF/RES1/ROOF/cool_color.asp?viewer=&module=

[greencharlie]

1. mmmm... great read, thanks! nt

[HereSince1628]

2. Be careful about bird shit. Cryptosporidiosis not only can be but is spread

by birds in their droppings. Just sayin'

[kestrel91316]

5. Wrong. Bird shit has lots of stuff, but Cryptosporidiosis comes from cattle.

I Googled and sleuthed. Cattle, sheep, goats, and some snakes and lizards, most notably Leopard geckos.

Mammals are far and away the biggest source. Never birds.

[HereSince1628]

6. Boy are you wrong

Just how do you think it moves from farm/herd to farm/herd?

It's carried by grain eating birds, frequently that terrible immigrant the European House Sparrow, which pick it up as they eat seeds that pass through the digestive tracts of various dairy and meat herds, and then it is delivered to the feed troughs of bovidae on other farms.

Read!!! Especially read the primary sources of information, not stinking newspapers and blogs. Know what's known by science before you jump on someone so that you can to be an over eager show-off.

There are several different varieties of vectors. And it isn't necessary at all for the oocysts of Cryptosporidia to cause an infection in a host for the oocysts that those hosts carry to be moved from place to place.

Your web-browsing may be enlightened by looking at the definition for mechanical vs biological vectors.

[kestrel91316]

9. Um, you probably don't want to scold a veterinarian with a long-term interest

in zoonoses about a zoonotic disease, lol.

Now, I realize Wikipedia has its flaws, but here is an excellent quote from them (pay close attention to that last sentence):

"The most important zoonotic reservoirs are cattle, sheep and goats. Additionally, in recent years, cryptosporidiosis has plagued many commercial Leopard gecko breeders. Several species of the Cryptosporidium family (C. serpentes and others) are involved, and outside of geckos it has been found in monitor lizards, iguanas and tortoises, as well as several snake species. Cryptosporidiosis has no vectors.<15>"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptosporidiosis

~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have a reliable source for your claim that bird poop on rooftops is a source of Cryptosporidium infection in people, I'd like to see it. The mere fact that some birds (like turkeys) can harbor a couple of species of Cryptosporidium does not, BTW, constitute such proof. Show me the epidemiology.

There are more important things to worry about from bird poop, such as Histoplasmosis.

[Dover]

3. Some related links (CRRC - cool roof rating council), Energy Star credit info, etc.)

CRRC
http://www.coolroofs.org/index.html

Energy Star Product Info/Credit Qualificatons
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index

Energy News/Products
http://www.energyvortex.com/pages/index.cfm?pageid=1

[kestrel91316]

4. Nobody recycles old asphalt shingles off roofs. They tear them off in bits

and fling them about and then dumpsterize them. Off to the landfill.

Ask me how I know about that second part.

[Dover]

7. Alright - how do you know? You might want to peruse this site

that has a lot of info. I think some states have programs to recycle them, while others do not.

http://www.shinglerecycling.org/

Here's an excerpt from that site about federal regulations regarding asphalt shingle recycling:

The owners and operators of facilities that collect, process and recycle solid wastes are responsible for determining what environmental regulations and permitting requirements must be met. Asphalt shingle processors are no exception. There is no federal law or rule that governs non-asbestos-containing asphalt shingle recycling specifically, so it is up to the recycler to determine the specific state and local regulations that may apply. However, Federal law does prohibit recycling of asbestos-containing shingles.
The types of requirements vary from state to state. A permit to operate a processing facility may be required in some areas and environmental testing may be required in other areas. In addition, depending on the particulate emissions from the recycling process, an air permit may be required at the facility. The single biggest issue that has been raised with respect to asphalt shingle recycling is asbestos. A naturally occurring mineral that has been used in many different products in the past, asbestos has been raised as a concern with asphalt shingles. The vast majority of tests conducted on asphalt shingles have found no asbestos. But some types of other asphalt roofing products, such as roll roofing, adhesives, paints or waterproofing compounds may contain asbestos. To strike a balance between the protection of human health and the encouragement of recycling, several states have worked with recyclers to conduct initial testing on their waste stream to demonstrate the safety of their operation.

The information presented below is designed to provide those seeking to recycle asphalt shingles, as well as those who are charged with regulating asphalt shingle recycling, currently available information on environmental issues and how some jurisdictions have worked creatively to encourage the safe recycling of asphalt shingles.

Environmental and Permitting Issues

Look up your State Regulatory Contacts

An overview of asbestos issues and regulations

Current information of the presence of asbestos in asphalt shingles

Case study of successful recycling: Maine

http://www.shinglerecycling.org/content/asbestos-asphalt-shingles

[kestrel91316]

8. The house I rented for 8 years had to have a totally new roof. They ripped off

all 10 layers of old asphalt, flung it around my yard, then did a halfassed cleanup and tossed it all into a dumpster along with other construction debris. Straight to landfill after that.

No sorting or recycling went on. That would make too much sense.

[The Croquist]

10. It didn't have 10 layers of asphalt shingles

2 is not unusual and 3 possible but even 2 creates weight issues and shortens the life expectancy of the new roof. Chances are you had 2 and tar paper underneath.

That said I'd be shocked if, baring requirements, shingles get recycled. I had 3 roofs put on rental houses last year and I know the roofer didn't recycle although he did a great job cleaning up.

[Javaman]

11. Very good info.

I currently have two 330 gallon totes and 5 55gallon barrels for my garden for rain water capture.

I always think about, in the worse case scenario, trying to filter the water to drink, but since I have asphalt shingles, I thought it would be a difficult and poisonous issue.

I know the process involved, but I have yet to try it.

These articles give me food for thought.

Thanks!! :)

[glitch]

12. Very interested in rainwater collection, thanks! nt

[The Croquist]

13. Why so interested?

A few other things you might consider that I don't do. A lot of the water used in a house is reusable. Obviously not the toilets but the shower, sinks, washing machine, dish washer and such. It can simply be dumped on the lawn, gardens or ground. Depending on your house it might not be tough.

I could do my washing machine, kitchen sink and dish washer easily. I would have to pull some sheetrock to do the master shower and sink but it could be done. If was to do this I would just dump it on the lawn and not try and save it.

I have no idea if this is legal but I'm not concerned about that.

[glitch]

15. My clothes washer and sinks are greywater so I use very eco-friendly detergents.

My sewage is a septic tank but I would love to put in a real natural (gravel beds, plants, pond maybe even tilapia) purification to greywater system. But I am on a water system which is very good mind you, but it is Sierra melt and who knows how reliable that will be longterm with global warming plus I like the idea of off-grid everything. I would love to have my own water tower but like the sewage treatment that is my if I win the lotto fantasy. :hi:

[Dover]

14. More info about the new "Cool Colors" energy saving asphalt roof mentioned in the OP

I was looking around and found this page that has all the information about this roofing product's energy savings if anyone is interested. Also, it seems that it IS approved for gov. tax credits.

More info about the product AND recycling:
http://www.gaf.com/Roofing/Commercial-Roofing/Green-Roof-Central/Green-Roof-Central.asp

http://www.gaf.com/Roofing/Residential-Roofing/Roofing-Products/Shingles-Styles-Shingle-Colors/Timberline-Shingles/Timberline-Cool-Series-Shingles/Timberline-Cool-Series-Shingles.asp



Manufacturer's Certification for Tax Credits:
http://downloads.energystar.gov/bi/qplist/roofs_prod_list.pdf