Rainwater

[black hills tj]

Hey Everyone,

I'm sitting in my apartment watching the rain come down. We have fairly hard water up here, and I was thinking of collecting rain water to use for PWC's. Do many people here use rainwater for PWC's? Can you collect snow as well?

Thanks,

Mike

 

[melosu58]

Acid rain is a term that comes to mind.

 

[jsoong]

It depends on where you are if rain/snow is good or not. Pure water should have a pH of 6.5 or so after equilibrating with atmospheric CO2. If your rain is more acid than that, then it is likely there are nasties like NOx or SO4 in it.

I have used rain water to top off my tanks to prevent gradual accumulation of minerals due to evaporation. <Never used snow, since you never know what can get into snow once it sits on the ground ... plus it is too cold to go out to get it!> I am not sure if it is worthwhile doing ... because a large (75%) water change every few months would serve the same purpose, plus getting rid of other accumulated wastes to boot.

 

[mgamer20o0]

i wouldnt do it. i rather keep a stable water source as possible.

 

[DJLiquid]

Fallout is a term that comes to mind