Chimney soot in roof drinking water?

[Haironyourchest]

Situation: I have a tin roof, low pitch (box profile). Stove flu pipe extends 2 feet from roof, near the ridge.

 

Rainwater runs into gutters and then into my storage tanks, 6000lt capacity. I drink this. Have been for a decade and all my life before that have drunk mountain water runoff.

 

No filters, never have filtered, bar a cheese cloth at the tank mouth to catch big particles and save the plumbing.

 

Now, I've just swept the flue pipe, from the inside with a flexible drill brush. It's left a scattering of soot/creosote particles on the roof, around the chimney. It's raining now, and I've disconnected the gutters from feeding the tanks, so hopefully the rain will wash it into the gutters, where it will probably lodge. I'll get up there with a hose and brush sometime and flush them out.

 

In previous years, I've taken a blower up on the roof after and blown most of it away, or brushed the roof. Some years I remove the whole flue and break it down for a super cleaning.

 

I'm just wondering, if soot particles make it into my drinking water, how much of a health impact could it be? It's a creosote type substance after all, and it's somewhat soluble in water.

 

I'm not the least concerned with biological stuff in the water but chemicals are another thing. If it's a hot week in summer and heavy rain is forecast, I decouple the gutters an let the roof flush for a few hours before filling the tanks.

[Stubby]

2 hours ago, Haironyourchest said:

Situation: I have a tin roof, low pitch (box profile). Stove flu pipe extends 2 feet from roof, near the ridge.

 

Rainwater runs into gutters and then into my storage tanks, 6000lt capacity. I drink this. Have been for a decade and all my life before that have drunk mountain water runoff.

 

No filters, never have filtered, bar a cheese cloth at the tank mouth to catch big particles and save the plumbing.

 

Now, I've just swept the flue pipe, from the inside with a flexible drill brush. It's left a scattering of soot/creosote particles on the roof, around the chimney. It's raining now, and I've disconnected the gutters from feeding the tanks, so hopefully the rain will wash it into the gutters, where it will probably lodge. I'll get up there with a hose and brush sometime and flush them out.

 

In previous years, I've taken a blower up on the roof after and blown most of it away, or brushed the roof. Some years I remove the whole flue and break it down for a super cleaning.

 

I'm just wondering, if soot particles make it into my drinking water, how much of a health impact could it be? It's a creosote type substance after all, and it's somewhat soluble in water.

 

I'm not the least concerned with biological stuff in the water but chemicals are another thing. If it's a hot week in summer and heavy rain is forecast, I decouple the gutters an let the roof flush for a few hours before filling the tanks.

How old are you ? If like me you are approaching 70 then forget it ( especially as you have been drinking " fresh " water all your life ) .  If you are younger it might be prudent to investigate the health hazards of some soot in your water . However you seem to have dealt with it in a common sense  way so I for one am not worried about you 🙂👍

[Haironyourchest]

32 minutes ago, Stubby said:

How old are you ? If like me you are approaching 70 then forget it ( especially as you have been drinking " fresh " water all your life ) .  If you are younger it might be prudent to investigate the health hazards of some soot in your water . However you seem to have dealt with it in a common sense  way so I for one am not worried about you 🙂👍

 

Thanks Stubby. I'm 41 so still time to angst about it. I mean, yeah, every time I sweep the flue, I deal with the soot dust, but some of it must be getting into the tanks. That and burning a fire during the rain, when water droplets will surely be picking up some soot as they pass through the smoke... I've tried googling around but there doesn't seem to be anything on this subject, as it's kind of a third world issue, and in the third world they probably don't see it as an issue at all...

 

I'm done worrying about it now anyway, cheers for the reply 👍

[Conor Wright]

Somethings gotta kill ya. I'd have more concern about the fluoride and (to a slightly lesser extent) chlorine in the mains water.

Sounds like you're doing your best to keep the tank as clean as possible, not a lot more you can do.

[peds]

I'd be just as worried about the micro plastics in the rain water.

 

The solution?  Drink nothing but your own piss.

[Conor Wright]

2 minutes ago, peds said:

I'd be just as worried about the micro plastics in the rain water.

 

The solution?  Drink nothing but your own piss.

Good idea. I'm amazed it never caught on. Goes well with a shit sandwich too.

On a more serious note, have you access to a stream or spring on your site? 

[peds]

I do, yeah, straight off the mountain. Very lucky.

 

I'll be doing rainwater harvest for the polytunnels though.

 

I met one of those chaps who drink their own piss once. Strangest thing. He kept burping with these really deep, resonant, wet-slap-sounding belches, like a 25kg paper grain sack filled with overripe fruit impacting tarmac from height. I couldn't explain it until I got talking to the guy, and it came up naturally that he partook of his own brew.

I felt a little sick for the rest of the day.

He was from Donegal. 

[Haironyourchest]

1 hour ago, peds said:

I'd be just as worried about the micro plastics in the rain water.

 

The solution?  Drink nothing but your own piss.

 

I've been doing that since we left port...

 

Edited October 25, 2022 by Haironyourchest

[openspaceman]

4 hours ago, Haironyourchest said:

Situation: I have a tin roof, low pitch (box profile). Stove flu pipe extends 2 feet from roof, near the ridge.

 

Rainwater runs into gutters and then into my storage tanks, 6000lt capacity. I drink this. Have been for a decade and all my life before that have drunk mountain water runoff.

Back in the days of the last whole earth catalog it was suggested to leave a gap between the run off and the collection so that the first drops of rain washed off the accumulated dust and then as it turned to a torrent the water could jump the gap.

 

I think is is well to be wary of soot after all it is Products of Incomplete Combustion and includes Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons many of which are known carcinogens. The first recognised industrial disease was testicular cancer found in young chimney sweeps.

[Dan Maynard]

I guess the soot probably isn't marvellous but the dose is low, especially compared to a chimney sweep.

 

Soot on toast is carcinogenic on some scale, isn't it?

[Haironyourchest]

11 minutes ago, openspaceman said:

Back in the days of the last whole earth catalog it was suggested to leave a gap between the run off and the collection so that the first drops of rain washed off the accumulated dust and then as it turned to a torrent the water could jump the gap.

 

I think is is well to be wary of soot after all it is Products of Incomplete Combustion and includes Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons many of which are known carcinogens. The first recognised industrial disease was testicular cancer found in young chimney sweeps.

 

They were getting testicular cancer untill some doctor figured out the connection and taught his test subjects to wash their nads after work. Apparently this actually worked and sorted the problem. I watched a thing about it... Mind the poor wee lads probably didn't survive too long anyway, due to inhaling the stuff...