Metal & Copper Roofing Blog

Catching Rainwater? This is the Roof for You.

We answered this question on Quora the other day, and we thought we'd share it here too.

Q. What is the best roofing material to use if you plan on collecting rainwater?

A few people threw in their two cents on this question, and the answers included everything from concrete to metal to slate. Here's what we had to say:

One of the finished steel or aluminum roofs is likely the best choice for rainwater collection. Because a finished metal roof isn't porous, there is little chance that rainwater run-off will pick up any accumulated contaminants they way it might with concrete or clay. Also, most metal roofs have fewer cracks and seam into which debris, insects and dust can accumulate - meaning less aging junk accumulating in the water. It's not a difficult mental experiment to ponder:  Just have a look at a 10-year-old asphalt, concrete, wood or metal roof and ask yourself which looks like it would produce cleaner run-off. The answer will be rather obvious quickly, which is why metal is the superior choice for roofing material when water catchment is the goal.

Have a burning roofing question? Ask away in the comments section of our blog posts and we'll answer it in another blog post!