I did a search on the site and read that there are mixed reviews on this roofing product.
That it "falls apart" or " goes organic" pretty fast.
Plus it may not be the best stuff for rainwater harvesting.
Any of you have any updated info. or first hand knowlege? I ask because I can get some slightly damaged stuff for cheap.
I was considering it last year, and spoke with a friend who owns a roofing company and does work in northern VA and DC, and he told me to steer clear, that it breaks down around the nail holes after only a few years.
I have a friend who used it on an attached portion of his cabin. He thinks it is great.
I would NEVER use it because of the many negative reports I have read, and because of the look and feel of the actual material.
If you are considering collecting rainwater, then go with steel...
A Friend in Charlotte has it on his house and says he loves it. Easy to repair. But I can't understand that the cabin he built here is metal. ??? Maybe different areas contribute to its life.
Thanks for the responses. I do expect to harvest rainwater, so that's probably going to be the deciding factor.
I may pick up a couple of sheets anyway to use to cover stuff at $5 a sheet.
I forgot to mention that I sent an Email to Tallant, makers of Ondura and asked about use for drinkng water.
They responded that it was OK to use based on a report from a Caribbean Lab who ran a test with distilled water collected from runoff on a panel which reported no leaching of anything. They said this was in response to a request for use on buildings in the Caribbean, since many of them have water harvesting systems.
This test was run in 1997 and is on a pdf doc. that I can't firgure out how to link to, but it won't tell you much. The document is titled CaribbeanSafeWater.pdf.
The test was run on a particular person's house, but doesn't say how old the roofing is.
I don't know if these results tell me anything or not. I would want the test repeated now and see how 12 years of aging affects the results.
Quote from: poppy on November 20, 2009, 11:16:08 PM
Thanks for the responses. I do expect to harvest rainwater, so that's probably going to be the deciding factor.
I may pick up a couple of sheets anyway to use to cover stuff at $5 a sheet.
Your definately not going to want Ondura for rainwater in a potable application!
Nice and easy for shade however!
The tarpaper taste should greatly accent the iced tea... [waiting]