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01-25-2026, 11:34 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-25-2026, 11:35 PM by terracore.)
One of the water places is recommending let it rain 1-2 inches before reconnecting the roof to the tank. Of course, the actual amount is going to depend on how much crap wound up on your roof.
In practice, filtration and a tank cleaning can take care of most of the issues, but the volcanic particles can be high in heavy metals including lead. This seems to be worse the closer one is to the volcano (which makes sense, because heavy metals are... well, heavy and fall closer to the source).
Catchment water can be tested for most dangerous things (like lead) using cheap testing strips. They aren't going to provide scientific precision, but they are good for giving indicators.
Whatever you do, don't sweep anything with ash on it. It will scratch most surfaces like the paint on your roof.
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Only one half of my roof is used for catchment water and my tank is practically full. So, the hosing project has begun. It's actually going quickly, with half done in about 15 minutes. All the crap settles into the valleys if you have corrugated metal. When viewing from roofline the Pele's hair and rock dust is visible in the valleys. Not much of anything on the peaks. The water is coming off the edge with a black coloration.
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but the volcanic particles can be high in heavy metals including lead..
High in lead? I think that's a stretch..
From: https://health.hawaii.gov/heer/files/201...y-2012.pdf
Which Begins.. This report presents the results of environmental background analysis (EBA) to develop estimates of background concentration ranges for target elements in soils of the seven main Hawaiian islands..
And specifically addresses lead (Pb) and reads..
4.2.9 Lead (Pb)
The Pb dataset contains 138 data points with only 6 non-detect values. The Pb concentration range in the dataset is 0.76–380 mg/kg, with a mean of 19.11 mg/kg. The one data point with a concentration above the risk-based EAL (200 mg/kg) corresponds to a sampling location on the southeast coast of the island of Kaua‘i (Figure 23).
And, while not being a petrologist myself I have worked with many, and the current Scientist in Charge at HVO being one of them, I have to assume if lead, or any other heavy metal, were to be a danger to the community then we would be hearing about it in spades.
Also, note, another who has spent his life looking at the mineral content of Hawaiian Basalt, and was for a long time a poster here on PW, geochem, did a study of the water in catchment tanks throughout Volcano soon after we were all being inundated with the volcanic plume (on Kona wind days) after Halemaumau started up again in March of 2008, and he did not focus on heavy metals as much as the Ph of the water. And you gotta know, if there was/is a danger of metal toxicity he would have.
The real humbug with the event of yesterday, besides the physical nature of the rocks that rained down on Puna, is the acidity they carry with them. And, had this event happened during a rain storm then we would all be talking about acid rain. VOG is acidic. it will lower the Ph of the water it comes in contact with. If this is a concern adding a box or two of baking soda to your tank will help raise the Ph.
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As terracore said, sweeping (and walking on) can scratch your roof. and depending on the amount of "stuff" that fell on your roof, it may turn parts of it into an ice skating rink when walking on it possibly causing an unintended fall.
If you have the water capacity and quantity on hand, I would recommend disconnecting the fill side and wait for a good Hilo rain of an inch plus. I would also recommend an immediate "hose off" of the catchment cover as well as solar panels spraying them off from the ground.
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(01-26-2026, 02:15 AM)HiloJulie Wrote: As terracore said, sweeping (and walking on) can scratch your roof. and depending on the amount of "stuff" that fell on your roof, it may turn parts of it into an ice skating rink when walking on it possibly causing an unintended fall.
If you have the water capacity and quantity on hand, I would recommend disconnecting the fill side and wait for a good Hilo rain of an inch plus. I would also recommend an immediate "hose off" of the catchment cover as well as solar panels spraying them off from the ground.
I've always avoided walking on my metal roof when wet because I figured it would be slippery. After this recent experience hosing off the tephra I've learned that the metal is not slippery when wet. Perhaps it would be if slime was growing on top.
Also, the tephra does not render the roof slippery, probably because as previously noted all the debris settles into the valleys and your footsteps will travel on top of the peaks.
Waiting for an inch plus of rain could take awhile. I wouldn't doubt that some decent wind will come our way before that, which would send the tephra airborne.
Yaks' post that said to avoid sweeping because it would send the material airborne convinced me not to do that. Yes, in theory sweeping could also scratch the metal but in practice I really doubt this would occur given the tephra we have received in Puna.
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" . . . I would also recommend an immediate "hose off" of the catchment cover as well as solar panels spraying them off from the ground.. . ."
Tried to do that this morning. The Pele's hair is still sticking to the catchment cover, all sparkling and glowing on this dry sunny day. Our cover is new, placed on top of our older one for double coverage. Hope when the rain finally does come as a soaker that it will really wash off. If not, another new cover I guess.
This all really makes us more sympathetic to our Kau neighbors who deal with this just about every episode.
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DF - Yes, in theory sweeping could also scratch the metal but in practice I really doubt this would occur given the tephra we have received in Puna.
Obviously it's your stuff so do whatever you want, but all the literature out there that I've been looking at goes out of its way to highlight that volcanic ash is not just dust and is highly abrasive. Here's some highlights:
https://www.ivhhn.org/information/preparedness-ashfall
"Ash is different from ordinary house dust. Its sharp, crystalline structure causes it to scratch and abrade surfaces when it is removed by wiping or brushing."
https://volcanoes.usgs.gov/volcanic_ash/...nside.html
"Use a dustless method of cleaning such as washing with water and an effective detergent/wetting agent. Damp rag techniques or vacuuming should be used whenever possible. After vacuuming, carpets and upholstery may be cleaned with a detergent shampoo. Avoid excess rubbing action because the sharp ash particles may cut textile fibres.
Glass, porcelain enamel and acrylic surfaces may be scratched if wiped too vigorously. Use a detergent soaked cloth or sponge and dab rather than wipe.
High-shine wood finishes will be dulled by the fine grit. Vacuum surfaces and then blot with a wet cloth. A tack cloth used by furniture refinishers should also work well."
https://www.jber.jb.mil/News/Articles/Di...eruptions/
"Use windshield wipers carefully, as dry ash can scratch glass."
"Wash ash off vehicles with water rather than brushing to prevent damage."
and so forth...
As for Kau, yeah, when it's raining glass grit and fibers from the sky on a regular basis, along with vog that damages plants, animals including humans, and metal surfaces alike, it may make one want to reconsider their options.
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We used our wipers out of necessity when leaving the park under aerial attack the other day. The particulate plus a few drops of rain now and then were making a mess of the windshield. I can't see any scratches on it.
Cleaning off solar panels I've noticed that some tephra, especially Pele's hair, tends to accumulate at the very bottom of the array where there's a small lip of metal frame.
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I definitely recommend a floating intake in your catchment.
Pull in water from just 12-18” below the water line continuously.
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https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2026/01/28...-eruption/
…“It requires labor — getting up on the roof, cleaning gutters and so forth,” Magno said. “Taking the care that you’re using the proper protective equipment.”
Because the community is isolated and some kupuna may be unable to get on their home’s roof, Civil Defense is surveying the area for significant needs.
An online assistance survey link was posted and quickly received more than 200 responses.
“It’s kind of labor-intensive and hazardous, so we’re reaching out to those folks that just don’t have the capability to do this and kind of screening those folks,” he added...”
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