Berkey water filters are an effective, standalone water purification system designed to provide drinking water for daily use or emergencies.
It requires no electricity because it is gravity-fed.
Water from almost any source can be poured into the unit’s upper chamber, and when it reaches the lower chamber, it is the cleanest and healthiest water you can drink.
2. What different Berkey systems are there?
Travel Berkey
Berkey’s most compact system but contains the same powerful filters as all other systems. Travel Berkey can provide 5.7 liters per hour with two filters.
Travel is suitable for smaller families with normal household use. Also fits, for example, in an RV or suitcase. Recommended for 1-3 people.
Big Berkey
Berkey’s best-selling system. Big Berkey can provide 8.5 liters per hour with 2 filters and up to 26 liters per hour with 4 filters.
This unit is suitable for medium-sized families with normal household use. Recommended for 2-4 people.
Royal Berkey
Can provide 11.5 liters per hour with 2 filters and up to 30 liters per hour with 4 filters.
Suitable for anyone who also wants water for more than drinking, such as cooking, pets, plants, and other needs. Recommended for 2-6 people.
Everything is made of stainless steel on all three water purifiers, but the spigot itself is plastic. If desired, you can purchase a stainless steel spigot.
Sport Berkey in plastic
Sport Berkey is a portable water bottle that purifies water on the go. The perfect choice for those who want to bring clean water on trips, to work, or camping.
The theory behind this innovation is simple. The sports bottle filter is designed to reduce or remove many harmful contaminants from questionable water sources, including streams, lakes, and tap water.
It handles about 640 refills (1,378 liters) from municipal water supply or about 160 refills (94 liters) from questionable sources before the filter needs to be replaced.
3. What filters are included?
All units come with two black filters that Berkey calls Black Berkey Purification Elements.
The lifespan is 11,356 liters of water per filter and 22,712 liters per set of two filters, so you only need to replace them about every other year, though this depends on how many people are at home and how the water is used.
You can also choose to buy two extra black filters. Big Berkey, Royal Berkey, and Berkey Light all take up to four filters. Four black filters mean the system filters more water faster.
Travel Berkey only takes two filters.
4. What does the filter remove?
Over 200 contaminants are removed, including:
- Viruses (99.999%).
- Pathogenic bacteria (99.9999%).
- Chloramine (below the detectable limit in the laboratory).
- Trihalomethanes (99.8%).
- Pharmaceuticals (99.9%).
- Most heavy metals.
- Pesticides (below the detectable limit in the laboratory).
Test results can be found here.
5. How does the filter work?
The included black filter operates according to three steps.
1. Microfiltration
The first line of defense against contaminants is the material that the Black Berkey filters are made of.
Each cylindrical filter consists of a composition of more than six different media types, all constructed in a very compact matrix containing millions of microscopic pores.
The microscopic topography on the surface of the filter elements contains millions of tiny holes that let water through. These holes are so small that contaminants physically cannot pass through them.
Additionally, these micropores pass through the filter housing in intricate twists called "tortuous paths," causing the smallest pathogenic bacteria, cysts, parasites, sediments, and sedimentary minerals to be further trapped.
Unfortunately, in modern times there are more contaminants to deal with than just bacteria. Agriculture and industrial activities can pollute water with contaminants like heavy metals and volatile chemicals that require more than just microfiltration.
2. Absorption 1
The technology Berkey uses for this step in the filtration process is ion exchange. This process is similar to leaving an opened box of baking soda open in the refrigerator to absorb strange odors.
Heavy metal ions (chromium, lead, or copper molecules) are extracted from the water through an ion exchange process where they are attracted to and transformed by electrically binding to the media.
Ions are molecules that are unbalanced – the number of electrons is not equal to the number of protons. The molecules want to restore balance and are therefore drawn to other molecules that can equalize their charge.
The Black Berkey filters are charged with ions that attract contaminant molecules. These molecules are absorbed and permanently bound to the filter and never enter the drinking water in Berkey's lower chamber.
3. Adsorption 2
Adsorption 2 creates an ionic barrier similar to surface tension. The barrier stretching between the micropores blocks water contaminants, such as submicron viruses, which are smaller than the pore size itself.
Berkey's filters utilize the electrostatic charge of viruses and draw them toward the tunnel walls in the filter's "tortuous path." Like static cling, it holds small viruses against the filter surfaces and never lets go.
Berkey has the prestigious classification of water purifier, not just water filter, due to its ability to remove viruses.
Because of Berkey’s gravity flow, it takes several minutes for water molecules to pass through the filter elements, while molecules in other filtration systems pass through in fractions of a second.
The longer contact time between water molecules and the filter media provides much greater removal of harmful water contaminants that cannot be achieved with conventional pressurized water filtration methods.
6. Is it difficult to assemble the system?
It takes a while but it’s not difficult. Feel free to follow this instructional video.
You need to “prime” the filters before inserting them, meaning saturate them so that all air inside disappears and the water flows well.
The video clearly shows how to do it. The video also shows that you need to wash all parts with warm water and natural detergent before first use.
The black filters should not be washed with detergent; they can be rinsed with cold water and scrubbed with a sponge.
7. Do I have to fill the entire upper chamber?
Yes, every time you fill the upper chamber in your Berkey water filter system, you should fill it to the top.
If you only partially fill the system, the filters can wear unevenly because it is the lower part of the filter that does all the work. This leads to a significant slowdown in filtration speed.
Note: Always make sure the lower chamber is empty before filling the upper chamber to avoid overfilling.
8. Why do I need to prime my filters?
Priming the Black Berkey filter before first use is part of the initial installation. It is necessary for the filters to work properly and achieve sufficient water flow.
The media inside the filters is very dense and has high surface tension. Water then has difficulty penetrating. This causes the system to filter very slowly or not at all.
After priming, everything works and the water can flow through.
9. Why do my filters drip so slowly?
What usually causes the filters to drip slowly is cloudiness and sediment clogging the micropores in the elements.
Simply remove the filters from your system and clean them by scrubbing the outside of each element under running water. It’s easy to do and takes less than a minute per filter.
If they don’t filter faster after cleaning, it’s time to replace them. This usually needs to be done about every two years depending on water usage.
Do you have more questions about Berkey water purifiers? Write a comment and we will answer!
