Berkey water filters are an efficient, standalone water purification system designed to provide drinking water for daily use or emergency situations.
It requires no electricity as 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 purest and healthiest water you can drink.
2. What different Berkey systems are available?
Travel Berkey
Is Berkey's most compact system but contains the same powerful filters as all other systems. Travel Berkey can produce 5.7 liters per hour with two filters.
Travel is suitable for smaller families with normal household use. Also fits perfectly in an RV or suitcase. Recommended for 1-3 people.
Big Berkey
Is Berkey's best-selling system. Big Berkey can produce 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 produce 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 just drinking, such as for cooking, pets, plants and other needs. Recommended for 2-6 people.
Everything is made of stainless steel material on all three water purifiers, but the spigot itself is plastic. If desired, you can purchase an additional 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 sport bottle's filter is designed to reduce or remove many harmful contaminants from questionable water sources, including streams, lakes, and tap water.
It handles approximately 640 refills (1378 liters) from municipal water supply or approximately 160 refills (94 liters) from questionable sources before the filter needs to be replaced.
3. What filters are included?
All models 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 of water per set of two filters, so you only need to replace them approximately every other year, though this depends on how many people are in the household and what you use the water for.
You can also choose to purchase two additional black filters. Big Berkey, Royal Berkey and Berkey Light all accommodate up to four filters. Four black filters means 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 detectable laboratory limits).
Trihalomethanes (99.8%).
Pharmaceuticals (99.9%).
Most heavy metals.
Pesticides (below detectable laboratory limits).
You can find test results showing the complete removal specifications.
5. How does the filter work?
The black filter that is included works according to three stages.
1. Microfiltration
The first line of defense against contaminants is the material that 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 filter elements' surface contains millions of tiny holes that allow water to pass through. These holes are so small that contaminants physically cannot pass through them.Additionally, these micropores pass through the filter housing in intricate turns called "tortuous pathways," which causes the smallest pathogenic bacteria, cysts, parasites, sediment and sedimentary minerals to become further trapped.
Unfortunately, in modern times there are more contaminants to deal with than just bacteria. Agriculture and industrial activities can contaminate water with pollutants such as heavy metals and volatile chemicals that require more than just microfiltration.
2. Absorption 1
The technology that Berkey uses for this stage in the filtration process is ion exchange.This process is similar to leaving an open box of baking soda 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 binding electrically 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 balance their charge.Black Berkey filters are charged with ions that attract contaminating molecules. These molecules are absorbed and permanently bound to the filter and never enter the drinking water in Berkey's bottom chamber.
3. Adsorption 2
Adsorption 2 creates an ionic barrier similar to surface tension. The barrier that extends between the micropores blocks water contaminants, such as submicron viruses, that 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 pathways".Similar to 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.
Due to Berkey's gravitational 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 separation 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. You can follow an instructional video that shows the process step by step.
You need to "prime" the filters before installing them, meaning saturate them so that all air inside disappears for proper water flow.
The video clearly shows how to do this. The video also shows that you need to wash all parts with warm water and natural dish soap before first use.
The black filters should not be washed with dish soap; they can be rinsed with cold water and scrubbed with a cleaning sponge.
7. Must I 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 out unevenly, since it is the lower part of the filter that does all the work. This leads to the filtration rate slowing down considerably.
Note:
Also 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 using it for the first time is part of the initial installation. It is necessary for the filters to function properly and achieve adequate water flow.
The media inside the filters is very dense and has high surface tension. Water then has difficulty penetrating through. This causes the system to filter very slowly or not at all.
After priming, everything works and water can flow through.
9. Why do my filters drip so slowly?
What usually causes filters to drip slowly is turbidity and sediment that clogs 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 is usually needed approximately every other year depending on water consumption.
Do you have more questions about Berkey water purifiers? Write a comment and we'll answer!
