Berkey Water Filter FAQs

How good is the Berkey purifier in comparison to other market water filters?

The following is a chart that compares the Berkey system to others on the market.

Which Berkey system should I buy and with how many Berkey filters?

Consider the following factors to determine the best sized Berkey water filter system:

Determine what you think will be the number of gallons of water you will consume on a daily basis. To help estimate consumption, the USDA suggests that the average person (154 lbs.) consumes about 1/2 a gallons of water in a day. If you are in hot weather, very active or elderly likely, you will consume more. The 1/2 gallon per person per day does not include water for cooking or other needs.

If you intend to use Berkey filtered water for cooking and other needs, a good rule of thumb is the ½ gallon estimate for water consumption should be doubled. The total estimate of water needs is 1 gallon of water per person per day.

How much water does a Berkey Water Filter System hold?

Berkey Systems come in many sizes, depending on your needs. After calculating the family water demands you can select a system that has holding capacity for you needs. Consider selecting a system that is slightly bigger to insure you have sufficient water in reserve. The following defines the holding capacity for each of the systems we carry.

How fast does water filter through the different Berkey water filter systems?

The following identifies the flow rate for each of our systems with a standard configuration and with an optional increase of filters to the maximum each unit can support. The numbers shown on the chart below are when the upper unit is completely full. As water in the upper chamber decreases, so does the flow rate.

Can you recommend which Berkey system is best for me?

We do recommend a good choice of system for you based on customer feedback, field testing under normal conditions in the following chart. If you believe that you will need water for more than drinking and cooking, we suggest the next size bigger system will be your best choice. All our systems deliver the identical quality of water independent of size.

How often are Black Berkey filters replaced?

Use the following guidelines for determining when to replace filters:

1. To determine the life of your filters, multiply the number of Black Berkey Filters found in your system by 3,000 gallons. The total will be the Total Life in gallons for all filter elements within the system.
2. Then, observe the gallons of water you normally consume in a day. This will be your Total Use figure.
3. Divide the Total Life by the Total Use and you have the approximate number of days of all filters in you will last before needing replacement.
4. Finally, estimate the actual date based on the days calculation from above and write it on a sticker on the bottom of your system for future reference.

Example: In a family of 4 with each person drinking 1/2 gallon of water a day, you consume 2 gallons per day. With a two filter Berkey system lasting 6000 gallons, you divide 6000 by 2 and you get 3000 days. You will need to replace your filter in 3000 days or take 3000 divided by 365 days a year and your filters will last 8.2 years!

It is important to note that throughout the Black Berkey filter elements active life, they maintain the same exceptional filtering capacity with the filtration rate slowing down over time. Also important, if after you clean your elements and there is no improvement in the flow rate, it’s time to replace them.

What should I know when selecting a Big Berkey?

Our most popular system is the Big Berkey. All of our systems offer the identical filter elements and the same quality of water. With our larger units, the capacity and flow rate become bigger, gives customers the ability to provide drinking water to larger groups of people. The Big Berkey became our most popular model because it is perfect for producing crystal clear water for 8-16 persons while compact enough to be portable. The Big Berkey is the original Berkey water filter model and has become an industry standard with worldwide consumer use and has a very large following in missionary and emergency relief organizations.

If we have well water is PF-2 filter element needed?

No. The PF-2 is for treated water where fluoride has been added such as in city water. The PF-2 reduction elements should be used only when you know that fluoride has been added to your water and you want it removed. The PF-2 elements are not needed for well water or any water not treated such as spring water.

How does Berkey Light and the stainless steel systems compare?

The Berkey Light model is three pounds lighter in weight than the stainless steel systems of equivalent capacity and is designed to be portable and for outdoor use. This is the only difference, because all Berkey models use the same filters and deliver same high quality purified water. The Travel Berkey system is the smallest of the stainless steel systems and also for outdoor use. Being compact, it can fit inside a portable suitcase. However, unlike the Berkey Light system, the upper chamber can store within the lower chamber during travel when mobility is a big issue.

All of our other stainless steel are designed heavier and larger for indoor use. They can easily be used outdoors for special occasions or during unexpected emergencies when a source of potable water may not be available.

Are we able to purchase a Berkey water filter system when we live in the state of California?

At this time, we cannot ship to California. Recently California adopted AB 1953 / SB 1334 & 1395 / HSC Section 116875, commonly referred to as the "no lead law" that required our system to be certificated. Until such certification, we have suspended shipments. Once acquired, we will again resume our water purification system shipments to the state of California. At this time, it is unclear on how to proceed on obtaining a lead free certification as defined by the state of California.

In the US, we will ship to all other states except to Iowa. If you are purchasing a Berkey system as a gift to be shipped to someone in another state, we accept payment from residents in all 50 states.

The flow rate on a system I have had for 6 months has slowed down. Should I replace the elements?

No. The outer micro-pores of your filters are likely building up with sediment and clogging. The Black Berkey elements are easily cleanable, unlike other filtration elements. Remove the elements from your system and clean the Black Berkey elements by scrubbing the exteriors of the elements under running water with a scrub pad such as a 3M or ScotchBrite brand or use a stiff toothbrush. It’s a simple process and in complete within minutes for each element.

With the many report of pharmaceuticals in our city water, does the Black Berkey elements remove drugs?

The Black Berkey elements remove more pollutants more than any of the other system in the market. However, with so many varieties of pharmaceuticals, it is impossible to test for every one that exists.

My new Berkey purifier system is hardly filtering any water. What’s wrong?

With all new Black Berkey Filters, air is trapped within the filter that needs to be removed by priming. When experiencing a very slow rate, it is usually from high water tension. This tension is cured from the micro pores of the new filtering elements when the Black Berkey elements are priming using the priming button provided with your new system. By removing, re-priming and re-installing the elements, often a good flow rate will be restored.

Can you test the Berkey purifier system to ensure it’s working properly?

Yes. Add a teaspoon of food coloring into every gallon of water that fills the upper chamber and let the mixture flow through the Black Berkey filter elements. If the bottom chamber has clear water with no food coloring, the filter is working properly. If coloring is present, tighten the wing nuts on the elements and re-test. If coloring is present in the retest, the element should be replaced.

I am confused about which washer is used for what with my Berkey system. Can you explain?

Contained in the box your Black Berkey elements were sent two black filter elements. Each element should have attached a black rubber washer and a wing nut. Also in the box there will be a separate single black rubber washer that is your priming button. This washer is a thicker than the element washers and have a smaller center hole. This black priming button is sometimes confused with the element washer. This confusion is lessened if your system has a tan priming button.

Can the PF-2 elements be used alone?

No. The Black Berkey filter elements work in tandem with the PF-2 elements. They are used together with the top of the PF-2 elements screw onto the bottom of the Black Berkey elements. The water flows through the Black Berkey elements and into the PF-2 elements. The "PF" in PF-2 is an abbreviation for Post Filter.

I installed my PF-2 elements and noticed slightly cloudy water and a strange taste?

It is likely that the PF-2 unit was not conditioned (primed) long enough and as a result, there is an undesirable taste and/or cloudiness in the water. The cloudiness and odd taste comes from process dust still found inside the unit and not washed away by the conditioning process. Remove the PF-2 elements and prime the unit for at least 60 seconds on both ends. All the residual dust should be removed and you will have clear tasting water.

Does a Berkey system filter sea (salt) water?

No. Salt in sea water is often at high concentrations which will breakdown the material within the filter and likely ruin the elements fairly quickly.

Is water from my home’s water softener safe to use in my Berkey system?

Some of our customers do put water from a water softener in the Berkey system. However, we do not recommend it because of the salt content. Salt that will likely shorten the life of the elements.

In case of an emergency, can my Berkey system remove the chlorine from our pool and filter it?

Yes. The Berkeys are capable of taking chlorinated pool water and making it safe for consumption. The pool water will cause the elements to wear faster and should only be done in an emergency.

Which of the three methods of water filtration, reverse osmosis, distillation or Berkey purification is the healthiest for drinking purposes?

Most health experts agree reverse osmosis (RO) or distilled water removes all the beneficial minerals from the water making the water an acidic "hypotonic" solution. When a hypotonic (de-mineralized) solution comes into contact with a "hypertonic" (mineralized) solution, the minerals within the hypertonic solution will transfer into the hypotonic solution until both solutions are equal. This means that if hypotonic water is consumed, the minerals in the blood and lymphatic system, which are hypertonic, transfer into the hypotonic RO or distilled water that is consumed and the minerals flushed out of the body upon urination.

You lose vital minerals necessary to sustain live. In an effort to re-mineralize, the blood and lymphatic systems will find minerals from other parts of the body, such as bones and other organs. Over a long period of time with this process repeating itself, the bodies can more prone to degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis.

Beneficial minerals from the water are not removed with the Berkey purification systems. Only the harmful heavy metals such as lead and mercury as well as sedimentary minerals like iron oxide are removed. In fact, when tested for TDS (total dissolved solids), the reading will not typically change much unless there are very high concentration of harmful heavy metals or sedimentary minerals in the source water.

How difficult is it to maintenance a reverse osmosis, distillation and Berkey purifier system?

To clean all Berkey models, disassemble, clean the filter and assemble. Occasionally, the lower chamber should be hand cleaned typically after 6-12 months of use.

With distillation systems, minerals are removed from the drinking water. Minerals that build up on the container surface and need to be thoroughly soaked and often only get clean using a vinegar solution to remove the scale.

Reverse osmosis systems typically have up to four filter elements each changed at differing intervals over four months up to two years. The water supply lines need to be shut off and the system disassembled. Every six months, the bladder tank should be washed with a chlorine solution to kill any colonizing bacteria.

What is the bacteria removal capability of a reverse osmosis system vs. the Berkey systems?

Reverse Osmosis will not remove pathogenic bacteria. To remove these bacteria, an UV light system needs to be added that may not kill all the bacteria because turbidity in the water can create shaded spots which prevent some bacteria exposure. Often, the UV is installed before the bladder tank where water is stored. Bacteria can colonize in the tank and if not regularly sterilized can be a source of bacteriological contamination to the water you drink. RO systems are effective at killing bacteria but unfortunately, the carcasses of the dead bacteria remain within the drinking water. The Black Berkey elements, on the other hand kill and remove the carcasses of the bacteria.

How does reverse osmosis, distillation and Berkey systems costs compare?

RO system cost is the most expensive because of high system costs and the additional plumber expense to install the system. The next costly is the distillation unit cost. A Berkey system will typically be the least expensive of the three.

The cost per gallon of water based on the cost of the systems, replacement filters and energy costs are about the same for the distillation systems and RO systems. They typically cost between 35-65 cents per gallon. A Berkey system typically costs about 1.6 cents per gallon.

Is there a difference between the Black Berkey purification elements and the white Ceramic filters?

The Berkey. product line began with Berkey as the original North American distributor for British Berkefeld, a company who makes the finest ceramic water filter available. These ceramic filters have world distribution and are excellent at removing harmful bacteria from sediment heavy, contaminated drinking water. Berkey recognized a need for a more powerful filter that not only removed bacteria but also removed chemicals, viruses, heavy metals fertilizers and a long list of additional contaminates. After many years of research Berkey developed the Black Berkey purification element, a filter that satisfied the need for a more powerful filter and still maintained the benefits of the ceramic filter. Black Berkey purification element is a significantly improvement in the gravity flow water filters market which to date, no other competitor can match.

Is a water filter the same as a water purifier.

No. The water filter is a classification of a device that meets the standard of a water treatment device capable of removing at least 99.99% of pathogenic bacteria, known in the water filter industry as a log 4 reduction. A water purifier is a classification of a device that meets the standard of a water treatment device capable of removing at least 99.9999% of pathogenic bacteria, a log 6 reduction. In addition the water purifier must also be capable of reducing viruses by at least 99.999%, referred to as a log 5 reduction.

All Berkey systems that contain the Black Berkey elements are classified as water purifiers. In fact Berkey Water Purifiers remove 99.9999999% or a log 9 reduction of pathogenic bacteria. To our knowledge no other water filtration device in the world can match that claim.