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The Difference Between Black Berkeys and Ceramic Filters - A Quick History and Comparison
To understand the differences between the Super Sterasyl Ceramic filter and the Black Berkey purification element, it helps to have a brief history on the evolution of the business. Essentially, the Super Sterasyl filters are an evolution of ceramic filter technology originally discovered in 1827 by Henry Doulton in Britain. Over the years, the Doulton company made noteworthy improvements upon the ceramic filters by introducing methods for bacteria removal and self sterilization. Once these improvements were incorporated, gravity filters became heavily used by military forces, relief organizations, and missionaries who lacked access to clean water. The general public also took note and the Doulton company built it’s core business around this Super Sterysyl Ceramic filter technology. Eventually In 1985, British Berkefeld was acquired by Doulton and continues to sell these ceramic filters across the world to this day.
Through a distribution partnership with Berkefeld, the US based company New Millennium Concepts gave North American residents the opportunity to purchase the Super Sterysyl Ceramic filter product locally. New Millennium Concepts then built upon this filtration franchise by designing and creating the Black Berkey Element and expanding the lineup of Berkey housing systems and accessories. Designed over a decade ago, the Black Berkey is a proprietary combination of approximately 6 different types of media designed to take filtration to the next level. They exceed EPA log 7 ANSI / NSF protocols for filtration and thus are rated as water purifiers.
Without going into too much detail, from a filtration perspective the Black Berkey’s filter out the same chemicals and contaminants that the Super Sterasyl Ceramic Filters do, but go above and beyond by removing Lead, MTBE’s, and other heavy metals. In addition, since the Black Berkey’s are water purifiers, they will filter bacteria to a 99.99999% level and viruses to a 99.9999% level. Also, the black berkeys filter out Chlorine to undetectable levels, while the ceramics will only remove > 90% of Chlorine.
The Black Berkeys will last longer than the Ceramics, but are basically the same in terms cleaning, price, and overall day to day use. While both filters are very durable, the ceramics have a slight edge and may benefit missionaries or those who expect to place daily physical wear and tear on the filter when breaking down the system for transport. In essence, both filters are outstanding performers with a long proven track record and tens of thousands of satisfied customers, however the Black Berkeys are more comprehensive in the array of contaminants addressed and have an advantage in their ability to remove some of these contaminants to a higher percentage.
It’s important to note that if you already own the Ceramics and are looking to address some of these missed contaminants like Lead and MTBE’s, the PF-4’s will remove this in addition to growing public concerns like Fluoride and Arsenic. Along those same lines, if you own or are considering purchasing the Black Berkeys and would like to remove Fluoride and Arsenic, choosing the PF-2’s as an add-on will accomplish this goal. To learn more about other configuration aspects of Berkey filters, please read our article, Intro to Berkey Water Filters 101.
Tags: berkey black or white, berkey filter comparison, black berkey, black berkey elements, ceramic filters, ceramics vs black berkeys, difference berkey filters, super sterasyl ceramic filters, super sterasyl filters
Thank you for making the content available online. It really helped me in purchasing the black berkey cartridges.
Do either of the filters filter out radioactive iodine from water?
Hi Chuck -
Neither of the filters have been tested for removing the radioactive iodine contaminant, so at this point in time we cannot comment as to their effectivness.
Thanks
Dan
Hello,
Purchased the lexan berky system for future emergency use and recieved two of the sport bottles with the order.
I have two questions, one relates to the sport bottles, the other to the black berky filters in general.
1- If I use the sport bottle for a while and then decide to store it, is there any special procedure required to store the unit, other than rinsing the bottle and letting it air dry?
2- If the only water available, in an emergency, happens to be something that could be described as anything else other than water, say salt water, possible sewage, or muddy stuff, and taking into account that it would degrade the life span of the filter element considerably, can the Black Berky elements deal with this? Should some attempt at pre-filtering be made, say with a cloth or coffee type filter?
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
G.Tate
Hi Gus -
No, there is nothing special required for storing the sport berkey. You can just let it dry out. As for the black berkeys, they do not remove salt from the water, so salt water would no be able to be filtered. As for other poor water, the black berkeys are designed to purify this, however one can never be too safe when it comes to drinking water, so pre-treating the water prior to filtering is always a good idea.
Thanks
Dan
Will any of the berkey filters get rid of lithium? I have read they are going to start putting that in the water now.
Hi Irene -
The black berkey nor the ceramic filters have been tested for such, so we do not know if they are effective in this regard.
Thanks
Dan
Hello,
I purchased a big berkey with the black berkey elements. I put two in and saved two for later. The filters, now after only 4 months of use, have separated from the plastic housing that attaches them to the upper tank. That means water is no not being filtered and simply runnung below the filters. How do I have these replaced? Please email me. I also sent an email to your “returns” page address and have not heard anything. I love the product, but expect customer service for the price I paid for apparent defective filter cartridges.
Can the black elements be cleaned? If so, how?
Will the black or ceramic filters work on swimmin g pool water?
how can you combine the two filters.
I am ready to buy , but need info fast.
Thanks…
Hi Sue - While we have heard that customers do this with the black berkey filters, we do not recommend it as there are chemicals that can be found in pool water that the black berkeys nor the ceramics have been tested for removal up to this point.
Thx - Dan
Hi S -
Yes, they can and instructions come with the filters advising how this should be done. Also, here is an article which covers the black berkey filter cleaning also:
I bought the ceramic filters and pf-4, is it better to have the black filters and pf2s? Can I add the black filters with pf2 to the other two holes in my big berkey so I would then have two ceramic with two pf4 and two black with two pf2s?
Hi Suzanne -
The BB’s/PF-2’s filters are a better option mainly because they will remove more contaminants and last for a longer period of time in the process, thus saving you money. You can add the Berkey BB’s/PF’2 with your current ceramic/PF-4 setup, however keep in mind that in your bottom clean water chamber you’ll be combining slightly different grades of filtered water. As a transitional option, this would be fine.
Thanks
DAn
I live on a brackish river,does either of your filters deal with that secnairo. Depending on tides and winds the saltinity vary’s
Hi Floyd -
No, the filters do not remove salt from the water, so they would not help with brackish water.
Thanks
Dan
I have been using the ceramics for a year and a half. When and how do I clean them? When Shoould I replace? Thanks.
Hi JB -
You can clean the berkey ceramic filters with a scotchbrite pad under running water and scrub the outer surface of any matter that may be clogging up the ceramic casing. 2 ceramic filters need to be replaced approx every 6000 gallons of water.
Thanks
Dan
Hi,
I have purchased 2 berkey sports bottles and am travelling to south america for a month. Will these be fine to use with untreated from taps, streams etc?
My GP said the filter system wouldnt filter out things like Hep A, typhoid.
Thanks
Hi Matt -
The sport berkeys have been tested and will be fine for bacteria like giardia, cryptosporidium, etc, but have not been tested for typhoid or Hep A, so we would not rely on the sport berkeys for water that may be contaminated with this.
Thanks
Dan
Dan, What is the Black Berkey made of? Plastic???? The Super Sterasyl ceramics are obviously made of ceramic…right?
Hi Sharon -
The entire filter is made of the media itself. It sits on a nylon base that connects the filer to the base of the upper chamber.
Thanks
Dan
I have the ceramic filters and pf4s and want to know if I can replace these with the black berkey filters and pf2s?
Hi Maryann -
Yes you can, and we recommend it for their improvement of filtration quality and longer life; being less expensive over the long term
Thanks
Dan
Hoe many times can you clean a black berkey filter before you have to replace it?
Hi -
You only need to clean the filters if they get clogged up. With that being said the number of times you clean the filter and how long it lasts are not related. How long the black berkeys last is dependent on the number of gallons processed and the levels of contamination in the source water.
Thanks
Dan
Are the “life expectancy” values given for a single BB filter or for a pair of filters? For example, the 3,000 gallon figure given; is that for a single filter, and a Berkey with 4 BB’s installed could actually have 12,000 gallons run through it before replacement, or is it per pair, which would make it 6,000 gallons before replacement??
Hi Tom -
The 3000 gallons is per black berkey filter. And, yes 4 filters would be effective for approximately 12000 gallons and equally 6000 gallons for a pair.
Thanks
Dan
Could you tell me again what the Black Berkey filter is made of. I did not understand which filter you were referring to in the above explanation. If it is made of plastic, what kind of plastic is it. I have an allergic reaction to bottled water that has been sitting in a plastic bottle for over a month. Can you tell me if this filter would be similar.
Hi Sue -
The black berkeys are a combination a more than a half dozen filtration media bonded together and attached to a food safe nylon base. The ceramic filters are a ceramic outer casing with filtration media inside attached to a food safe plastic base. The black berkeys have no plastic in them. Let me know if you need additional assistance.
Thanks
Dan
can the black berkey filters be used , stored and then used again
what must be done if anything
Hi Peter -
Yes, this is not a problem. In some instances you may need to re-prime the black berkey filters if a film has caked and dried on the outside of the filters. But, this is typically not the case.
Thanks
Dan
Do the ceramic and/or BB filters contain any silver?
Hello, we purchased the Big Berkey Water Filter with 2 Black Filters and 2 PF-2 Fluoride Filters recently and would like to know if we could give the filtered water to our newborn child? How does Big Berkey filtration compares to Gerber Purified Infant water and is it necessary to boil the water after using Big Berkey filters? Furthermore, as far as combining the Black Filters with PF-2 Fluoride Filters, how does the fluoride PPM % compare to standard bottle water?
Thank you for your assistance.
You’re site says that both the ceramic filter and the black filter will effectively filter 3000 gallons.
I’m aware that the black filters remove additional contaminates, but do they each filter the same amount of water before needing replacement?
I live in California. Can I have your product shipped to a relative in another state?
Hi Ernest -
Yes, you can.
Thanks
Dan
Hi Jeff -
The black berkey filters will last longer than the ceramic filters due to the increase amount of filtration media used in the filter.
Thanks
Dan
Hi Zach -
In a comparison of all the contaminants the Berkey filters versus the gerber water it is very similar. You would not need to boil the berkey water post filtration due to the water being in a purified state. There is no PPM % compared to standard bottled water only because the PPM level will be different and be based upon what the source water is prior to filtration. Source water with higher levels of beneficial minerals will have a higher PPM % post-filtration than that of source water that has little to no beneficial minerals.
Thanks
Dan
Hi Ursula -
Yes, they do.
Thanks
Dan