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Archive for the ‘Arsenic’ Category
How To Prime PF-2 Fluoride and Arsenic Water Filters
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010Let’s review how one primes and installs the PF-2 fluoride and arsenic water filters for the Berkey Water Filter. The PF-2 water filters must be primed prior to installation, and when installing into the lower chamber they should not be screwed on more than 8 revolutions onto the Black Berkey stem.
The media within the PF-2 water filter contains micro fine dust as a result of the manufacturing process that can cause the purified water to have a bitter taste. To dislodge the process dust from the Berkey PF-2 water filters, it is necessary to prime each element. We start off with the video showing how the priming procedure is done, followed by text instructions and some additional helpful notes.
How To Prime Your PF-2 Filters Video
PF-2 Water Filter Priming Procedure
- With blue caps in place, wash the exterior of each PF-2 water filter with a mild dish soap.
- With clean hands, remove both blue caps from each end of the PF-2 water filter.
- Place the rubber-priming button (tan colored) onto one end of the PF-2 water filter and align the hole in the button with the hole in the PF-2 water filter.
- Press the priming button up against a sink faucet so that the priming button creates a seal between the faucet and the PF-2 filter.
- While holding the priming button against the faucet, turn on the cold water gently and allow the water to fill the cavity of the PF-2 water filter and discharge from the opposite end. Allow the water to discharge for at least 20 seconds or until the water runs clear, whichever is longer. Hint: Place your thumb on top of the faucet to apply pressure creating a tighter seal.
- Now repeat the process by turning the PF-2 water filter over and priming the filter from the opposite end in the same manner.
- Prime each additional PF-2 filter repeating steps 3-6.
PF-2 Water Filter Installation Procedure
- Remove the upper chamber from the filtration system and place it upside down on a counter so that the stems of the Black Berkey elements are facing upward.
- With the water flow arrow pointing away from the upper chamber (the PF-2 water filters have threads on one end only) screw the PF-2 water filters onto the stems of each black berkey element 8 revolutions. Notes: a) Do not screw the PF-2 filter on more than 8 revolutions as this may damage the internal media screen b) The flow arrow should point away from the upper chamber.
- Replace the upper chamber onto the lower chamber (the PF-2 water filters should now be hanging in the lower chamber). Fill the upper reservoir with water and let it drain into the lower chamber. When the lower chamber is full, discard this 1st batch of water, which may contain some residual process dust. Your purification system is ready for use. Note: On rare occasion it can take up to 5 full chamber flushes/batches before the dust subsides. If the dust not not subside after the 5th full batch of water, please contact us for potential replacement.
Additional Notes on the PF-2’s
- When the lower chamber is full, the PF-2 water filters will be immersed.
- When the water level in the lower chamber rises above the bottom of the PF-2 water filters, it is normal for small amounts of water to burp through threads connecting the PF-2 water filters to the Black Berkey elements.
- The lower chamber in most gravity purification systems has a 2-3 gallon capacity and a typical household uses about 1 refill per day. We recommend that the upper chamber be filled at night prior to going to sleep. The water from the upper chamber should be purified and awaiting use in the lower chamber by the morning. It is normal for the purification process to slow down significantly when the water level in the lower chamber rises above the bottom of the PF-2 filter. Households requiring more water can speed up the flow rate by drawing off the purified water into a water pitcher or other containing when the water level in the lower chamber rises about the bottom of the PF-2 water filters.
Click here for instructions on How to Prime the Black Berkey Purification Elements.
Help Me Choose a Berkey Water Filter System
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009In this article we’re going to walk you through 4 easy steps to help you choose the perfect Berkey Filter System to fit your needs.
Step 1: Understanding the Berkey Gravity Filtration System
Berkey filter systems take advantage of the extended time each water droplet is in contact with the filters and thus are able to achieve high performance filtration results that many other systems simply cannot match. These are countertop systems only, starting from the smallest 1.5 gallon size housing to the largest at 6 Gallons. The internal filtration elements like the black berkeys and the PF-2’s work in any of the system housing models we sell, allowing you to achieve the same desired filtration results for each size.
There are 6 system sizes in total (below), and all systems come standard with 2 of our newest generation black berkey filters in the upper chamber. Larger systems have the capacity to utilize more filters thus increasing the speed of filtration. See Flow Rate @ Full Expansion)
| System | Holding Capacity | Fully Expanded | Flow Rate @ Full Expansion |
| Travel Berkey | ~ 1.5 Gallons | 2 Elements(Filters) | ~ 2.75 Gallons / Hr |
| Berkey Light | ~ 2.75 Gallons | 2 Elements(Filters) | ~ 4.25 Gallons / Hr |
| Big Berkey | ~ 2.25 Gallons | 4 Elements(Filters) | ~ 7.0 Gallons / Hr |
| Royal Berkey | ~ 3.25 Gallons | 4 Elements(Filters) | ~ 8.0 Gallons / Hr |
| Imperial Berkey | ~ 4.5 Gallons | 6 Elements(Filters) | ~ 16.5 Gallons / Hr |
| Crown Berkey | ~ 6.0 Gallons | 8 Elements(Filters) | ~ 26.0 Gallons / Hr |
Step 2: Choosing a Berkey Water Filter Size
The golden rule for choosing a size is that bigger is usually better if you have the room for it. Put simply, the larger the system, the less often you need to fill it, which ultimately translates into convenience. In addition, the higher water volume in the upper chamber increases the pressure that is placed on the water helping to push it through the filters faster. The differences in cost between the various housing sizes is nominal when you consider that you will be using the same housing for 10-20+ years.
Here are some sizing guidelines:
Travel Berkey ~ 1-3 ppl
Big Berkey ~ 1-4 ppl
Berkey Light ~ 2-5 ppl
Royal Berkey ~ 2-6 ppl
Imperial Berkey ~ 4-8+ ppl
Crown Berkey ~ 6-12+ ppl
Step 3: Choosing Your Berkey Filters
Upper Chamber Filters
As mentioned above, all Berkey Water Filter systems require 2 upper chamber filters to operate and these come standard with each system purchase. Increasing the amount of filters utilized in the upper chamber will not improve filtration quality, but will increase filtration speed and the volume of water that can be filtered. For example, increasing from 2 black berkey elements to 4 black berkey elements will approximately double your filtration speed and double the amount of volume that can be filtered; 6000 total gallons to 12000 total gallons.
You can choose either Black Berkey Elements or Super Sterasyl Ceramic Filters for your upper chamber filters. These filters are comparable in terms of cleaning, volume of water they filter, and price. However the Black Berkeys, being a newer design, are able to filter everything the ceramics do in addition to removing Lead and MTBE’s that the ceramics do not remove, and chlorine and bacteria (giardia, e-coli, etc) to higher degrees. The Black Berkey’s also meet high ANSI/NSF log 7 standards as water purifiers and show off their prowess by being able to remove food coloring from water. Read this article for more information on the differences between the black berkey elements and ceramic filters.
* Black Berkey and SS Ceramic Filters last approx 6000 gallons for a set of 2
Lower Chamber Filters
The lower chamber filters are referred to as PF filters. PF = Post Filtration. There are 2 types of PF filters. The PF-2’s are specifically designed to work with the black berkeys, and the PF-4’s are designed specifically to work with the ceramic filters. The PF filters are easily installed by screwing them onto the stem of upper chamber elements so that they hang upside down in the lower chamber of any multi-filter Berkey Water Filter system.
PF filters are optional. If your municipality adds fluoride to your water, or you are concerned about arsenic seepage into your well, then the PF-2 Filters as an add-on to your black berkeys are what you’re looking for. PF-4 Filters also remove fluoride and arsenic in addition to other chemicals that the upper chamber SS ceramics do not remove.
* PF-2 Fiters last 1000 Gallons or 2 Years, whichever comes first
* PF-4 Filters last 6 months
Step 4: Understanding the Berkey Assembly
Watch this video of the Big Berkey
Begin Choosing Your Berkey Filter System HERE
Tennessee Coal Ash Spill, An Environmental Disaster
Sunday, January 11th, 2009Considered as one of, if not the biggest, environmental disasters the US has ever experienced, the Tennessee coal ash spill has alarmed many nearby residents, the EPA, and environmental groups across the nation. Many are calling it the Exxon Valdez of coal ash spills. Unfortunately, this story seems to have lost most of it’s national press coverage as the new year began.
Coal Ash Spills…
It all began on Dec. 22nd, 2008 when the earthen dike of a coal ash holding pond, owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority(the largest public utility in the nation), broke at the Kingston Fossil Plant. This dam failure resulted in 5.4 million cubic yards of ash being released into the neighboring community and Emory River. This national news story was televised on Dec. 26th.
Within 4 days of the spill, the drinking water is safe according to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s official statement. This seems a little irresponsible given that 
it was based upon a water sample taken at the Kingston Plant itself, 6 miles upstream of the actual spill. And maybe we’ll just overlook the fact that a comprehensive water quality survey of a disaster of this scale requires dozens of samples before an acceptable confidence interval can be attained.
Here’s a close up view of the damage from Dec. 27th, 5 days after the spill from a group of local environmentalists coordinated by Appalachian Voices. Credit John L. Wathen, a Hurricane Creekkeeper; Sandra Diaz, Appalachian Voices’ National Field Coordinator; and Donna Lisenby, the Watauga Riverkeeper for this footage.
Fortunately or unfortunately depending upon your perspective, on Dec. 28th, the public was able to gain some insight into the severity of the spill when the TVA disclosed to the New York Times the amount of toxins it deposited into this holding pond in 2007; in just one year. How about 2.2 million pounds of toxins including 45,000 pounds of arsenic, 49,000 pounds of lead, 1.4M pounds of barium, 91,000 pounds of chromium and 140,000 pounds of manganese. This holding pond, before it spilled out into the neighboring land and waterways, contained decades worth of deposits. Here’s a fun fact - 100mg(.00022 lbs) of arsenic is considered lethal to the human body. Let me preface by mentioning that there’s many variables that come into play when we discuss drinking water. Arsenic needs to dissolve fully into the water supply for a true contamination to exist, but this information is relevant because these toxins need to go somewhere. Coal ash that is not or cannot be cleaned up will seep into the ground with the potential to enter the water table where it may or may not be filtered out naturally by the sediment. Coal Ash not removed from the water will settle along the riverbed and shoreline, and continually be washed downstream where the toxins will impact the river ecosystems and aquamarine life to a yet unknown degree.
On Dec 30th, the TVA and EPA issued a joint statement recommending that direct contact with coal ash be avoided and that children and pets should stay away from affected areas. With the laundry list of toxins contained in the ash, this statement was literally a week late and it’ll probably leave the TVA a billion dollars short as a result of the lawsuits that began piling up last week. Erin Brockovich even decided to march into town on Jan 8th, and for those of you that saw the movie, you know the TVA couldn’t of been too excited about that visit.
Coal Ash Spill Early Test Results
As you probably have guessed by now, results from some of those water tests have come in. On the whole, samples from drinking wells and from public drinking water have been found to be within safe levels, however tests of surface and river water closer to the spill showed unsafe levels of some contaminants. Preliminary tests from the Appalachian Voices samples conducted by Appalachian State University showed arsenic levels from the Kingston power plant canal testing at nearly 300 times the allowable limits in drinking water. Another sample from two miles downstream revealed arsenic at about 30 times the limit. Lead, chromium, and other heavy metals were also found to be at elevated levels from these prelim tests. On Friday, Jan. 2nd, the EPA came back with some water sample results also. Sediment and surface water samples near the spill were confirmed to contain high levels of arsenic with one sample containing more than 149 times the maximum state level. Most recently, on Tues, Jan. 6, the EPA found that two out of 16 water samples exceeded the Tennessee Water Quality Criteria for Domestic Supply.
One of the great unknowns is to what extent the drinking water for surrounding spill land areas and citizens downstream of the Emory, Clinch, and Tennessee rivers will be in the mid to long term. Since the Emory river eventually dumps into these other two rivers, any contaminants found in the Emory river has the potential to have a downstream impact. This is a serious concern as the Tennessee river is a major source of drinking water for millions of people. For their part, the TVA stated that they would be erecting a rock wall, or weir dam, to filter out fly ash from water that flows down the Emory River into the Clinch and Tennessee rivers, but as of Dec. 30th, this had not yet taken place. That’s at least 8 days of downstream free flow, and I’m guessing here that those early days are the most critical in a spill such as this. Complicating the clean up efforts just this week, the region has been hit with heavy rains and flooding that has washed more of the ash into areas that were yet to be quarantined or protected.
The Cleanup and Future of East Tennessee
As of writing this article on Jan 11th, there still seems to be many unknowns as the TVA, the EPA, environmental activists, and local citizens work together and butt heads on the physical clean-up, short to long term safety monitoring, and general environmental remediation. Seeing and reading about local environmental groups and citizens coming together to work through this disaster has given many, including myself, a sense of hope. But, this is the beginning of a long journey. Municipal water filtration systems should be able to address spill toxins that may contaminate city water sources. However, well water drinkers will need to be a little more weary and pay close attention to well test sampling results as seepage contamination takes more time to become evident. The EPA is recommending that residents on well water either not drink their water at all until more tests are conducted or filter their water. As for the aquamarine, plant, and animal life, their options are limited and it’s evident that they’re paying the biggest price of us all.
In a unfortunate coincidence, Jan. 9th revealed another gypsum slurry spill in NE Alabama at the Widows Creek coal fire plant owned by none other than the TVA. This one was much smaller at only 10,000 gallons compared to the 1 Billion gallons in TN. I’m starting to think that we may have a bigger regulatory problem on our hands here. There are 156 Coal Fire Plants in the US, and they are all virtually unregulated when it comes to coal ash waste disposal. Senator Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat and chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee said it best to the CEO of TVA, Tom Kilgore, at the recent Jan. 8th congressional committee hearing, “You need to have a plan to clean this spill up and you don’t have it yet. People will never feel safe there again.”
Arsenic Found in Vietnam and Cambodian Rivers
Friday, November 28th, 2008While my main focus at BigBerkeyWaterFilters is reporting on water conditions in the United States, I also look for big impact stories that seem to miss the US news networks entirely. Many of these water stories are low on the totem pole in the eyes of the US media and simply do not make print or the airwaves, however these international accounts are invaluable for making us aware of water conditions around the world. How these countries are coping and adjusting to these conditions is a helpful lesson for us, allowing for the perspective we need to make the suitable changes in how we treat and respect our water here at home.
A public announcement, spurred on by a joint effort between UNICEF and the health organizations of two governments recently stated that the Mekong River, which runs through Cambodia and Vietnam, is contaminated with arsenic at a harmful level. More than 21% of the Vietnamese population is at risk, exposed to higher than the EPA and the WHO (World Heath Organization) maximum acceptable levels of arsenic at 10 ppb (parts per billion). When asked about the source of contamination, the chief of UNICEF’s water safety branch stated that “Arsenic contamination in the Mekong is understood to have been caused by recent sedimentation”, and that “it is not known if this has been caused by other reasons as well such as industrial pollution since there has been no scientific study or evidence to support that.” In some regions along the Mekong River, the arsenic levels were found to be above 300 ppb causing the Vietnamese health ministry to warn residents that contamination at these extreme levels have the ability to result in cancer within 3-4 years.
Arsenic Contaminated Areas in Mekong and Red Rivers
Earlier Studies Support Findings
While these findings were made public recently over the last couple weeks, there have been numerous studies of both the Mekong River and the Red River highlighting these surfacing dangers. One of the more prominent research papers was performed by a group of university and environmental group scientists published September 2006 titled “Magnitude of arsenic pollution in the Mekong and Red River Deltas — Cambodia and Vietnam”. In that paper, researchers concluded that arsenic contamination was prevalent with chronic poisoning of 10 million people in the red river delta region and .5-1 million people in the Mekong river region. Similar to the UNICEF and government findings, these scientists believed that this arsenic was of natural origin and caused by reductive dissolution of arsenic bearing iron buried in aquifers. Hair samples of citizens within these regions confirmed these higher arsenic concentration accumulations. A potential source of this new found health hazard point to the population’s growing reliance on ground wells set in the 12-45M depth range where seepage is occurring at a high rate. This sort of arsenic contamination of wells occurs in some regions of the US also but tends to localized. Unfortunately, the danger is not isolated to wells in Cambodia and Vietnam as the bottled water, fish, and rice farms of both countries were found to be affected.
Many residents of the two countries have been aware or suspected of the arsenic contamination prior to these official statements and have been abandoning wells and searching for alternate water sources for a number of years. The Vietnamese government and UNICEF have provided personal water filters to rural home residents, but the amount of individuals that remain unprotected is not clear. Cambodia has chosen to paint contaminated water wells red as part of their action plan. As to information concerning long term arsenic filtration and removal; the proposals and strategy are not well known and hard to determine. This is of great concern to the primarily poor residents affected by this problem since contamination is likely to continue or increase according to research that’s been conducted.
Arsenic in Your Well Water?
Sunday, October 26th, 2008I remember when someone first told me that arsenic can be found in the drinking water coming from the taps of many homes in the United States. I took it as one of those scare statistics at first, until I came across a newspaper article on the subject a couple months later. It’s at that point that I decided to do a little research. I’ve written an article posted on ezine that gets into the details, but let me cover some of it here.
Arsenic is deadly, period. It is known for causing all sorts of cancers including bladder, lung and skin and possibly kidney and liver cancer. In 2006, the EPA set the arsenic standard for drinking water at .010 parts per million (10 parts per billion) to protect consumers served by public water systems from the effects of long-term, chronic exposure to arsenic. However, the limit was set at 50 ppb up until that time and the EPA readily admits that it reduced the maximum in part due to studies revealing health deterioration at these levels.
It’s a step in the right direction that public water systems are required to stay below 10ppb, but if you get your water from a well, you may be drinking water with much higher levels of arsenic contamination. Many areas of the country, particularly the western United States are known for naturally high levels of arsenic in the ground and well water. Being an element found in the earth’s sediment, arsenic has the ability to leech into your well water source and you may be none the wiser. Hopefully, if you live in a particularly vulnerable area, your town and/or state officials require arsenic testing as part of a home inspection or house transfer. Unfortunately there are also many towns that do not require this, or are simply not aware of new studies highlighting the need for more stringent arsenic thresholds.
State and federal governments do not require regular testing of well water for arsenic, so what develops is a gap in public safety. The public water officials must report their arsenic levels on a regular basis to state and federal officials, but many homeowners have been drinking from wells that haven’t been tested in decades. The distress of researchers pushing this issue is that even at levels lower than 10ppb, the continuous consumption of low doses may result in cancer 15-30 years down the road.
Fortunately, arsenic testing can be done for as little as $50 and it may be well worth your while to get it checked out. You can also invest in a full home filtration system, but these installations can cost upwards of $4000, with additional annual costs of $300. I recommend point of use water filters as an inexpensive and highly effective option. I’m partial to Berkey water filters since they are distinguished for their arsenic removing filter technology and the systems last for many years without needing regular filter replacements typical of others on the market. Regardless of your choice, if you drink well water, please take a few moments to learn if you may be affected by this chemical and explore your options.
The Thirsty Berkey – For the Love of Clean Water
