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Posts Tagged ‘black berkey’
The Black Berkey Red Food Coloring Test
Saturday, January 16th, 2010The Black Berkey red food coloring test provides the opportunity to showcase the impressive purification power of the Black Berkey elements. Many water filter companies make claims to their high quality, but Berkey water filters go one step further by making their lab test results public and presenting demonstrations such as the red food coloring test. While helpful for new customers to see the Black Berkey filters in action, it is invaluable for the existing customer base since it can be used at anytime during the life of the filters to ensure they are working to design specifications. Whether the original black berkeys have been in operation for the past 3, 7, or 10 years, one can perform this test at anytime to see if it’s time for a replacement. We recommend customers place a cup underneath each filter as this will help isolate which filter is exhausted, and which is still purifying effectively.
With other water filters, the customer must assume their system is working to specifications or spend the time and money to perform water tests. This time lapse video shows how simple the red food coloring test can be done after priming your Black Berkey filters.
Berkey Home Water Filters - Higher Quality for Less Money
Saturday, November 7th, 2009The general public is slowly beginning to understand that our water supply has been compromised. Whether it be our well water that is being affected by general pollution, or our municipal water that is being heavily treated with disinfectants, our water is not as pure and pristine as we would hope. In response, much of the population has turned to bottled water and home water filters. Unfortunately, bottled water adds to pollution, it can get expensive, and in some cases is simply municipal water that’s been bottled in a city like Atlanta. When it comes to home water filters, all water filter systems are not created equal. Many of the most popular water filters on the market remove or reduce some chemicals and contaminants, but leave gaping holes for other contaminants to pass through to our drinking glass. As I mentioned in my last home water filter post, I will be evaluating many of the other water filter solutions on the market over the next couple months, but would like to begin this journey comparing the berkey water filter against the models; Aquasana, Pur, and Brita. We’ll call them the big three.
The High Quality of the Black Berkey Filter
It seems nowadays health is a topic of conversation on everybody’s mind. The nutritional supplement and organic foods markets continue to grow by double digits year over year and is a testament to the customer’s search for higher quality and better health. Water filtration seems to be slightly behind this awareness curve and is most likely due in large part to the public just recently coming to terms with what’s really happening with our water supply. Just turn on the TV or go out on the internet and you’ll see some other type of contaminant or chemical that’s now being found in our drinking water.
The big three of Pur, Aquasana, and Brita are decent at filtering out some of the more well known disinfectants such as chlorine, but they do so only at ranges between 96-99%. Comparably, berkey water filters remove chlorine to beyond detectable levels. The Berkey also reduces heavy metals such as aluminum and lead, removes pathogenic bacteria and E-coli, nitrates and nitrites, and radon. The other water filters fail to address these contaminants and instead pass them through to your drinking glass completely. Even when it comes to very dangerous VOC’s and THM’s, that have been shown to have correlations to increases in illnesses such as cancer, only Aquasana and Pur have some impact at the 98-99% level. Yet these levels are well below the reduction levels of the Berkey which reduces both VOC’s and THM’s to beyond detectable limits. Finally, it’s important to note that one of the fastest growing water concerns of the public is the fluoridation, or the addition of fluoride, to our municipal water supplies. Again, none of the big three water filters address fluoride. Conversely, Berkey systems have an add-on filter option for the black berkey filter elements called the PF-2 filter that specifically targets both fluoride and arsenic to reduce it by over 99.75%.
Save Money When You Buy a Berkey Home Water Filter
I don’t think there’s anyone in the US or Canada that hasn’t been impacted by the economic depression. It’s been a tough couple years, and while wall street and the government talk about a recovery underway, many of us on main street simply don’t see it. Every decision we make needs to be one that maximizes that value of our hard earned dollar. That leaves many of us spending our time trying to determine how to get the highest quality the for the least amount of money. When it comes to water filtration, if you start to do the math, Aquasana, Pur, and Brita are simply not the most cost effective. A one-time investment in a standard Berkey home water filter such as the Berkey Light or the Big Berkey will cost the consumer $209 or $250 respectively, and provide at least 5 years of high quality filtration. Comparably, the big three require many filter replacements across this 5 year period and result in a total cost ranging between $560 and $658. That’s more than twice the cost for inferior water filtration. Even when the Berkey secondary fluoride filters are added on, the black berkey / PF-2 combination is still cheaper. (chart below) Addt’l details can be found at berkey home water filters comparison chart.
| Model | Big Berkey w/ 2 BB (Black Berkey Filters) | Big Berkey w/ 2 CF (Ceramic Filters) | PF-2 Fluoride and Arsenic Filters (For use w/ Black Berkey Filter | PF-4 Fluoride and Arsenic Filters (For use with Ceramic Filters) | Aquasana Countertop (AQ-4000) | Pur 3 Stage Faucet Filter (FM9700) | Brita Faucet Filter w/ advanced features | Brita Pitcher Filter | |
| 1st Yr Cost 2 | $250 | $250 | $55 | $95 | $170 | $190 | $170 | $177 | |
| 2nd Yr Cost | $0 | $0 | $55 | $95 | $78 | $156 | $156 | $160 | |
| 3rd Yr Cost | $0 | $0 | $0 | $95 | $156 | $156 | $156 | $160 | |
| 4th Yr Cost | $0 | $0 | $55 | $95 | $156 | $156 | $156 | $160 | |
| 5th Yr Cost | $0 | $0 | $55 | $95 | $156 | $156 | $156 | $160 | |
| 5 Year Total Investment | $250 | $250 | $220 | $475 | $560 | $658 | $638 | $657 |
Making choices that affect the health of you and your family are some of the most important choices that you can ever make. Berkey water filters are considered one of the highest quality filtration systems on the market, and they’ll save you money while providing you the healthy drinking water your family needs. To learn more about which water filter system will suit you best, please read this article on how to choose a berkey filter system.
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:Â 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:Â 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
The Difference Between Black Berkeys and Ceramic Filters - A Quick History and Comparison
Thursday, April 30th, 2009To 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 out a contaminant like Chlorine to undetectable levels, while the ceramics will only remove > 90% of Chlorine.
The Black Berkeys and the Ceramics are basically the same in terms of life span, 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 my article, Intro to Berkey Water Filters 101.
Berkey Water Filters vs Berkey Water Purifiers
Sunday, November 23rd, 2008Interest in home water treatment products such as Berkey filters has grown tremendously over the past 15 years. Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy for consumers to know whether or not a particular product will actually be as safe and effective as the manufacturer claims at reducing various contaminants from your water supply. This is where the NSF, a international public health and safety company, plays a critical role.
The NSF (National Sanitation Foundation), headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is an independent testing laboratory that performs comprehensive testing and certification of filtration products. In order for a product to earn “certification” for reduction of a contaminant, it must be able to reduce a specific amount of that contaminant. Certification is voluntary, so it is important that the consumer ensures that the product they are considering purchasing has attained certification.
One critical filter feature that sometimes gets overlooked is the level to which the filter removes contaminants from the water. For carbon filters, focusing on the pore size has some value, but the most important statistic is at what degree this filtering occurs. For instance, there is a significant distinction between water filters and water purifiers. A water filter like the ceramic berkey filters must remove pathogenic bacteria at the 99.99% level, also known as log 4. On the other hand, a water purifier like the black berkey elements, must be able to demonstrate a 99.99999% reduction in pathogenic bacteria, known as log 7. This is a much stricter standard and NSF certification in this regard gives confidence to the consumer that they are getting a high quality water purifier. If you are interested in water purification, double check to make sure the manufacturer and/or seller is not just throwing the word “purifier” around as it does have technical significance.
As a general rule, look for filters labeled as meeting NSF/ANSI standard 53. This standard applies to point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) systems with a focus on removing bad tastes, odors, and chlorine. Standard 53 certified filters substantially reduce many hazardous contaminants, including heavy metals such as copper, lead and mercury, disinfection byproducts, parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, pesticides, radon, and volatile organic chemicals such as methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), dichlorobenzene and trichloroethylene (TCE). For those interested, Berkey also has a separate class of filters called pf-2’s that filter out arsenic and fluoride.
Don’t forget that no filter will give you good performance over the long term unless it receives regular maintenance. As contaminants build up, a filter can become less effective and actually can make your water worse by starting to release harmful bacteria or chemicals back into your filtered water. The more contaminated the water, the more often you should clean the filters. Happy filter shopping!
The Thirsty Berkey - For the Love of Clean Water
How Many Berkey Water Filters Are Needed?
Thursday, October 30th, 2008This seems to be one of the questions I receive the most. And, it makes sense because there are many ways in which Berkey Water Filters can be set up. The more you read, the more confusing it can get, and the information out in cyberspace doesn’t always clear things up. Below, I’ve assembled 7 basic facts and guidelines that will help you understand the world of Berkey.
- Basic systems all start out with 2 filtration elements in the upper chamber. You then build upon the system from there depending on your needs and system capacity.
- The larger the system, the more elements you can fit into the upper chamber. It ranges from 2 elements in a system like the Travel Berkey or Berkey Light, to 8 elements in the Crown Berkey.
- Traditionally, filter / purifying elements are designed for either the upper or the lower chamber. Ceramic filters & Black Berkey filters are upper chamber. PF-2 Fluoride / Arsenic and PF-4 Arsenic / Lead / MTBE / Fluoride filters are lower chamber. In theory, if you wanted to pimp out your Berkey, 16 filtration elements could fit into the Crown Berkey (8 up / 8 down).
- Black Berkey’s only match up with PF-2’s, and Ceramics only match up with PF-4’s. This is because the PF-2’s are designed to complement the improved filtering abilities of the Black Berkey elements. Similarly, PF-4 filter technology is designed to complement and fit with the Ceramic filtration elements. So, if you buy 4 BB’s up top, you’ll need 2 sets of PF-2’s down below…not a PF-4 set.
- The amount of lower chamber elements in any given system must match the amount of upper chamber elements. i.e. 2 BB’s up top must equal 1 set of PF-2’s down below, 4 Ceramic’s up top must equal a set of PF-4’s below…etc. Keep in mind, lower chamber(pf) filters are not required. A system can function with only upper chamber elements, like 2 BB’s, but not the other way around.
- You cannot combine different types of filtration elements in one chamber. In other words, if you have 2 Black Berkey purification filters in the upper chamber and you’d like to expand to 4, you cannot add two Ceramic filters to the mix. You would need to add 2 addt’l Black Berkey filters.
- More Filters = Faster filtration; not better filtering. If you’re buying a larger system, you most likely have a requirement for water to be available quicker and in larger volumes. In this case, you would want to opt for 4, 6, or 8 upper chamber filter elements.
Hope this gives everyone a good foundation. Couple this information with your filtering intentions and you’ll be able to select the right system and elements combination that will meet your health needs. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions that I can help you with - Dan@Bigberkeywaterfilters.com.
The Thristy Berkey - For the Love of Clean Water
