Big Berkey Water Filters

In 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)

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