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Preparedness Products
Berkey Products designed to support human life in the event of a natural disaster or emergency.
$28.00Berkey BioFilm Drops
$21.00Potassium Iodate Tablets
$29.95N99 ViraMask
$21.95PRI Fuel Stabilizer
$28.95Prudent Places CD-ROM
$23.95Sheltering in Place
$19.95Staph Control
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Best Sellers
$228.00Travel Berkey Water Filter
$258.00Big Berkey Water Filter
$283.00Royal Berkey Water Filter
Regular Price: $61.00
Special Price $54.00
PF-2 Fluoride and Arsenic Water Filters (2) Fits Black Berkey Filters Only
$107.00Black Berkey Filters
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Comparing a Berkey Water Filter vs Brita
When purchasing a home water filtration system, the options available can be confusing. Many of the popular home water filters vary drastically in price, and one may be tempted to opt for the cheaper product. But before making any rash online purchase decisions, it is wise to get up to speed with the capabilities of water filter/s you are interested in, as well as the long-term costs associated with each product and compare these before adding products to your online cart and checking out. Impulsively opting for a cheaper product may not only result in purchasing an inferior product, but it may actually end up costing you far more in the long run. The Berkey range of drinking water filters fall into the top end range due to their superior design, construction and filtering capabilities. Yet, compared to the ever popular Brita pitcher filters they are quite pricey. But, is all as it seems? Let's compare the berkey vs brita from these two manufacturers to check out how much bang your are getting for your buck. Maximum Holding Capacity Berkey offers a wide range of water filters ranging from the small Travel Berkey filter that are capable of filtering up to 1.5 gallons (5.7 liters) of water at a time to the large Crown Berkey water filter that can filter 6 gallons at a time, meaning that with a Berkey filter on hand you will always have a ready supply of fresh drinking water, no matter where on earth you are. Berkey water filter systems come with a lifetime warranty — always a good indicator that a manufacturer believes wholeheartedly in their product. The Brita range of water filters for home use are currently available in pitcher and dispenser sizes, and the largest Brita filter is only capable of filtering 80 ounces (0.5 gallons/2.3 liters) of water at a time. So, if you have a thirsty family, you may have to wait a while for more fresh water to be on hand. Annual Filter Replacement Costs In many cases, the cost of a water filter system is misleading, as higher running costs can inflate the overall costs quite significantly, and a cheap filter may end up being not so cheap after all. Good quality water filters that are fitted with superior filter elements typically have a longer lifespan resulting in long-term savings that many consumers don't consider when making their purchase. The cost of replacement filters can quickly mount up over time, so this an important aspect to take into account when choosing a home water filter system. While the initial cost of a Berkey water filter may be higher than its competition, the cost of replacement filters needs to be factored into the equation. Unlike Brita water pitchers which need to have their filters replaced regularly (every 4-8 weeks), Berkey filters keep doing their thing for years before they need to be replaced. So when it comes to operating costs, Berkey filters are MUCH more affordable. Below is a breakdown of the costs associated with the berkey water filter vs brita (and potential savings if you opt for a Berkey): BritaInitial cost: $75.49 for 10 cup plastic pitcher and 4 filter cartridges Replacement filters: approximately $5 each Filter lifespan: approximately 6-8 weeks or 40 gallons (151 liters) Approx cost over 11 years: $385 Filters heavy metals and pathogenic bacteria and viruses? No 10 Cup Brita Plastic PitcherBig Berkey (most popular Berkey size)Initial cost: $258 - Big Berkey filter system including 2 x black filter elements (there are both cheaper and more expensive options) Filter lifespan: approximately 11 years or 6,076 gallons (23,000 liters) Cost of replacement filters: $107 for set of 2 Black Berkey filter elements (Not required for first 11 years or 23,000 litres) Cost over 11 years: $258 Filters a wide range of contaminants including: heavy metals, chlorine and pathogens? Yes The Big Berkey Water Filter - 2.25 Gallon SystemCompared to a Brita water filter, a Big Berkey system fitted with a set of Black Berkey filter elements could conservatively save you $127 or more over the 11-year lifespan of the filter elements, before they would need to be replaced. These are conservative estimates; depending on your water consumption, the savings could be much, much higher. And if you are currently drinking bottled water, switching to a Berkey filter could literally save you thousands of dollars over an 11 year period! Filtering Capability If you are shopping for a water filter, it stands to reason that you want to remove potential contaminants that may be present in your drinking water. It's safe to say, the list of contaminants that can be removed should play an important role in influencing your decision. Unlike Brita filters, the Berkey water filter systems fitted with Black Berkey filter elements have been tested and proven to remove pathogens (bacteria and viruses) to > 99.9999%, as well as a wide range of hazardous contaminants typically found in drinking water. While Brita filters can remove some common pharmaceutical pollutants, they are not capable of removing many common drinking water contaminants including viruses, and rather are only able to reduce some of these levels. So, effectively many contaminants that are removed by a Berkey, are not removed at all by the Brita, or are still present and just at lower concentrations. So, you must be aware that the Brita is not protecting you and your family to the same degrees as the Berkey. A more detailed contaminant removal comparison between the Berkey and Brita can be found here. Verdict: Brita or Berkey? Brita home water filters continue to be extremely popular, largely due to their affordability. But, when the overall costs together with their filtering capabilities are compared side by side, Berkey water filter systems stand out as being far superior in terms of their affordability and quality. When you purchase a Berkey you can rest assured you are investing in a top quality water filter that will continue to supply your family with the safest drinking water for years to come without breaking the bank.
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Town's Drinking Water Treated with Non-Approved Chemical for 10 Years
A CNN report has recently revealed that people living in the town of Denmark, South Carolina have been exposed to a water treatment chemical not certified safe for human consumption for more than 10 years. Following concerns of rust-colored water flowing out of their taps, residents began collecting water samples for testing and opting for bottled water or other safer options rather than drinking tap water, even with government assurances that their water was safe to drink. But CNN has revealed information that throws those assurances into question. In an effort to control the naturally-occurring iron bacteria present in the water that is responsible for the rust-like deposits and red stained water, the state was adding HaloSan to one of Denmark's four water wells. Yet, Halosan is a chemical that is not approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for disinfecting drinking water. According to Gerald Wright, mayor of Denmark, all four wells feed into one water distribution system that supplies residents across the city.While this is currently under investigation, it remains unclear what health effects this unapproved chemical may have had on the 3,000 residents who have been exposed to it for a decade. But some residents are blaming the water for the diseases and illnesses they are suffering from. HaloSan is a chemical that is typically used to disinfect spas and swimming pools, but it is not approved for treating drinking water and until now, has never been used to disinfect drinking water before. But the South Carolina has been using it to treat drinking water supplied to residents of Denmark from 2008 to 2018, even though it shouldn't have done so. Based on the way in which the HaloSan treatment unit was advertised, South Carolina's Department of Health and Environmental Control were falsely led to believe that it was in fact EPA-approved for treating drinking water. However, a spokesperson for the EPA disputes this, saying it is not approved for treating drinking water."HaloSan has not undergone the necessary evaluations as part of the pesticide registration process and, therefore, EPA cannot confirm the safe use of this product for the disinfection of drinking water," an EPA spokesperson told CNN.According to a 2007 EPA health risk assessment HaloSan can cause significant skin and eye irritations, and is associated with health effects such as: skin rashes, itching, burning, red/discolored skin, blistering, allergic reactions including skin welts/hives, bleeding and allergic contact dermatitis, as well as eye irritations, including eye pain and swollen eyes.It is a legal requirement that any "product intended to be used to disinfect drinking water must be registered by the EPA," and it must be scientifically proven that "the product can perform its intended function without undue harm to people or the environment."According to the EPA, even when the HaloSan is being used for its intended purpose in pesticides, the dosage needs to be regulated. It is unclear whether the dosage added to Denmark's water system was regulated, or if the water was filtered. When Marc Edwards, an engineer and water researcher at Virginia Tech, first learned that HaloSan had been added to Denmark's drinking water he was "dumbfounded"."I did a thorough search, and I've never seen it approved for a public water supply before," he said. "And the EPA approvals that I saw, none of them were for municipal potable water." Nor is there any evidence that the dosage added to the drinking water supply was regulated. "You have to make sure you don't put too much of it in the water. And there was no way that they could prove that they weren't exceeding the recommended dose," Edwards explained. "There's a maximum allowed amount, even for industrial applications. And they have no way of proving that, that level is not being exceeded."Yet, without knowing the concentration levels in water, its difficult to determine the potential health impacts, said Joe Charbonnet, science and policy associate at the Green Science Policy Institute, who expressed concerns that HaloSan could produce toxic chemical compounds when used as a drinking water disinfectant. It is very concerning that a potentially toxic chemical that is classified as a pesticide and routinely used in pesticides, is added to drinking water, and even more so that its use is unregulated, with no indication that the water was subsequently filtered. Just another good reason why consumers are well advised to invest in a good quality water filter that is capable of removing a wide range of potentially harmful contaminants that either occur naturally in water, make their way into drinking water supplies from industrial or agricultural sources, or are added to the water during the treatment process in order to kill bacteria and other harmful pathogens.
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