Big Berkey Water Filter Overview
How Berkey PF-2 Fluoride and Arsenic Filters Work
The PF-2 Berkey filters effectively adsorb fluoride (Sodium Fluoride, Sodium Fluorosilicate, Fluorosilicic Acid) and arsenic (Arsenic V and pre-oxidized Arsenic III), along with other residual heavy metal ions. This translates to cleaner, safer drinking water for you and your family.
Berkey developed these filters to specifically address concerns about fluoride intentionally added to municipal water supplies and the prevalence of arsenic in certain areas. If you're worried about these contaminants, PF-2 is the tailored solution you need for your Berkey system.
Fluoride Reduction provided by Berkey PF-2 Fluoride Filters
Testing for fluoride was based on 20-30ppm of the ion in the influent aqueous solution at a flow rate of no more than 3 gpm (11 lpm) per cubic foot of media.
- PF-2 arsenic and fluoride water filtration results of < 1ppm of the fluoride ion in the effluent were typical for the media; >95% reduction.
- Under optimum conditions, effluent concentrations of less than 50 ppb were readily achieved; >99.75% reduction.
- Sodium fluoride, sodium fluorosilicate, and fluorosilicic acid (aka hydrofluorosilicic acid) all dissociate (breakdown) to fluoride, sodium, and silicate ions once added to water.
- This PF-2 media filters any type of inorganic fluoride salt ions that are added to the water.
Arsenic Reduction provided by Berkey PF-2 Arsenic Filters
This Berkey arsenic filters uniquely targets the entire family of arsenic oxide anions as well as the arsenic cations. If you are concerned about exposure to arsenic and arsenic toxicity, these reduction filters will remove this toxic contaminant and render your drinking water safe for you and your family to consume.
Drinking Water Controversy – Contaminants in Your Drinking Water
In regions with deliberately added fluoride or high levels of arsenic, PF-2 filters become a necessity. Concerned about fluoride in your drinking water?
Adding it to water is intended to prevent tooth decay by strengthening enamel. However, excessive exposure and ingestion may lead to fluorosis, manifesting in tooth discoloration and other potential body health issues.
As for arsenic, it is a naturally occurring contaminant that is found in drinking water supplies all around the world, including South East Asia and large parts of the US.
PF-2 filters are purposefully designed to address these concerns by reducing the amount of fluoride in your drinking water. With proven efficiency in fluoride and arsenic reduction, they stand as your dedicated guardians for water purity.
Replacement Schedule for Berkey Arsenic and Fluoride Filters
Under normal conditions, it is recommended that each set of two PF-2 filters should be replaced after 1,000 gallons of water (3,785 liters) or 1 year, whichever comes first. For example, the Royal Berkey system is about 3.25 gallons (12.3 liters) therefore the PF-2 arsenic and fluoride water filters should be replaced after 1,000/3.25 (3,785/12.3) or 307 refills.
If the system is refilled about one time per day, the PF-2's should be replaced after 10 months. If the system is refilled about twice per day, the PF-2's arsenic and fluoride water filters should be replaced about every five months. Actual capacity is dependent on the presence of other competing contaminants in the source water. High levels of fluoride, arsenic, and heavy metals may reduce the capacity and efficiency of the elements.
Berkey Fluoride Filter Technology: How Activated Alumina Works
Activated Alumina is a granulated form of aluminum oxide. It is very porous and has a tremendous surface area for the removal of contaminants. In the removal process, the water containing arsenic and/or fluoride passes over the granules in the filter with the activated alumina adsorbing the arsenic and fluoride. The longer the water contact, the more the contaminants are removed.
Warranty and Support
Enjoy peace of mind with a 6-month manufacturer warranty. Berkey's responsive customer support is committed to assisting you with warranty claims and system maintenance support throughout the ownership period.
Take the first step towards a healthier lifestyle—enjoy your water with our filtering solutions. Act now and prioritize your well-being!
THE PF-2 REDUCTION ELEMENTS WITH BERKEY WATER FILTER SYSTEMS USAGE NOTES
- Do not boil this element.
- PF-2 arsenic and fluoride water filters reduce the filtration flow rate by 15-20%.
- The media used in the PF-2 Black Berkey filter elements contains high-grade activated aluminum oxide, which currently is the most efficient media available for extracting fluoride from water. Ideal water filtration conditions: 5-7 PH. Below are the results we obtained when testing the PF-2 arsenic and fluoride water filters (the water was not pre-filtered through the Black Berkey elements). The reduction over time is due to additional residual process dust being washed free from the PF-2 arsenic and fluoride water filters as the system is used. To give a scale for comparison purposes we include test results from a national brand of toothpaste and water boiled in an aluminum pan.
- National brand toothpaste 52.878 ppm aluminum
- Water boiled in an aluminum pan for five minutes: 2.791 ppm aluminum
- PF2 after conditioning (5 cycles): .178 ppm aluminum
- PF2 after 10 Cycles: .037 ppm aluminum
- PF2 after 20 Cycles: .029 ppm aluminum
While the above results indicate that the residual process dust adds a minute amount of aluminum to the water, the Black Berkey purification elements reduce aluminum from the water. We tested water that naturally contained .320ppm aluminum and filtered it through the combination of the Black Berkey and the post-conditioned PF-2 arsenic and fluoride water filters (5 cycles). The results showed a net reduction in aluminum contamination (Raw influent: .320ppm - Effluent after passing through the Black Berkey and PF-2 arsenic and fluoride water filters: .232ppm). In other words, the Black Berkey elements removed more aluminum from the water than was added by the PF-2 arsenic and fluoride water filters.
Note: The number of PF-2 reduction elements must match the number of Black Berkeys installed in the upper chamber. For example, if 4 Black Berkeys (2 sets of 2) are installed in the upper chamber, you would need to install 4 PF-2 arsenic and fluoride reduction elements (2 sets of 2) in the lower chamber, etc. Adding fluoride filters to the lower chamber will reduce the volume in the lower chamber by approximately 0.5 gallons per set of two Berkey PF-2 filter elements.
Note: The PF-2 shell is made from safe, non-leaching food-grade Polypropylene #5, which is BPA-Free and is used for food items such as ketchup bottles and yogurt containers.
- Durability: 1000 Gallons or 2 Years (whichever comes first)
Shipping is Fast and Free (Same Day Shipping) for orders orders over $99 in the contigous 48 states. For an international shipping quote, simply add items to your cart and proceed to the shopping cart page where you can enter your postal code. The system will provide you a price quote based upon the weight of your items. You can also obtain this shipping quote during the checkout process prior to you having to confirm the purchase. Once you confirm your purchase, you will receive an order confirmation e-mail and your order will be shipped shortly.
Once shipped, tracking information will be forwarded to the e-mail address that you provided during checkout. Orders are sent over to the warehouse for picking and shipping immediately upon order placement! This means that canceling or modifying an order post-placement is very difficult and we cannot guarantee our ability to make these changes. If during normal business hours, please contact us immediately and we will do our best to catch the order at the warehouse before it ships.
All orders are sent No Signature Required.
- All Orders over $99 are free Shipping to the lower 48 states!
- All non-First-Class items shipped are sent UPS ground, Fedex, Lasership, or United States Postal Service within the contiguous US unless customer arranges for product to shipped via freight/shipping carrier.
- International: (International Shipments except Canada are currently paused until further notice) BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com ships Internationally via UPS. Once items are in your cart, you can go to the shopping cart page and input your zip code for a shipping estimate. In some cases, we may be forced to ship via another carrier if UPS does not ship to your location. International customers are responsible for all customs costs and these are not included in your checkout price. These vary by country, so we recommend the customer understands the process by which these fees are paid. (Typically at the point of package receipt) BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com is not responsible for any loss in transit due to a country's customs or DHL/UPS/Fedex/USPS carrier's shipping process. In the case of a lost product, we will file a claim and work on behalf of the customer with the carrier in attempts to locate the shipment. This can be a lengthy process and we are at the mercy of the carrier and their operations in this case. As a result, due to this being out of our control, we are not held responsible for any loss that may occur. Please contact us if you have questions regarding these types of shipments.
- Due to country-specific shipping problems, we do not ship to:
- Cambodia
- Chile
- Cuba
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Nigeria
- North Korea
- Pakistan
- Poland
- Russia
- Venezuela
- International Note: Shipping to some countries such as China, Australia, New Zealand, etc have considerably gone up in price as of 1/1/16 due to UPS rate increases. This is unforunately out of our control.
- Shipping and/or freight charges are non-refundable.
- All Pricing in USD.
- Customer is responsible for all shipping and restocking fees for refused shipments, or
shipments that do not get through customs - Internationally, we have experienced that these
return shipping charges are notoriously higher than the original shipping costs out to the
customer. They also tend to be higher than any customs fees, so please be concious of
this before refusing any shipments. Also, sometimes the carrier will abandon refused packages.
In this case, we would be unable to provide a credit back to the customer as we would not get the product back.
- Once the order is placed, the credit card is charged for the purchase and the system/product is reserved for that paying customer. This is critical during times of economic and political turmoil, and helps ensure you are guaranteed to receive what you order. We are also not able to cancel an order once it ships.
Manufacturing Defects
Upon receipt, if an item is damaged or defective as a result of manufacturing, simply contact BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com within 10 days or receipt and we will coordinate with the manufacturer to get that item fully replaced at no cost to you as quickly as possible. Prepaid return postage will be included with the replacement product so that you may return the damaged/defective product at no cost to you!
Shipping Damage
Please notify BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com in the event of shipping damage and we will coordinate with the manufacturer to ship you replacements for the damaged items at no cost for you along with prepaid postage to return the damaged item. No need to worry about working out the damages with the carrier as we'll have the manufacturer and the shipping carrier work this out. If you'd like to file a claim, this must be done with the delivering carrier and New Millennium Concepts, LTD / BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com are not permitted to file this for you. All claims for shortages, damages, inaccurate shipments, and inaccurate billing must be made within 10 days of receipt.
Lost Packages
BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com must be notified within 14 days of the expected delivery date for any lost packages. This is a requirement of the shipping carriers and they will not accept claims past this timeframe. Once notified, we will file a claim on any lost package and pursue reimbursement from the carrier on your behalf.
Exclusive BigBerkeyWaterFilters.com Lifetime Warranty
(For purchases made through this website only) BigBerkeyWaterFilters will replace any of our customer's parts that come standard with the system over the life of the Berkey system ownership. This includes the stainless steel chambers and lid, plastic spigot, washers and nuts. This is above and beyond the General Manufacturers Warranty stated below. We must have your customer information on record as purchasing through this website. Stainless must have been handled with proper care. This guarantee does not cover items that are damaged due to user misuse, abuse, salt water/air, lack of maintenance ((routine cleanings or unwillingness to use a rust cleaner), or accidents (dents from falling, etc). Systems with damage or issues upon receipt require a notification to our company to qualify for warranty replacement as this falls under the "damage upon receipt" warranty rules. Customer is responsible for shipping and processing charges.
IMPORTANT: We do not sell on Amazon. Also, please be aware that the manufacturer does not warranty any items purchased on Amazon from unauthorized dealers. For example, Amazon.com itself is NOT an authorized dealer. We routinely receive requests for assistance/support from Amazon purchases, and most times are unfortunately unable to provide service support. As a result, and due to the inability of Amazon to assist in policing and removing fraudulant/imitation Berkey products, we do not recommend purchasing through Amazon.
Standard Manufacturer Warranty - Black Berkey & Berkey Earth Filters
The Black Berkey purification elements and Berkey Earth Ceramic Filters have a two-year prorated manufacturer's warranty calculated in six month intervals. The manufacturer's guarantee is prorated similar to the guarantee on tire tread. In other words, if you have used the filters for 8 months, 75% of the guarantee still applies and so you can get a full replacement set for 25% of the normal cost.
The Berkey systems themselves and their components (stainless steel, etc) have a 12 month manufacturer's warranty as stated below. We do not guarantee/warranty taste as this is a subjective measure and will vary from individual to individual.
Standard Manufacturer Warranty - Systems, PF-2's, Product, & Parts
The manufacturer warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of 6 months from date of purchase, and 12 months from date of purchase for the stainless steel. This includes any "damage upon receipt" due to manufacturing defects or shipper damage. Black Berkey purification elements have a 2 year prorated warranty calculated in six months intervals. The manufacturer will replace or repair any product that it deems is not properly functioning during the stated warranty period. Relief under this warranty is limited to the replacement or repair of defective materials or workmanship only. The manufacturer and BBWF.com shall not be held liable for incidental or consequential damage to personal property from, but not limited to, a defective unit, improper use, abuse, accident, or neglect, etc. No warranty will apply to units which have been used for purposes not intended, which have been altered so as, in the manufacturers judgment, to affect adversely its performance. This warranty is for the original retail purchaser only, and cannot be transferred. The laws of the State of Texas, USA, will govern any disputes regarding this warranty or claim made. This warranty, which is given expressly in lieu of all warranties, expressed or implied, or merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, constitutes the only warranty made by the manufacturer.
Warranty Exclusions - The following actions will void your warranty coverage:
- Attempting to use the the Ceramic Super Sterasyl Filtration Elements in a pressurized manner. The Black Berkey Elements are the only Berkey elements that require priming.
- Allowing any of the Berkey elements to freeze.
- Using dehumidifier water with any of the Berkey elements for daily use.
- Breaking the Berkey elements due to dropping an assembled system or carelessness. For example, a broken black berkey stem while assembling would not be covered.
- Performing a red food coloring test with the Berkey PF-2 Fluoride and Arsenic Reduction Filters attached.The Berkey PF-2 Fluoride and Arsenic Reduction Filters must be removed prior to performing a red food coloring test in order to stay in compliance with the six month warranty on these filters.
- If the product is not used in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations or instructions.
Please contact us at any time for assistance with your product warranty.
