- The Berkey Water System is manufactured by New Millennium Concepts, Ltd. in Arlington, Texas. The Black Berkey water filters and steel housings are all made in the USA. No parts of the system are imported from China.
- The Black Berkey filters use microfiltration and adsorption to remove contaminants and chemicals from water.
Microfiltration: Each filter has millions of microscopic pores and they can trap all contaminants and only allow water molecules through.
Adsorption: This process traps molecules of contaminants that are smaller than the pores onto the filtration media so that they cannot pass through with the water.
These two processes remove up to 99.9% of most chemicals, bacteria, viruses and other contaminants from the water.
- In order to have purified water on hand at all times, all you have to do is fill the upper chamber of a Berkey with water and let gravity and the Black Berkey filters do their work.
- Besides the chlorine from tap water, the filters will remove:
- Sediment and rust
- Organic and inorganic contaminants like bacteria, viruses parasites and cysts
- Heavy metals
- Chemicals
- Bad tastes
- Smells
- If the extra PF filters are added to the system it will also filter out fluoride and arsenic from water.
- Sulfur and iron will be reduced significantly from water and it will taste and smell better.
- All the good minerals are left into the water and the alkalinity levels will increase since the contaminants which make the water more acidic are removed.
- All Berkey Water Systems come with two Black Berkey filters. Depending on the model, some can hold up to eight. The same applies to the PF filters. The more Back Berkey filters are fitted, the faster the water will be filtered, but you can even run the filters on one as long as you plug the rest of the holes.
- The Berkey comes with varying capacities and can hold from 1.5 to 6 Gallons of water. There are also two smaller ones for individual use.
The dimensions and quantity each size holds are shown in the picture above.
- With 2 Black Berkey Filters inserted the average flow of filtered water is 3.5 gallons of water per hour. The more water there is in the top chamber the faster it will flow. If a faster flow is required then more filters can be added.
- The assembly of a Berkey is very simple:
- The filters will have to be primed by flushing them with water.
- The black filters are then placed into the upper chamber and secured with the wing nuts and washers provided.
- If the PF filters are to be used they are screwed on to them.
- The spigot must be attached to the bottom chamber.
- The top chamber is then placed on to the bottom one and the system is ready to use.
- Priming the filters has become easier with the introduction of the Black Berkey Pump. This is for priming the Black Berkey filters only. The PF filters do not need priming.
- Black Berkey Filters can filter up to 3,000 gallons of water each. If there are two filters on a system that purifies 3 gallons of water per day then they can last for 5 years.
- If 2 PF filters are used on a system they need replacing every 1,000 gallons and at 3 gallons a day that will be at about 11 months.
- The cost per gallon on a system with two Black Berkey filters is only 2 cents per day. If the PF filters are also added then it is 7 cents per day. All very affordable when compared to the price of bottled water.
- The Black Berkey filters can be cleaned once in a while. An indication that they need cleaning is that the flow of the water slows down. They can be cleaned with warm water and a sponge. No detergents are needed. The PF filters cannot be washed.
- The stainless steel container can be kept clean with mild soap and water or diluted vinegar.
- The Berkey Water system does not only purify tap water. For those who love the outdoors or want to be prepared for any emergency, they can purify water from rivers, ponds, lakes and stagnant water. Seawater cannot be filtered.
