Berkey Water Filters: What Makes Them So Popular?
What is it about Berkey Water Filters that makes them so popular among survivalists, off-grid folks, and even third-world aid programs?
I asked myself that exact question not long ago. I wondered if it was just good marketing, or if the Berkey (I thought they were called Berkley water filters at the time for some reason) water filtration systems really were just leaps and bounds above the other options. Here’s what I came up with…
Berkey water filters are made by a company called New Millennium Concepts based in Arlington, Texas. They do most of their business through distributors / dealers, and you can even get great deals on their products through popular sites like Amazon.com (click here to compare prices). In other words, you’re not dealing with some disreputable company in China.
The thing that makes Berkey water filters superior, in my opinion after doing several hours of research on water filtration methods, is that they combine the oldest, most reliable water filtration techniques with some of the newest, advanced systems.
Most modern water filters force water through a filter at 60-90 PSI. It happens fast. These are the kind that sit on top of, or under, your sink and a filter the water between the pipes and the tap.
Berkeys don’t do that. They let gravity pull the water down through the filtration system, which leaves the water in contact with the filtration media for a long period of time. Think about the bacteria, heavy metals, sediment… in the water and how much more difficult it would be for that stuff to make it through a series of filters if it had no pressure pushing it from behind. It simply settles and sticks in the filter.
The Big Berkey water filter is my favorite Berkey system. I don’t like the Berkey Light because it’s plastic and I don’t trust storing my water in plastic.
Made from stainless steel and selling for about $250-$350 (depending on how many filters you get with it), the Big Berkey water filter completely removes pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites. It also extracts harmful chemicals like herbicides, pesticides, VOCs, organic solvents, radon 222 and trihalomethanes, and reduces nitrates, lead and mercury.
It holds about 2.25 gallons (8.5 liters) of water at a time. Berkey claims it can purify about 3.5 gallons (13.3 liters) per hour, but that’s only if you keep the upper chamber full the entire time to provide more force. As the chamber empties of water the flow rate slows. How many gallons of clean drinking water are you going to need each hour? For a small family in a homesteading or survivalist situtation, 2-3 gph is plenty.
$250 might seem expensive for a water filter to some, but I’ve compared prices on systems and they get plain outrageous. For instance, water ionizers (see price comparisons in this review) cost thousands of dollars, most under-the-counter systems cost as much or more than the Berkey, and whole-house water filtration systems can be as much as a car!
Overall, I am convinced that my choice in water filters was a wise one, and I’m hoping some of our readers will share their Berkey water filter experiences as well.
It would be nice to have a totally electricity-free option like that for these non-electric days (weeks?) We like our system (sediment filter and UV light) for most occasions, but even with power it won’t work when the lines freeze! I’ll have to keep this in mind….
My DH is wanting to put in a water filtration system, so this definitely sounds like one that should take top consideration. Thanks for the research and the review.
My family has been using a Berkey since 2004 and it has been great. It was a little bit more than $300 dollars but we have seen a real difference. We have way fewer stomach aches for example. We have used it with well water, city water and water storage. When you purchase it they say the filters will last up to 10 years depending on usage. I don’t know about that but it’s getting to be time to replace our filters now.
The only thing that worries me about the Berkey is freezing. I worry that if there is standing water in the ceramic filters, will they crack?
Anyone have any experience with this?
Essay0ns
I’ve been using my Berkey water purifier for almost a year and I wouldn’t be without it. It was so worth the investment.
Gravity fed water filters: Sad note on mankind that such devices are necessary. What have we done to ourselves? In a totally environmentally friendly world could we drink without filtering? Are there biological factors we are not aware of? Prozac has been found in trace amounts for cities water-supplies? From toilets of the same cities? What does distilling water do? Better? Worse? What ill-effects from the new gasoline additive are being covered up? Can they be filtered? So sad, we should need such devices, so thankful for the knowledge of their necessity in our lives!
Do the ceramic filters have 99.9 pure silver particles inbedded in the filters? That would be great if they have. How does Berkey compare to AquaFilter out of Missouri? Thank you. Jay
Theres no need to fear the wind if your haystacks are tied down.
The Uncle Bon said that Gravity fed water filters: Sad note on mankind that such devices are necessary. What have we done to ourselves? In a totally environmentally friendly world could we drink without filtering? Are there biological factors we are not aware of? Prozac has been found in trace amounts for cities water-supplies? From toilets of the same cities? What does distilling water do? Better? Worse? What ill-effects from the new gasoline additive are being covered up? Can they be filtered? So sad, we should need such devices, so thankful for the knowledge of their necessity in our lives!,can anyone comment on this?
what about putting a few silver ounces in the bottom of your Berkey? Is this effective?
I don’t know how effective that would be for purification. Some say it is while others say it’s quack-medicine. Ever see the people turn blue like smurfs from taking too much silver?
does the system purify and filter at the same time? does it also remove floride? thanks dina
Hello Dina,
The Berkey water filters get rid of everything from biological contaminants like eColi and leptospirosos to heavy metals like lead and chemicals like pesticides. I do not know if it removes fluoride, but one of the sellers could probably tell you that. We use well water without fluoride anyway so I didn’t look into it when buying my Berkey water filter system. Good luck!
The Berkey water filters are good but don’t buy them if you want a device that removes fluoride. Even with the additional filters, which are pf2 or something like that, they will not remove all of the fluoride. The only way to effectively remove all of the fluoride is through water distillation, or reverse osmosis. A whole house system can be effective as well since it will remove all toxins before the water enters the home. However, if you live in an area that doesn’t have fluoride this can be a lifesaver. It’s also good to have one for camping trips. However, if you camp like I do, the chances of you carrying this device with you are nill. I do a lot of backpacking with children and four legged companions. It’s enough trouble dealing with food for me, children and dogs. No way I could carry this with us as well. They are great for emergencies though and ideal if you’re living off the grid and don’t have fluoride to contend with. They will remove everything else.
just want to say thanks for the good info. on water filters and
purification systems. the berkey sure does sound like it is something that we need, especially with troubling times we face.
ron
Alex Jones at Prison Planet and Infowars is touting the ProPur which is supposed to be an alternative to Berkey. I love it when people make comparisons and say that it’s as good or better than a Berkey. The alternative may be just as good. However, it has not been around as long as Berkey. Berkeys have the best reviews from real users rather than someone who makes a huge commission from their marketing efforts.
I have been researching gravity fed systems and we are buying a Berkey this week. I live in California and the damn communist here will not let great companies like Berkey sell their systems unless they disclose all their secrets.
I have about as much respect for Alex Jones’ opinion as I have for a company that stole another company’s design and then paid fear-monger-in-cheif to say theirs is better.
Do you know if it will remove iron from well water? I have a well and sometimes it has a lot of iron in it. I buy spring water from the grocery store each week for drinking and cooking. Do you think it would make my well water safe to drink?
Kathe, The Berkey will remove the rust from your water while leaving essential minerals. For example, in my house if I were to fill a cup of water from my tap, it turns noticeably yellow/orange within minutes. After I run the same water through the Berkey, the water can sit out all night and still be perfectly clear the next morning. We started using Berkey’s after visiting with some friends that had to have one due to harmful contaminants in their water. Now we own one, and sell them as well.
Oct 31st, 2011 at 8:01 am
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[...] The “take home” from this article: Water quality is critical for an off-grid home. Therefore before you purchase land for an off-grid home, have the water source or sources tested for inorganic, organics and bacteria. Contact your local health authorities for specific sampling requirements, local certified laboratories and advice and interpretation of results of the tests. When in doubt, use a filter. [...]