Berkey Water Filters

Knob Creek

Knob Creek

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I was planning to order a "Big Berkey" model. They're been out of stock for a few months but available again. Usually you get a choice of a few freebees to go with it.

Now the choices include a free upgrade to a "Royal Berkey" or the two PF-2 filters. Are these two filters for "Fluoride, Arsenic V and pre-oxidized Arsenic III and Other residual heavy metal ions" desirable or should I take the upgrade.
 
I have the royal berkey, come to think of it, I tried to order the big berkey and he upgraded me for free. It came with the 2 PF-2 filters and a shower head filter. I set it up and it was awesome. Cleanest tasting water I have tasted, I have not used it with out the PF-2s, so I can't say how much better they made it, but it is an excellent combination.

Although my tap some how managed to get bumped buy something and not it doesn't hold the water. Once I am around long enough to work on stuff around the house, I am going to replace it with a brass set up from the hardware store. Be careful where you set it up, mine is in a high traffic area next to my fridge.

It does make A LOT of water though. Currently it is just me and the gf in the house, and we do not drink nearly as much water as this thing makes.
 
The Berkey systems are worth *every penny*. I was skeptical about the shower head filter, but I am very happy with it as well. I can tell a HUGE difference between my shower and one w/o filtering.
I personally did not find the PF-2 filters worth it. They slow the thing down and reduce capacity greatly. Skip them in favor of the sports bottles.. they are WELL worth it. I will never travel without one again, especially to a foreign country!
 
We use a stainless Royal Berkey and like it a lot. I use the black-berkey filters and haven't used the PF-2 purifiers but I'll probably eventually get em. I haven't had any problems with my spigot but I have a spare just in case because they don't seem all that durable. I'll probably pick up the "sight glass spigot" next month so I can see the purified water level in the fresh water tank without lifting off top section. A buddy of mine just had a problem with one of the black-berkey filters. It was leaking around the washer or gasket of the filter allowing the unpurified water to just flow right through without filtering but the supplier was pretty good about it and replaced it
 
I've been using the Royal Berkey for a little bit now. I must say the water does taste a lot better. My only complaint is that I ordered the fluoride/arsenic filters but cannot get them to run clear for the life me. I primed them like the instructions say and even run a few full vats of water through them, but they still seem to leave a sediment in the water. Oh well, the regular filters work very well.
 
Cardinal Ximinez said:
I've been using the Royal Berkey for a little bit now. I must say the water does taste a lot better. My only complaint is that I ordered the fluoride/arsenic filters but cannot get them to run clear for the life me. I primed them like the instructions say and even run a few full vats of water through them, but they still seem to leave a sediment in the water. Oh well, the regular filters work very well.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure, but you may have screwed the bottom filters on too tight and damaged the media screen inside.
 
Cardinal Ximinez said:
I've been using the Royal Berkey for a little bit now. I must say the water does taste a lot better. My only complaint is that I ordered the fluoride/arsenic filters but cannot get them to run clear for the life me. I primed them like the instructions say and even run a few full vats of water through them, but they still seem to leave a sediment in the water. Oh well, the regular filters work very well.
Click to expand...

I always do extra priming of those. Force water through one side, then the other, then repeat several times until it is clear. I also tend to make a mess while doing this, water accidentally squirting out the sides all over me and the counter. But, that's another issue.
 
Just got the Royal Berkey with the two black filters along with the sight gage spigot. Haven't used it enough to give a whole lot of testimony but the water does taste good. The filters were a bitch to prime I must say squirting water all over the place. My question is do you let the bottom run out so that when you refill, you use all of the filters rather than continually adding water to the top?

The thing filters about anything and everything bad you might find in water. Thus far most impressed!
 
So these filter out giardia parasites so basically work to purify any water? And how long do filters last?
 
My wife just ordered one. Live near a river and figured it would be a good backup. Cheaper than bottle water if you use the tap.
 
LittleCalm said:
So these filter out giardia parasites so basically work to purify any water? And how long do filters last?
Click to expand...

The black berkey filters clean up to 3000 gallons each. (2 filter set works on 6K gallons)
The white ones for Flouride and Arsenic filters up to 1000 gallons each. (set of 2 filters 2K gallons)
Depending on where you are and what you want filtered out of your water I would recommend using the black and white filters both. NH has lots of arsenic in the water.
 
I can no longer sit back and allow communist infiltration, communist indoctrination, communist subversion and the international communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids. After doing a lot of research I went ahead and sprung on a Big Berkey with the black filters plus fluoride filters. Thanks for the link.

I'm trying to spread out my purchases but I'm also considering getting a Kelly Kettle sometime soon.
 
I've had my Crown Berkey now for over three and a half years and it's fantastic. I have two black filters plus a set of the PF-2's. The water not only tastes clean, but smooth. What also amazes me is here in Methuen, standing water will eventually cause stains on the sink, etc. But NOTHING grows in the Berkey, including the upper chamber. Amazing. According to my simple math, the black filters should last at least another ---get this--- 10.5 years at our current useage rate.

Oh, and I tried a ProOne with the all-in-one filter last year and returned it. It was so slow I would have died of thirst before I could pour myself a cup of water.
 
Thanks for all the information in this thread. I'd been thinking about some sort of filtration system for quite some time and have just purchased the Royal Berkey from LPC Survival. One less problem to worry about.
 

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