Berkey Water Purifier

[HSmama24]

Hi All,
I'm close to buying a Berkey Royal...any reviews out there for those that have one would be much appreciated.
Thank you!

[Patches]

I have a Big Berkey and I like it okay, but I do think I was caught up in all the hype on some of the forums about how good they are. They are supposed to be the "drink out of a puddle" end all of water purifiers, not just a filter. Better hope that puddle doesn't have any chemicals in it.

[wafflehouse]

ive been looking at them too, and i am not sold on it

[DunDunDuuun]

We're in the market, too.

I read enough about it NOT filtering out stuff to not want to buy one, but don't know what else TO buy. All I've ever heard on forums is Berkey Berkey Berkey.

[Summerthyme]

http://www.thebackpacker.com/gear/water_filters/

The reviews at the link above are ONLY for smaller ("backpack") filters, but they are useful nonetheless.

I've heard some people complaining about the Berkey's leaking... that would really piss me off, at their price!

I believe you CAN filter out many chemicals, but you need to buy the black (carbon) filters to do so. If I was buying one (can't afford one, and have a wonderful artesian well which should make one unnecessary unless something really weird happens), I'd get 2 extra carbon filters to go with the ceramic filters.

You CAN Buy the "candles" (ceramic filters) by themselves, and make your own filter with a food grade 5 gallon pail. If I can scrape up the cash, that's probably what I'll do- buy 4 of these and make my own:
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/CAMP354-1.html

This is what they CLAIM they will filter out:

The filtration efficiency is 0.5 micron
Removal capabilities as follows:
99% Arsenic 5 and 99% Arsenic 3 (special order)
99% Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S special order)
95% Chlorine and Chloramines
99% Taste
99% Odor
98% Aluminum
96% Iron
98% Lead
90% Pesticides
85% Herbicides
85% Insecticides
90% Rodenticides
85% Phenols
85% MTBE
85% Perchlorate
80% Trihalomethanes
95% Poly Aromatic Hydrocarbons
99.999% of particles larger than 0.5 micron (Staffordshire University Labs) (includes Anthrax)
99.7% of particles larger than 0.3 micron (Staffordshire University Labs)
98% of particles larger than 0.2 micron (Staffordshire University Labs)
100% Giardia Lamblia
100% Cyclospora
100% removal of live Cryptosporidium (WRc Standard)
100% removal of Cryptosporidium (NSF Standard 53 – A.C. fine dust – 4 log challenge)
100% removal of E. Coli, Vibrio Cholerae (Johns Hopkins University)
99.999% removal of Salmonella Typhil, Shigella Dysenteria, Kiebsiella Terrigena (Hyder Labs)

Hmmm... here is another possibility, with instructions for making your own:

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/CAMP352-1.html

Summerthyme

[hunybee]

thank you summerthyme! that first link is what i have been looking for.


we do have a berkey (and yah...uffda on the price. we got ours a few years ago, and i went and looked at the prices now....ouch!)

they were the best we could buy at the thime that we knew about, but i have been still looking around to see what new technology and products are out there.

as far as the berkey filters/purifiers: the better ones are the black berkey elements vs the ceramic. that is what their website says.

i am off to go look at that website you put up summerthyme

thank you again




and we are so doing the 5 gallon buckets. i found this a couple of weeks ago and it will save us a ton of money

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KExgPPfF2o


and here is one using stuff from walmart and just one filter. these of course will work with any gravity filter

http://www.thesurvivalistblog.net/di...berkey-filter/

[microcarl]

I purchased a Berkey water filter, one of those nice shiny Stainless Steel models, costing something around $300.00. After only one month if use, the filter modules fell apart at the base, rendering them totally useless. That, and the spigot leaks where the thing goes through the wall of the bottom container.

At the price of filters, I haven't had the money to replace them yet. And if the filters only hold together for a month, I'd be looking for another alternative.

I don't think the Berkey is worth the money you pay for them, for what it is. You can get filters from any one of several places and make your own for far less expense.

There are articles on the Internet that describe what is needed to make a water filter, every bit as good as the top-of-the-line Berkey!

And then too, there are other filter companies out there, after all!!!

[CaryC]

Hey,

We got a Berkey, and spigot did leak until I tightened it up some more, at least that was our experience.

We get up one morning and our water is red, get up another and it's black (depends on where the break is red clay or black gumbo) and the Berkey seems to work out just fine. Get good clear water back from it, and we haven't died yet.

[hunybee]

wow. i haven't had any problems with our leaking or with the filters


i'm not liking hearing this at all.

i wonder if they changed the manufacturer or something

hmmmmmm......

and now that i think of it, i have a friend that was just having trouble with their filters they had just bought. they were not filtering. thye had to call the company and get new ones. the new ones worked great, but still.....i don't like hearing this many problems with them. i had never heard of any problems until recently

[microcarl]

Hey,

We got a Berkey, and spigot did leak until I tightened it up some more, at least that was our experience.

We get up one morning and our water is red, get up another and it's black (depends on where the break is red clay or black gumbo) and the Berkey seems to work out just fine. Get good clear water back from it, and we haven't died yet.

The problem with the spigot is that, they expect a good seal to be made on a curved surface. The area where the captive nuts of the spigot get tightened against should be a flat surface.

And for the price of the filters, they should be far more durable. Think about it... without reliable filters, the entire water purifying system is defective because, everything about the purifying system is totally dependant on those filters.

You can get two food-grade buckets for less than $10.00, add a $5.00 spigot from the local hardware store to one of them and purchase filters at any number of places and, you will have the equivelent of a Berkey for a mere $20.00 to $30.00, as apposed to $100.00 to $300.00 for a Berkey.