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190K views 295 replies 112 participants last post by  IamZeke 
#1 ·
Ive got a royal berkey with the black filters (two) i took it apart to clean & store it, when i removed the filters the base fell off of both of them, looks like they are glued on, anyone else haveing this problem? thanks riper1
 
#252 ·
when again i send email where is manufacturing date on filter he reply me below email

Please see the below email from Berkey, the manufacturer. The pictures she referenced are the ones I previously sent to you.

"Hi Casey,
"I have been checking on your question regarding do all of our Black Berkey Filters have date stamps on them? The answer is no. The current batches we have do not have dates on them. Over the years we have had some with dates and some without. In our warehouse we may have some systems with dates and some without but they all have the upgraded base. The date stamp is manually added in the mold when we make the purification units. I sent you an old picture of the old base and a picture of the new base. The new base has a imprinted circle on it that has very little lift to it where the old base has a circle that is about a ¼ inch lift (about the same size and height as the black washer). I can honestly tell you that I do not know why some have dates and some do not. It has nothing to do with the quality of the filters or the base itself. I hope this is helpful…"

Thank you,



pls anybody got email from a suplier or any other way to find out faulty filter do reply
 
#254 ·
I'm not sure what you want us to say. Berkey does not have acceptable quality procedures. They do not batch date their products properly. They had failures in the past. They don't use have their product tested by a reputable 3rd party lab. They do not disclose how their product works or where it is made.

A bunch of people on the internet are not going to be able to change those facts.

My advice to you is to attempt to return it and get a refund. If they won't give you a refund then that shows another flaw with the company. You can throw those filters away and buy Doulton candle filters to put in the urn.
 
#255 ·
I love my Berkey

I have been using black berkey filters for 6 or 7 years now. I love mine and have never had a failure. I am careful with them when purging and installing and also when I take them out of the urn and clean them. My first berkey filters were used in a two 2 gallon system made out of Home depot 2 gallon buckets and lids. I screened all the vents i installed. (they are all above water level in both buckets. My wife did not like the look of the plastic buckets so I broke down a couple years ago and bought a Berkey Light. We live in a Motorhome now. When I ordered it it came with two chlorine filters I tried them but they were so large they took up half the water I would normally get daily so I took them out. Last December we moved into a new location. Our city water comes from a clear lake that is pristine and no fishing or people allowed near it. The city does add chlorine which is very strong when coming straight out of the tap. I cannot smell or taste it at all after my black berkey filters. I trust them and like I said I have used them for 6 or 7 years now. I also know how rough people can be with things and think this is probably most of the problems. I can even see the difference between the top and bottom container. It is always cleaner and clearer in the bottom container. I am a happy camper.My filters always slow down when they get plugged not speed up,
 
#256 · (Edited)
I have been using black berkey filters for 6 or 7 years now. I love mine and have never had a failure. I am careful with them when purging and installing and also when I take them out of the urn and clean them. My first berkey filters were used in a two 2 gallon system made out of Home depot 2 gallon buckets and lids. I screened all the vents i installed. (they are all above water level in both buckets. My wife did not like the look of the plastic buckets so I broke down a couple years ago and bought a Berkey Light. We live in a Motorhome now. When I ordered it it came with two chlorine filters I tried them but they were so large they took up half the water I would normally get daily so I took them out. Last December we moved into a new location. Our city water comes from a clear lake that is pristine and no fishing or people allowed near it. The city does add chlorine which is very strong when coming straight out of the tap. I cannot smell or taste it at all after my black berkey filters. I trust them and like I said I have used them for 6 or 7 years now. I also know how rough people can be with things and think this is probably most of the problems. I can even see the difference between the top and bottom container. It is always cleaner and clearer in the bottom container. I am a happy camper.My filters always slow down when they get plugged not speed up,
Chlorine is likely what will use up any toxin filter the fastest due to the volume and volatility of it in typical municipal water supplies. Nothing trashes toxin filters faster. And yet chlorine is the least useful reason to filter your tap water. Simple aeration and time removes chlorine without filtration. Also, your body processes chlorine and uses it for many cellular functions. Too much of anything isn't healthy, but your body requires chloride for setting cell resting membrane potential and maintaining proper cell volume.

If all you are doing is using that Berkey to make your tap water taste better then you are just wasting money. Sitting the pitcher of tap water on the counter overnight would have solved the chlorine taste problems.
 
#258 ·
My Berkey Black filters filter whatever they will daily regardless if they filter chlorine daily for taste. When they slow down I clean with scotchbrite pad at least monthly or when they slow down Why would I be only filtering chlorine for taste only by using my berkey on a daily basis. I feel I am getting better water always even when I filtered my own well. as I said in my first post I can see the difference in the two buckets as far as clairity even if they are not working to their full potential. Hope they will help me survive when I need them. In the mean time I am drinking better water than out of the tap or the creek down the road.
 
#259 ·
Clarity tells you little. Clarity in finished municipal water is typically a factor of how much calcium is in the water. Calcium is healthy.

Many soluted toxins/microbes are odorless, tasteless, colorless, or a combination of the three.

You can have perfectly clear and normal tasting water that is highly dangerous.

The only way you know for sure is with a lab test. Your mouth/nose/tongue are not a lab.

Berkey hasn't proven their filter works to any professional's satisfaction. My belief is they rely on municipal treatment systems to do the heavy lifting and then try to take credit for the county pros' hard work with just a minor finish job done with their no-name Chinese filter.

Try calling them and asking for lab results you can view online that were done in America. Not some dummied email either, but a posted online report that anyone can view and can verify from the lab itself.

Given all the odorless, colorless, and tasteless toxins out there you owe it to your family's safety to know that a reputable lab stands behind the filtered water that you drink. If you refuse to do that then you really have no place to come here and recommend something that cannot be verified and that might hurt the reader taking your advice.
 
#261 ·
What I do? I drink my tap water because its perfectly fine and I get a quarterly lab update online from my county. It's a bit cloudy, but I don't mind the extra calcium. I let it rest overnight in the fridge before I drink it so the chlorine bleeds off.

What I have for emergency use I've personally built and sent out for private lab testing to my satisfaction. If I told you how to repeat my emergency system I would tell you upfront you should send out a sample to a reputable lab and get tested yourself. A reputable lab is going to charge you around $100 to do a complete water test for your sample.

If you had no interest in building your own system then I would point you to any number of reputable filter brands you can get their lab results easily. A Doulton, British Berkey, or Aquarain all have lab tests you can find easily online and can verify with the lab independently.
 
#262 ·
I have heard bashing of all of the filter manufacturers you have mentioned as well as reverse osmosis systems which I have had experience with. I have also had extreme calcium deposits in most areas I have lived enough to clog a hot water tank in my own personal well with a reverse osmosis system. Most community water systems are regulated by a higher power and Just my opinion any filtering above and beyond what they provide has to be an improvement. Just my opinion. I hope your emergency supply works well for you as well as I hope mine does. Unfortunately I do not have the funds to check my water quality with a lab many labs do not do as an extensive test as would be required to be completely safe for instance checking for radiation but all we can do is the best we can and hopefully we will survive. I wish you luck with your system but would hope you do not bash others that are trying to better themselves. I am sure there are people that work at american Berkey that are trying to create the best product they can they are not trying to create a faulty product. All we can do is the best we can. Please do not bash someone that is doing more than you are for the good of the people.
 
#263 ·
It's not bashing when a company doesn't stand behind its product.

For a water filter company that means showing the absolute minimum standard that every other major filter company provides, that being a lab certification.

Don't assume American Berkey makes anything either. Google Earth is easy to use and they have already been found to work out of a small warehouse unit. All they are doing is buying their filter from China and slapping an American name and price on it. American Berkey doesn't make a thing in America.

If you still want to call well founded criticism concerning the second most critical resource needed for life as bashing then know this. I'm not bashing the other brands out there. I even give respect to the original Berkey in England.

But this is one company offering nothing but empty assurances with no proof. It's nothing but junk science no one else uses and they give no proof it works. This is a company selling $250+ units all over the nation promising safe water to users. They can easily afford a testing contract. All the other companies, many smaller, have no trouble affording a testing program.

American Berkey should have been the subject of an EPA and Justice Dept investigation for fraud years ago.

As for "any filtering above and beyond" you have every other brand out there to help you. In fact you could rip out those pseudo filters and use the same stainless urn to put in tested ceramic candles and be sure of what you are getting. There is no need to simply hope you are doing something right. You can be sure you are. Just read the certified lab testing on all the other candle brands.

As for calcium buildup that's easy to deal with. Ion exchange systems have been out for almost a century. Even something as simple as $20 spun fiber whole house filters will knock down the volume of calcium you are getting. A bit of cheap white vinegar solves any buildup problem in faucets and water appliances. And if you had followed manufacturers' instructions then you would know that you are supposed to drain your hot water heater once a year anyway.

There is no reason to flail around saying you are doing the best you can, when it's clear that a bit of knowledge would have solved all your problems and assured you of a guaranteed safe source of water.
 
#267 ·
Every time you go to a forum I do not care which one it is there is always someone laying in the weeds looking for an argument It does not seem to matter which side of the argument you are on. I think for me it is better to make one comment and move on let others do the arguing. Normally I do not have an iron in the fire anyway. This time I just wanted to tell others I like what I have and believe it works for me. Thats all I care about. Zeke you can go back in the weeds and wait for the next person that does not post every day to make a comment and you can attack them I do not need it.
 
#268 ·
I have been saying this in this thread since before you posted in it. You chose to step in and defend this brand on your own volition after the fact with visible knowledge I was laying down criticism of this brand. If you step into heavy traffic then don't complain about cars speeding around you. Making this out to be a personal attack upon you is specious given that I was making the debate with any person defending the brand before you even posted here.

You state you believe it works for you but you give no proof of your own or proof offered by the company. Endorsing something that others may use to stay alive comes with an expectation of why that is so. You failed to offer anything of substance to back your endorsement. That you can't is common in this thread as no one else can either so far.

No one has been willing to lab test their final water product and no one has been able to point to any American lab tests done by the manufacturer. The first is understandable until realizing it is necessary when the company doesn't back you up either.


That's the crux of the problem with American Berkey. They convince you through hype and advertizing to spend a lot of money on their product. When you want proof of something to show yourself and others that you are getting a safe product they leave you with nothing.

My personal opinion why so many endorse Berkey once they own it is unconscious shame at buying life essential equipment that costs so much money that to admit a mistake would be repudiation of money spent on it. You bought a lemon and are left holding the bag. You didn't perform due diligence before opening your wallet. You either fell for the company's fictional hype or didn't make sensible inquiries into proper safety testing when you saw some other's endorsement.

Blaming me for an attack when I've only pointed out the truth is just face saving. I would rather make sure you and others are safe than worry about your ego.

The problem I have with Doulton filters is they are only .9 microns. That's going to let a lot of stuff pass through it.
There are other candle filter brands. Or you can do what stephpd does and add a Sawyer on the final outlet.
 
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#270 ·
As for brands you can look into these. Royal Doulton; British Berkefeld; AquaCera; Australis; Stefani.

Note that there are dome style ceramic filters as well. Monolithic is a major brand in this category.

Also note that most brands carry a few different models. So perhaps contacting them individually might see a brand offer one with a smaller micron rating.



Just as a side result in my search I came across a very nice price for a generic stainless candle urn that comes without the candles. Perfect for those looking to assemble their own without having to commit to a brand and the associated markup.
http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=213
 
#272 ·
I don't think they will work in the bigger units with multiple candle holes because the dome will cover too much surface area on the bottom, crowding the space of the other holes.

But I believe that some of the smallest stainless urns only have one candle hole. With only one hole then the hole size is less of an issue if you drill it out from 7/16 to 1/2. Once at 1/2 inch you would be forever using dome filters instead but that shouldn't much of an issue given that dome filters typically have a lower price point. Just be neat when you drill the hole larger. Use some machining oil and go slow. A step drill bit might be the best choice. Then clean up any burring with a light filing.

I would definitely check with the maker of the urn before you buy to ensure it only had one candle hole before trying to switch over to domes.

For the larger units with multiple candle holes then just stick with candles.
 
#274 ·
True there. I just forgot about those uncommonly used plugs. Good catch by you. Get them and you have good options. Just be sure to find a good working 1/2 plug too and then you can interchange between domes and candles at will once you punch one hole larger to 1/2.

I'm all for flexibility that doesn't compromise safety.

If you DIY an urn to be interchangeable for either 1/2 dome or 7/16 candle then please do a thread workup here. I'll thank it and be sure to mention the thread when people start asking about urn choices here.
 
#276 ·
After SHTF I have a three stage system in place....a lot like adding a sawyer to the output actually...that's not a bad idea...I have a ceramic "two bucket system" for my primary stage, followed by a 2nd stage a a Big Berkey followed by a pass thru a First Need for viral work....Im confident with mine for my primary emergency source, a flowing creek...its what you feel comfortable with
 
#286 ·
thank you so much zeke. sounds like aquarain is the way to go, and i can do a lab test to make sure it is doing what it is supposed to (and if not replace the filters with the aquacera ones).

I was also looking at the aquasana counter top unit, it has the certification, but i don't think it filters out bacteria and viuses, and it sits on the counter exposed to sunlight.
 
#287 · (Edited)
I'd only buy the Aquasana if I had a kitchen faucet that I didn't want to hang a faucet filter on.

I also live in a city with good quality water. It has the same issues I talked about earlier. I use a common faucet end filter on it. I spent $15 a year on filters. I also have a backup 5gal bucket dome system in the garage in case a boil alert gets called or if SHTF. The faucet filter reduces the chlorine count and lowers the calcium/magnesium cloudiness a bit.

But some of the fancier or unusual kitchen faucets don't lend themselves easily to faucet end filters and that Aquasana would be a perfect choice there. It does look like a good unit, but the filter cost will be very high. Reading the reviews they get 4-6 months before sediment clogs it up. The replacement filters run you $50+ a whack. That's $100-150 a year in filters. That's not exactly cheap.

You likely could go with a system I put in for a friend several years ago. He lives in place with safe water but sediment is very high. A GE whole house filter with a carbon cartridge. 4.5" housing runs about $50 and is put in-line somewhere after it leaves the outside water main and before it starts branching to the various water use areas in the home. Every home plumbing layout is different but a good home handyman can handle it. A plumber can definitely make it happen. The big 4.5" carbon filters last 4-6 months and run about $30. So this system costs a bit less than the kitchen-only Aquasana but works for your entire house. It also is a generic shape used across many brands do you aren't trapped by corporate obsolescence. That it covers the whole house means all your faucets and water appliances will benefit from it, extending their longevity. Instead of dropping $100-150 annually just for nice kitchen drinking water, you are dropping $60-90 on preventive maintenance for your entire house water system and getting good drinking water for free.

 
#289 ·
Then go with Aquarain or Doulton. Both are very big players in this industry. Doulton is sold worldwide.
 
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#290 ·
paging IamZeke

Was reading all the water threads and was mainly interested in the candle and monolith technology's.

A while back, can't find it now, someone asked about potential toxins from a water storage barrel. I have three, two had grape juice concentrate, and one had automotive window washing fluid in it. My plan was to use the grape water for drinking and cooking. The window washer water was to be used for flushing toilets.

All three barrels were washed (or sloshed) with common dish soap, then rinsed, then ~ 1/3 of a gal of bleach, then rinsed.

Will a ceramic filter with the AC core remove the toxins from the automotive window washing fluid barrel and make it drinkable?
 
#292 ·
Was reading all the water threads and was mainly interested in the candle and monolith technology's.

A while back, can't find it now, someone asked about potential toxins from a water storage barrel. I have three, two had grape juice concentrate, and one had automotive window washing fluid in it. My plan was to use the grape water for drinking and cooking. The window washer water was to be used for flushing toilets.

All three barrels were washed (or sloshed) with common dish soap, then rinsed, then ~ 1/3 of a gal of bleach, then rinsed.

Will a ceramic filter with the AC core remove the toxins from the automotive window washing fluid barrel and make it drinkable?


Technically it should, but the methanol in some is really toxic.

I'd feel more comfortable endorsing such an idea if you had the name of the actual product to look at its particular MSDS. There are many formulations and some would be risky to filter while others would not. If you no longer have the labels on the barrel I suggest skipping that idea under the water emergency is extremely dire.
 
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#291 ·
Berkeys

I have been using my Bib Berkey/ceramic filter system sporadically for 18 years and for the last three years I have been using it every day for all of my domestic water. I got tired of hauling water from the neighbor's. I have never had any problem. Not as fast or nearly as inexpensive to buy as the Sawyer but I'm happy.
 
#295 ·
Hello IamZeke,

As I read several controversies about my Berkey filters, I was looking for informations. I found this thread and ur positive opinion about aquarain.

I read on the aquarain website:
"Manufactured to NSF Specifications and meets USEPA Bacteria and Cyst Purifier Standards."
But I cannot find them on the NSF website. So they are liars too or I misunderstood something ?

Thank you
 
#296 ·
I answered you in the other thread. I would have to go ask Aquarain for that info first and then check their veracity. You can do that initial contact as easily as I could.
 
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