Want to make your tap water safe?
These toxins are nearly ubiquitous in tap water:
- Chlorine is a toxin used to sanitize water. Sanitation is necessary but drinking chlorine is not.
- Fluoride is a neurotoxic chemical banned in Western Europe, and linked to a lower IQ in children in 50 studies.
- Microorganisms, bacteria and viruses circulate in city water supplies.
- Heavy metals such as lead, copper and aluminum often pass into water from plumbing.
- Pharmaceuticals from human and animal waste (such as antibiotics and hormones) are not removed in city water treatment facilities.
When I first learned about the toxins in my tap water, I was a college student. I needed an effective, budget-friendly filter that I could transport between my parent’s house and my on-campus housing.
Pitcher filters like Pur and Brita remove only a small percent of the above toxins. Filters installed under-the-counter were expensive and not portable. And I couldn’t justify the price of high-tech alkalizing filters, which often do not remove fluoride. Berkey fit my needs perfectly.
Questions I’ve received about Berkey
I shared my Berkey recommendation in this post months ago, and want to address the engaged discussion and thoughtful questions raised in the comments.
How does Berkey compare to reverse osmosis or distillation?
Berkey has a better ability to remove pathogenic bacteria than does reverse osmosis. Distilling removes the beneficial minerals and does not remove the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which are chemicals found in herbicides and pesticides.
Where can I see test results for the efficacy of Berkey filters?
- Click here for independent lab results for the carbon filters
- Click here for another source of independent lab results for both the carbon and fluoride filters
I’ve heard that Berkey filters contain aluminum. Is this true?
The fluoride filters use aluminum oxide to remove fluoride. Aluminum oxide is an inert form of aluminum, so it does not react biologically when ingested. I use my Berkey confidently knowing the following points about aluminum oxide:
- Aluminum oxide is inert, meaning not absorbable, because it does not have the ability to chemically separate and bind with body tissues. As a matter of fact, aluminum oxide is inert enough to comprise 2.0% – 2.5% of our bones.
- Lab tests do not distinguish between aluminum and aluminum oxide. Trace amounts of aluminum oxide are measured in the filtered Berkey water. Even so, Berkey filters are shown to remove 85-99% of aluminum from the water.
- Another independent source tested Berkey Water filtered through the fluoride units and showed a 85% reduction in total aluminum. (Source 1, source 2, source 3)
What size filter should I get?
The Big Berkey filter is the most popular size, suitable for singles, partners, or families of 3-4. Choose a larger Berkey for larger families.
How often do filters need to be replaced?
If you use four gallons of water per day (ex: a small family), the carbon filters would need to be replaced every four years. I use about half that volume per day and haven’t had to replace my carbon filters in the four years I’ve owned my Berkey. The fluoride filters need to be replaced every 1000 gallons or a year, whichever comes first.
Do you have a recommendation for a shower filter?
Yes, I use this shower filter to remove chlorine, which is both inhaled and absorbed through the skin during showering. It does not remove fluoride from bathing water. That requires the investment of in-house filtration system. Like many of you, that isn’t an option for my budget or the home which I rent.
The water in the top chamber of my Berkey doesn’t drain all the way. Is this normal?
Yes, there is often an inch of water left in the upper chamber. This is because the lower the water in the top chamber, the lower the pressure to force the water through the micro-particles of the carbon filters. Simply add more water to the top chamber to increase this filtering pressure.
How can I increase the flow rate of my Berkey?
With use, the flow rate of your filter will slow. Remedy this by cleaning your black filters every couple of months, as part of a regular maintenance. This entails just a couple minutes of scrubbing the black filters with a Scotch Brite pad. See instructions here.
You can fit your Big Berkey with four carbon filters and four fluoride filters, rather than the standard two each, to the double flow rate.
Can I travel with my Berkey?
It takes only 5 minutes to disassemble the Berkey and another few minutes for assembly, so it makes a travel-friendly filter solution. I’ve brought my Berkey to hotel rooms and a campsite. It also works well in offices.
When assembling and diassembling your filter for travel, make sure you use sanitary conditions. Wash your hands well, and pack the filters in clean plastic bags. Wash the inside of the metal container before assembling to remove any bacteria.
How to order your Berkey
- Add a Big Berkey filter to your shopping cart.
- If you have fluoridated water, add the Fluoride Filters to your cart. See this add-on option on the above page.
- Add the stainless steel stand to your cart to make water dispensing accessible.
- Use coupon EMPOWERED5 at checkout for savings on your order.
Do you use a Berkey water filter, too? Do you have other questions about water filtration for me to address in a future post?
Hi Lauren 🙂 We bought a Big Berkey and like someone said it takes some time to set up! But we love it so far. Just a question-since it filters just about everything, are you at all concerned about not getting enough minerals? I know some people remineralize their reverse osmosis filtered water-is that necessary in this case?
Thanks for all you do!
Good question! Berkey is designed so that it doesn’t remove the beneficial minerals like magnesium and calcium.
Hi Lauren,
Do you have any test showing that Berkey indeed reduces fluoride in the water? In the test you provided they list elements like: Aluminum, Copper, Arsenic, Strontium, Cadmium:, Cesium, Mercury, Lead, Uranium, but there is no info regarding reduction of fluoride. How effective is Berkey in reducing fluoride? Do you know?
Ania
I’ve been trying to find this out, too, because I’ve been using the Berkey with fluoride filters for a number of years, and I often recommend it to others. There is some information at the New Millenium Concepts (that’s the manufacturer) website. It’s a little hard to decipher exactly what it means, though.
Here’s the link: http://berkeywaterkb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Fluoride-Reduction-Media-Extract.pdf
Maybe there’s some kind of home test we can buy to test it ourselves. Does anyone know?
I’m going to follow this conversation because I would like some definitive answers. There are very detailed test results for the black Berkey filters at the website, but the fluoride filters – not so much.
Hi Lauren,
How does the Berkey system work with well water? I have a high TDS count as well as iron bacteria and maganese. I currently don’t use my well for potable water source but would like to.
It should work just fine with your well water. It does remove iron, bacteria, and manganese. You might want to take a look at the manufacturer’s website and look over the lab test results. You can find them here: http://berkeywaterkb.com/black-berkey-purification-elements-test-results/ They also have an article about TDS which you can find by searching for “TDS” in the search box on that same page. I’d give the direct link but I’m afraid that if I put two links in this comment, Lauren’s spam blocker might think this is spam.
do you add minerals back into the berkey filtered water? is it necessary?
No, the beneficial minerals like magnesium pass through the Berkey filter.
Lauren, lease advise on fluoride isse. 3 people asked that question already:)
Ania
Hi Ania,
Yes, Berkey does remove fluoride when you use the Fluoride Filtration elements. The test results to which you were referring in your previous comment showed only the Black Carbon filter results. The results for the fluoride elements are here: http://berkeywaterkb.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Fluoride-Reduction-Media-Extract.pdf . “Results of < 1 ppm of the fluoride ion in the effluent were typical for the media. "
Is there another water filter system that would take up less space that you recommend. I don’t have much space in the kitchen for this but do under the sink.
I have read first about the Berkey Water Filter System on the Wellness Mama blog.
I was planning to buy it, but many people wrote about it. They said it is not really good.
No certification
They said the original one from England is a better version.
I do not know. What to think?
Considering the vitamin C filter is the best one, why did you decide to also put in the Sprite filter? And do you recommend this for me? I suffer from chronic eczema, vitiligio and keratosis pilaris (yes, I know). Do you recommend me using both of showeres (considering I’m on a budget, but if there will be a true benefit i dont mind spending on it. Or any other suggestions?
I have a Berkey and I love it! When purchasing, it’s worth checking with your municipality to see whether they even use fluoride in the water. When I purchased mine, the owner of the shop asked if I lived within town limits, because if so I wouldn’t need to purchase the fluoride filter, since there isn’t actually fluoride in the city water. I also found that it’s worth it to go up a size higher, and I generally keep a couple bottles of the filtered water in the fridge so it’s cold and also so I have extra water on hand in case I need large quantities for something like stock, etc.. Overall I’m incredibly happy with it.
Hi, I just wanted to mention, with reference to your point about water distillers not removing VOCs, that most distillers include a filter which deals with this.