Berkey test: to have drinking water anywhere

If we can do without electricity, water is vital on the other hand. Even though we are fortunate to have running water in our country, it is not always that obvious. Some areas do not have it, some people prefer to be self-sufficient, or some do not trust the existing network. For all these reasons, it can be interesting to be able to produce your own drinking water: that is what Berkey offers.

Presentation of Berkey

The Berkey is a device that allows water purification. It doesn’t just filter certain elements, like for example the Brita pitcher can do, it purifies it completely. In fact, it is so effective that it is widely used around the world by organizations such as UNICEF, the Red Cross, and the United Nations. The technology used by Berkey has indeed been refined and has proven over time its reliability and consistency in its purification quality, so much so that the company has been a leader in this field for many years.

The secret of this purification relies on the extremely fine filters used by the company:

It is impossible to know exactly what they are made of; it is a manufacturing secret. But they are capable of completely eliminating all viruses, pathogenic bacteria, cysts, and parasites as well as chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, organic solvents, and detergents. It also reduces heavy metals such as lead, mercury, aluminum, and cadmium. This system is so powerful that it can remove the red pigment from water without eliminating the healthy elements your body needs. The Black Berkey purification elements are tested by the U.S. government and by EPA-accredited laboratories. They meet and exceed the standards of EPA and ANSI/NSF protocols (standard 53).

Thus, these filters are capable of purifying any water from a source, pond, stream, or even a puddle. In places where drinking water is lacking, the Berkey can purify water from any origin. Well known in the United States, many videos show, for example, cowboys purifying muddy and questionable water and drinking it without worry.

But the Berkey can also be of interest in our homes with running water. Tap water is treated, but:

• not all substances are removed. Indeed, chlorine remains, as well as some medications like paracetamol, chemotherapy drugs, etc.
• even if the water was perfect during its treatment, it is likely to recover many substances on its route to your tap, the pipes being often very old, some still containing lead pipes!

In short, the water that comes from the tap is therefore not that clean. The Berkey can thus help correct this. Let’s move on to its discovery.

The Berkey in practice

The Berkey is an American product, as its packaging reminds us well.

Inside, everything is very well protected.

We find two stainless steel chambers, with a lid, two filters, some accessories, and a small manual.

So we have two stainless steel chambers, which fit one on top of the other, the first allowing water to filter into the one below. It is indeed a gravity filtration.

The lower chamber receives a tap that needs to be assembled:

The most important part is of course the filtration, consisting of our two Black Berkey filters:

Each filter has a tube at its end, which will let water pass into the lower chamber.

But first of all, you need to “prime” these filters. For that, they need to be filled with water, placed under a tap, and inserting the provided rubber washer to seal the connection between the tap and the filter. You then need to open the water slowly and wait one to two minutes until water starts dripping from each side of the cylinder. At that point, the filter is ready.

Once the two filters are primed, all you have to do is screw them into the upper chamber. This one has 4 slots if you want to add two extra filters for faster filtration. Here, the two additional holes will be sealed with two provided white screws, along with their washers. Note that it is also possible to add two special filters (optional) capable of filtering Fluoride, Arsenic V and arsenic III pre-oxidized, and other heavy metal ions.

Once assembled, all that remains is to stack the two chambers (the filters in the upper chamber, of course). Water should flow gently into the lower chamber, drop by drop, completely filtered. The first time, it is better to do this in a sink, to check that everything is well sealed, especially at the tap.

The fully assembled Berkey looks like this:

Savings with the Berkey

Aside from having truly drinkable water, the Berkey can also help save money.

Several models are available, with different capacities. Here, the model presented is the Big Berkey, capable of holding 8.5L, and sized for families of 4 to 5 people without issue. This model costs 295€. A price that may certainly be a deterrent. But apart from not having to carry water packs, its investment is ultimately quickly amortized.

If I take my case, with 5 people at home, and a consumption of 1.5L per person per day, we have a consumption of 2737 liters per year. At 0.22€ for a 1.5L bottle of Cristalline, for example, that’s about 0.15€ per liter. This results in a total cost of 2737 liters x 0.15€ = 410€ / year

Then, two options:

• draw water from your well or a nearby source: in this case, your water is totally free
• draw water from the tap, in which case its cost is to be deducted

At my place, the cubic meter of tap water costs about 3€ (cost of water, sewage, taxes, etc.), or 0.003€ per liter (far from the 0.15€ per liter of Cristalline). If we take our consumption of 2737 liters x 0.003€ = 8.21€/ year!

By using tap water, we therefore save 400€. In other words, our Berkey is paid off in just 9 months! Viewed this way, the cost remains very reasonable.

There will just be the filter changes to add, which should be replaced about every ten years. Count on around a hundred euros for two filters, which means a cost of 10€ per year.

Oh, and I almost forgot: this system works by gravity, it does not use any electricity at all. Ideal for homes without electricity like our land for example :) An important argument, as devices are beginning to appear on the market, proposing to purify your water, like for example Mitte.

A connected device is cool, but the principle intrigues me: this machine, consuming energy, purifies water through evaporation and condensation, to then put back the necessary minerals via cartridges that need to be replaced regularly. A sort of Nespresso for water, in a way… The principle of the Berkey seems much simpler and more economical/ecological.

Conclusion

I had several feedbacks from people who opted for this filtration system. But as they say, tastes and colors are very personal. My fear was that the water would have a “strange” taste. In fact, it is excellent. The water is perfectly pure, and if the tap water can sometimes have a slight chlorine taste, it is completely free of it once passed through the Berkey.

In the end, the whole family has adopted it. Placed on the corner of the bar, everyone will help themselves to a glass whenever they wish, or a pitcher for meals. You just have to remember to fill it from time to time. Filtration is done quite quickly, since this model is capable of filtering 13.3L per hour. In case of forgetfulness, therefore, there is no need to wait very long.

Between healthy water, not needing to carry water packs, the “eco” aspect of the plastic bottles we no longer use, and finally the financial savings compared to bottled water consumption, the purchase of the Berkey is no longer debatable. The financial interest will be less if you already consume directly your tap water, but in that case, the Berkey can guarantee you have healthy water, better for your health.

Whether at home, on a remote area, camping, in a camper, etc., the Berkey is therefore the perfect solution for having drinking water, wherever you are.