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Just Bought a Big Berkey

8K views 43 replies 14 participants last post by  teamnelson 
#1 ·
We weren't able to get on base housing here in Okinawa, so we're currently living in a seaside apartment overlooking the east china sea. We live in an industrial area, have a lot of storm water passing through, sea surges, and our building uses large SS tanks to ensure water capacity for the residents. The water tastes okay, and supposedly its better than the water on base which falls under US requirements and has all sorts of nasty chemicals in it. However, I am dubious. So we went ahead and splurged for an OTS gravity fed system.

I've made a few bucket filters over the years, have used a few different packing filters (really like Sawyer), and have even done the under sink inline filter for a previous house, and various pitchers (Zero, Brita, Pur) ... but this is my first Berkey. I searched and haven't seen any discussions here since 2010 so figured I'd dust this off and see if anyone else is using a Berkey.
 
#4 ·
Yes sir, I have: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Somaliland, Thailand, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, UK, a few places in the states, and now Okinawa ... each for different reasons, some worse than others. For some it was bacterial or viral, for others it was toxic chemicals, heavy metals, etc. I've had all manner of stomach bugs, and a few bouts of kidney stones as a result. In the horn of africa we took jerry cans to a central place and bought all the water that our lips would touch, or that would touch something our lips touched - smelled like pool water, chlorine content was so high. Not good for the body, but then had the same problem with drinking tabs in the military ... which is why they issue personal filters now, or logistics sends bottled water. The house we just left in Monterey had 100+ year old pipes, lead, arsenic, and all manner of heavy metals - folks getting odd ailments all over base. We ran an in line filter to get out a lot of it, then purified the left over with a different filter. Had a neighbor hospitalized for Arsenic poisoning from the tap water.

I've had great water other places in the US, and other countries, but its getting rarer and rarer. Berkey is a purifier, not just a filter, so it should be good no matter where the Lord takes us next, and the place I bought it from supports international missions so I like how they use their profits.
 
#8 ·
I don't know about that - I try to bring the right gear for where we're serving, and water filters are high on that list now. Get a bunch of missionaries together and it won't take long before one of them turns the conversation to what was your worst case of diarrhea ever. Clean drinking water is a planetary problem - the rivers in China, for example, are so toxic no fish or wildlife can live there, and its spilling into the coastlines as well so fishermen have to further out to fish. China depends on fish to feed its people, so that's why they're moving into the South China Sea. It's ironic, their industry has toxified their aquifer which impacts crops, feed stock, fish, and drinking water. In Djibouti my kids would fill up drinking water bottles from our jerry cans to give to our neighbor kids during the flu season, as many of them would wind up dying from dehydration as a result of stomach bugs which they got from bad water. The local sterilization method was to hold your used water bottle open side down over a fire and smoke it out "to kill the bugs" ... which doesn't, and the fire was usually from shipping pallets soaked in treatments that contain toxic chemicals and metals, so they actually made it worse. Sickest I got was from "clean water" served at the Hilton in Addis Ababa, especially for tourists - I wanted to die. I got a sawyer squeeze not long after that.
 
#6 ·
I have one and used it and liked it.
You need to just give I t time to do its thing as it is gravity dependent. but it works well.
 
#7 ·
I like Oki. I was at Torii Station with different duties at Kadena, Futenma, and a few other places. That seems like an eternity ago in 1996. Be sure to hunker down inside during typhoons. That was the only place I've seen it rain sideways.

Thanks, Dinny
 
#9 ·
and a LifeStraw or similar item!
 
#10 ·
Nowadays it'd be the Sawyer Mini; everything the LifeStraw does but better, and a few more things it doesn't. Lots of troops putting them in-line on their hydration bladder, as you can pull them off and use them a bunch of different ways. I've seen them for like $15 on sale. Wish they had those about 20 years ago.


I've built bucket filters using a Sawyer, same principle as the Berkey, but not very elegant. Wife and I drink 2 gallons a day, and then there's cooking, so we paid for easy. And the SS container looks better in her kitchen than a Home Depot bucket.
 
#12 ·
I looked into RO; my stepdad uses one regularly. 120V countertop kind. He estimates his cost per gallon, unit plus electricity, is about 20 cents a gallon. Berkey is about 3 cents per. RO is certainly pure water, and you have to find your minerals from other sources.
 
#13 ·
We have the Big Berkey which we use daily for the last 15 years. I recently got the new black filters for it and that made a big difference in how long it takes to filter the water. It still isn't fast, but not bad compared to the old filters. My Mom told me about my grandfather who was a doctor in what is now Indonesia. He had a British Berkefeld even then (and we left in 1950) for his medical practice. I believe it was huge, a couple of meters tall. That was why I went with it and I don't regret it.

~WH~
 
#15 ·
Going to buy a big berkey wondering if I should have my well water tested to see if I need the fluoride filter for the arsenic that may be present. Any suggestions? Ie extra filters, stainless spout etc. Thanks in advance. For me wife and two 60 pounders..
 
#16 ·
Now after a few years I wish I’d bought the bigger size for the two of us. Stainless spout was worth it. You might just run with the black filters and test your output for arsenic.

Our kids all have big berkeys now, and they tried the spout with the tube that is supposed to show the levels. Doesn’t work often so they just ignore it; makes a handle for small hands to pull it over. They’re switching to stainless.
 
#18 ·
Dr. Mona Harrison, M.D., does about 2 hours on youtube condemning ALL sources of water, including tap water. Bottom line: the system, chlorine in USA, was set up in late 1800s to kill typhus, thyphoid, and cholera, water borne diseases. Worked. Still does. BUT what has happened since. Look, try, at all the chemicals made by man. The laugh, government analysis, in some cities there is enough drugs to get a theraputic dose from a glass of tap water. In some places, estrogen equal to birth control pills. Now if you don't want "pregggers" this is fine. If you do ??? And it helps men sing soprano. Bottom line, the distiller is the best way to go. Berkey and RO are 2nds, but if you distill properly then there is only water. Not much help with bathing/showering. And I think it is Lehmans has a still for wood stoves. Little expensive, but the best option. Luck. Happy Trails.
 
#20 ·
Water tastes great to our family; every other water to included bottled, tastes horrible to me now. Berkey black filters leave healthy minerals, and add trace minerals to the water during the filtration process, so you don't wind up with the RO, Zero or Distilled taste.

The Big is too small for two of us; we use it for everything that goes in our mouth. For five, I'd go bigger, and use all 4 filter spouts for increased flow.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I bought mine from www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com. Right now the Big size is $278 both there, 911water, and from Berkey directly. I think I remember when I bought that it was the same price everywhere but BBWF gave me free shipping to an FPO AP address.

I did not pay the $22 for their stainless spigot, and got one from Amazon for $2 instead. Highly recommend it.

FWIW I think the Imperial size is the best deal (i.e. size to cost) at the moment, and if I had it to do over, I'd go with that.
 
#25 ·
Just ordered the big berky with two extra black filters. Was going to order the royal but decided to go with smaller for space. May regret that but we all have to make choices. I also have smaller hiking style purifiers and I’m gonna get a bladder type for light weight and seat of the pants type gettin out... Any advice on gravity bladders?
 
#27 ·
I’m surprised at how fast this unit filters water. It’s not like running the tap that is for sure but not a long time. I put two of my filters in and am saving the others. I am going to keep a couple gallons filtered in the fridge like a have been doing with (spring) water? I am thinking I can make my own seat of the pants unit using my spare filters...
 
#28 ·
Mule11, We've not been disappointed with the Berkey, and neither have our kids and their families.

As for a bladder purifier, I use Sawyer; have the mini in my go-bag right now, and the squeeze as well. I've set up that squeeze with buckets, in line, on a 2liter bottle. Think its 10 years old now, still going strong. The mini has only had <50 gallons through it.
 
#36 ·
One consideration is number of filters . I opted for six but so far only use two as they keep up with use. If more water is needed faster I can add filters. As a side note I have very clean well water it had a slight taste to it. So we got the filter and now it is perfect. On a couple years the filters have not clogged or shown any sign of slowing down.
 
#37 ·
For me after the schity ran water and sewer past my house our well water sucks. Have been buying store bought water for a very long time and not exactly satisfied but better than mine. All is well now. Thanks Team Nelson.... love the Berkey...
 
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