Anybody use a Berkey water filter?

Thanks BoonHauler. Do you have the Berkey in your RV? Do you put water "from nature" through it (i.e. ponds, streams)? If so, what kind of volume, how you do you get water into the filter, and how long do the filter elements last?

BoonHauler--

Since you've been using a Berkey, could you describe the process flow, how long it takes and how much water you get? Thanks!

Regarding drinking pond water, I know that's how these units are used in Africa . . . but really. Pond water?

I have a Big Berkey and love it. I use the Black filter elements, not the ceramic as they provide stronger filtering capabilities. I would not think twice about running pond water through my Berkey. I also have the secondary 'Flouride' filters as well.

Next time I buy filters I'm going to switch to the Propur filters as they are all in one filters and drop the secondary filtration.

Oops, I left out the most inportant step, between #2 and #3: My portable water filter setup.

If you've gone to rvwaterfilterstore, you've seen the filter cannisters. I have two of these bolted together at the heads with a short piece of 1x3 maple, and a carry handle attached to that. Normally this unit is in my TT hooked to my outside water inlet, which then has a short length of white hose. Normaly when I fill water at my inlet, it goes through these filters and then into the gravity-fed inlet I've got near my sink. This means that every drop of water coming into the RV goes through this double filter.

This unit is portable so that I can take it in the jeep with me to the water faucet (or water source), where it gets inserted before the jerry cans, and after the pump, if I'm using one. This is how every drop of water gets filtered, even if I truck it in.

About water sources:

I sure wouldn't use any water from a standing lake that has a trail near it, nor ANY water source that has a road to it, no matter how many times I'd filtered it. Humans have already schatt there, and now you want to drink it? No thanks!

What's left? Water out of a faucet, even if I have to drive an hour to get it.

Thx for the additional info. Looks like a pretty good system. You have me considering an auxiliary, portable pump. I've been thinking I would just hand-haul using, say, a 5-gallon bucket or jerry can. But a pump could be handy.

ALSO:

Here's what I did for "scavenging" water, although I've only used it for scavenging out of potable (drinking water) water faucets.

1. A short length (4 ft) of white water hose.

2. 12v water pump. I have the Revolution 3gom model. I have a length of 12v/12awg duplex wire and a cigarette lighte adapter. This also requires a car nearby, although a lightweight 12v battery like a motorcycle battery was in my plans. NOTE: This step is not required at a pressurized faucet, and so I've never actually tried it.

3. More white hose, depending on usage. Typically, I use a 4 ft hose again, and filtered water goes into either a "Blitz" plastic jerry can or a collapsible water tank in my Jeep. If I'm camped close by I can run a long hose directly into my TT.

4. Water entrance. I have a hose fitting on the outside AND a gravity-fed fill attachment near my sink. Filtered water goes into my 70 gal tank, where I add a little more chlorine.

5. Water faucet. I have one last Doulton ceramic filter (my third, plus my one and only carbon filter, for taste. This will also remove the elevated chlorine.

6. UV filter. I had a little extra money and threw a UV filter in. IMO, just a waste of money. Ceramic filtration is the way to go.

The Berkey system uses mulitple filters arranged like a cow's teats. In your first link the right-hand column lists the number of filter positions available for each model. However, each model ships with only 1 filter and the remaining positions plugged--you have to buy additional expensive filters to get the rated speed. This can double the cost.

Last time I checked these filters were called "candles". They are small and narrow and the ceramic feels waxy, so I guess that's why they call them candles, I don't know.

Ceramic filters (like Berkey or Doulton) are the gold-standard for water purification. This is because the ceramic provides a consistent medium for filtration with no larger weep holes that can let pathogens through. You will find some other types of filters advertise an impressive "nominal" filtration, but are NOT approved for water purification because they can and do have larger holes in the medium. This includes ANY carbon-based filter. Those can improve taste but do NOT purify.

If you want to use a system with inline or cannister filters, I recommend "Doulton" filters. If you go to "rvwaterfilterstore.com" you will find a lot of good info.

My system is completely homebrew, using filters and cannisters such as the ones at rvwaterfilterstore.com. I added my own plumbing and a lot of head-scratching, and am fairly satisfied with the results.

Good luck!

To clarify, Berkey filters are classified as "purifiers" because they remove 99.999% of pathogens and viruses. They do not merely make the water taste better.

http://www.berkeyfilters.com/berkey-answers/performance/filtration-specifications/

They also work without electricity or pressure. They work solely by gravity. And for the volume of water they can produce (~3 gallons/hour for a small model) they take up very little space.

All this is why I consider them useful for boondocking. I'm merely wondering if anyone uses them this way, where you place it in your RV, how you refill it with water, whether there are any unique maintenance issues, etc.

Dave: Thanks for reporting your experience at home with a Berkey. Confirms what I've heard from others.

Greenrv: Thanks for your report. If you are not using a Berkey filter, what filter are you using? By "candles" I presume you mean filter elements. How are these arranged in your system? Is it home-built or off-the-shelf?

The reason I am considering such a system is I will be traveling in a truck camper that has only a 30-gallon water tank. I may want to stay longer in one place than one tankful can serve.

It's a decent idea, and I looked at doing it myself. Certainly the Berkey filters are good enough to purify raw water, and if several were run in series I would trust them with "suspect" water. Here were my thoughts:

#1 The flow rate is based on ALL filter positions (candles) being populated with extra-cost candles. If you buy a six-candle system and it ships with one candle, then you're only going to get one-sixth of the advertised flow rate.

#2 As said, these will do as good a job as a Doulton ceramic filter in a cartridge. However, I don't even trust a single Doulton, just cuz something could mess up and water find a way to bypass the filter element. So I have three ceramic filters in series, to set my poor mind at ease. To do this with a gravity-fed Berkey you would need several, and that gets VERY costly, as well as bulky.

#3 I carry electricity with me wherever I camp. Why not use an electric pump to turn a six-hour task into two minutes? I bought an extra pump for transfering between water tanks (prior to filtering), and an additional cannister filter, so I can draw suspect water, purify it, and then pump it into my tank where it will be chlorinated and filtered again. Belt and suspenders!

#4 Clean water is readily available in north america--why make it complex? I've never used my water-scavenging system because anywhere I can take my TT potable water is either at hand, or a short drive away.

Berkeys are very well regarded for their ability to filter raw water. I own one for emergency backup, but have not boondocked with one and have not needed to use it for a primary water source to date. If necessary though, I have a water source near my home and believe the Berkey would serve our needs. If you know you have a water source where you will camp that is reliable and easily accessible, I don't see why one wouldn't work for you.