FAQ

Add 1 teaspoon of artificial red food coloring (we Recommend McCormick’s Red food coloring or any artificial food coloring) for every gallon that your Berkey® System can hold into the top chamber.  Place a cup under each Black Berkey® Purifier in the bottom chamber to catch the water.  As long as the water in the cups does not have a red or pink hue, the purifiers are working properly.

Ensure that you do not have the Berkey PF-2™ Elements installed in the system when performing this test.  This test should be performed upon initial setup and every six months after that.

If you are going to be leaving the system unattended for 3-4 days or less, remove the elements from the top chamber and drain out any water within them.  Once drained, place them in a sealable bag while the carbon is still damp and force out any air in the bag.  Store the elements in the front of your refrigerator to maintain freshness while not exposing them to the colder temperatures in the back of the fridge.  Store the purifiers this way for no more than two weeks.  Re-prime the elements before reinstalling them in your Berkey® System.

If you will be storing your elements for more than 3-4 days, remove the purifiers and thoroughly dry them.  You can do this by either placing them on a windowsill that’s exposed to sunlight for 1-2 days, or by drying them with the Black Berkey Primer™.  Once they are bone-dry, store the purifiers in a sealable bag at room temperature.  The elements will have an indefinite shelf-life as long as they are stored this way.  Re-prime the elements before reinstalling them in your Berkey® System.

The Black Berkey® Purification Elements are composed of a proprietary blend consisting of carbonized coconut shell.  These purifiers are rated to reduce contaminants down to the virus level, and last for 6,000 gallons per pair of elements.  These purifiers are the strongest elements we offer and are sold in sets of two.

The Berkey Earth® Filtration Elements’ media is made of diatomaceous earth. They reduce similar contaminants as the Black Berkey® Purification Elements, but cannot remove viruses.  These filters last for 3,000 gallons per element or three years, whichever comes first.  These elements are sold individually in either 7 inch or 9 inch variants.

The Super Sterasyl™ Ceramic Elements are manufactured by British Berkefeld®, a UK-based company. These elements have been tested to reduce contaminants such as bacteria, cysts, and chlorine; and last for 535 gallons per element.  We also offer these filters individually, in either 7 inch, 9 inch, or a thicker 9 inch Imperial Berkey® size.

Black Berkey®Purification Elements can last up to 6,000 gallons per pair of elements. You can estimate your usage by calculating how many times you refill your system a week and multiplying that by how many gallons your system holds.

Contact Customer Service to replace the wing nut for the Black Berkey®Purification Element. This is free of cost for retail customers.

It can be normal for the Black Berkey® Purification Elements to have a fast flow rate.  Anything from a trickle to even a steady stream of water is normal.

Black Berkey® Purification Elements last up to 6,000 gallons for every pair of purifiers.

It’s most-likely that the purifiers need to be cleaned or primed properly.  This can be done by scrubbing the elements with a Scotch-Brite pad (or something similar) under running water and then re-priming them.

No. Berkey Earth®Elements cannot be primed. The filters will reach their optimal flow rate within two weeks of use.

The Black Berkey® Purification Elements are composed of a proprietary blend consisting of carbonized coconut shell.  These purifiers are rated to reduce contaminants down to the virus level, and last for 6,000 gallons per pair of elements.  These purifiers are the strongest elements we offer and are sold in sets of two.

The Berkey Earth® Filtration Elements’ media is made of diatomaceous earth. They reduce similar contaminants as the Black Berkey® Purification Elements, but cannot remove viruses.  These filters last for 3,000 gallons per element or three years, whichever comes first.  These elements are sold individually in either 7 inch or 9 inch variants.

The Super Sterasyl™ Ceramic Elements are manufactured by British Berkefeld®, a UK-based company. These elements have been tested to reduce contaminants such as bacteria, cysts, and chlorine; and last for 535 gallons per element.  We also offer these filters individually, in either 7 inch, 9 inch, or a thicker 9 inch Imperial Berkey® size.

If the elements have been used, the filters will need to be thoroughly air-dried. We recommend leaving them on a sun-lit windowsill for 1-2 days or until the elements are bone dry. They an be stored in a sealable bag until they are needed again. When the elements are installed, it can take approximately 24 hours for the element’s flow rate to return to normal.used and are still in their original packaging, they can remain in that packaging until needed. Enure they are not stored in an area with strong odeors (i.e. a garage or laundry room). These odors can be easily absorbed by the elements.

In both Instances, the stored elements will have an indefinate shelf life.

Yes. The Berkey Earth® Elements can take up to two weeks of consistent use to achieve their maximum flow rate.

The Berkey PF-4™ Fluoride and Arsenic Elements should be replaced every 1,000 gallons or at six-month intervals (whichever comes first) under normal conditions. If your water is heavily contaminated with MTBE, fluoride, lead or arsenic, the filters should be replaced in four-month intervals.

Please note that high or low pH impedes the ability of the media to remove fluoride. For maximum fluoride removal efficiency, maintain the water being treated between a pH level of 5 and 7.

Under normal conditions, the Berkey PF-2™ Fluoride and Arsenic Elements should be replaced after 1000 gallons of use or after 1 year (whichever comes first).

Please note that high or low pH impedes the ability of the media to remove fluoride. For maximum fluoride removal efficiency, maintain the water being treated between a pH level of 5 and 7.

Remove the elements from your Berkey®System and drain any water within them.  Place the elements in a sealable bag and store them in the front of your refrigerator.  Store the elements for no longer than two weeks.  Re-prime the elements from both sides before reinstalling them in your Berkey®System.

This is most likely residual media being discharged from your Berkey® Fluoride and Arsenic Reduction Elements. The media within them is inert and non-water soluble, so it is not a health concern. To resolve the issue, we recommend re-priming your elements from both sides for 20-30 seconds (each side). This should dislodge any remaining loose media within the element and leave clear water in your bottom chamber.

You should tighten your elements no more than 8-9 full rotations.  This is to protect the screen within the filter that contains the fluoride and arsenic reduction media.  If you can tighten the Fluoride and Arsenic Filter all the way up the stem for the Black Berkey® Purification Elements, Super Sterasyl Ceramic Elements, or Berkey Earth® Elements without reaching 8-9 rotations, that is perfectly fine.

The most important thing is that you do not overtighten the elements, which may cause damage to the inner screen of the elements.

Re-prime your Berkey PF-2™Fluoride and Arsenic Reduction Elements from both sides to force out any clogging within the filters.  Prime for no longer than 30 seconds per side.

The Black Berkey® Purification Elements are composed of a proprietary blend consisting of carbonized coconut shell.  These purifiers are rated to reduce contaminants down to the virus level, and last for 6,000 gallons per pair of elements.  These purifiers are the strongest elements we offer and are sold in sets of two.

The Berkey Earth® Filtration Elements’ media is made of diatomaceous earth. They reduce similar contaminants as the Black Berkey® Purification Elements, but cannot remove viruses.  These filters last for 3,000 gallons per element or three years, whichever comes first.  These elements are sold individually in either 7 inch or 9 inch variants.

The Super Sterasyl™ Ceramic Elements are manufactured by British Berkefeld®, a UK-based company. These elements have been tested to reduce contaminants such as bacteria, cysts, and chlorine; and last for 535 gallons per element.  We also offer these filters individually, in either 7 inch, 9 inch, or a thicker 9 inch Imperial Berkey® size.

No, the Super Sterasyl™ Ceramic Elements are manufacturered by British Berkefeld™. NMCL is the exclusive North American dealer for these elements.

The Super Sterasyl™ Filters are primarily composed of diatomaceous earth with granulated activated carbon sourced from carbonized coconut shell, and trace amounts of silver to prevent mitosis within the filters. These filters reduce contaminants such as bacteria, Cryptosporidium, and chorine, and last for 535 gallons or six months per filter.

The Black Berkey® Purification Elements last up to 3,000 gallons per element. We recommend using them in pairs, so 2 will last up to 6,000 gallons and so on. These elements reduce everything the Super Sterasyl™ Ceramic Elements will, plus viruses and much, much more.

The Black Berkey® Purification Elements are the most powerful purification elements available.

This could be caused by an airlock issue between the top and bottom chambers.  If there’s not enough airflow between the two chambers, water will not be able to flow out of the spigot.  There’s a temporary fix and a more permanent fix for this.

Temporary Fix: Place something thin (i.e. a drinking straw) between the top and bottom chambers.  This will create enough of a gap for air to flow through the system properly.

Permanent Fix: Remove the top chamber from the bottom and set it aside.  Dump out any water from the bottom chamber and set it aside. Remove spigot from bottom chamber.  Turn the bottom chamber on its side and roll it against a hard surface while applying gentle pressure from the top.  This will gently re-shape the metal and create a natural gap between the top and bottom chambers.

See if the leak is coming from the spout (where water is supposed to come out of), or from where the spigot meets the bottom chamber.

If the leak is coming from the spout, tighten the round pedestal underneath the lever clockwise.

If the leak is at the bottom chamber, ensure that the washers are set up properly.  If so, tighten the spigot nut.  If none of these solutions work Contact Customer Service to replace the spigot.