Berkey water filter

Tundra57

Anyone got feedback on this or any other gravity fed system. Want to stop buying bottled water. I only use it for my dog and when i want just water not tea. I use my freshwater tank for tea and cooking.

DougH

We have the mid sized Berkey at home.  Absolutely love it.  The water tastes great.  Just seems a little big for the T@B.  But that hasn't stopped hundreds of small campers and van dwellers from bringing one along.

Denny16

We have a small one (Travel Berkey), and plan to use it in or TaB.  We use it in the kitchen normally for drinking water, especially when our well filter system goes out, which it what we initially got it for.   Traveling Robert uses one also.
cheers

VictoriaP

For trailer use, my primary concerns are more viruses, cysts, and bacteria versus things like fluoride. I bought Epic Water’s Nano pitcher this week, but cannot review yet as it arrives tomorrow.

Tundra57

@VictoriaP let me know what you think. Some reviews were not very kind.

@Denny16 and @DougH Berkeley has mostly good reviews, they are a bit expensive tho.

VictoriaP

@Tundra57 Most products have a percentage of bad reviews, I’ve read plenty of them on every filter brand out there (the reviews on Brita’s upgraded filters are brutal!...turns out that they clog pretty badly with heavily mineralized water, so some people love them and others have them stop working within a week.) But yes, I’ll post a review, good or bad.

85Redwood

We use a small Brita that we keep in the fridge door...it works nicely

CrabTab

When we bought the T@B we moved our MSR EX water filter system from our backpacking equipment to the trailer. It attaches to the top of a Nalgene bottle. As an extra measure we've also always carried Aquatabs purification tablets. Not as new and trendy as a Berkey (didn't make them when we bought the MSR). It is more compact  and proven reliability for us.

N7SHG_Ham

I have had a travel Berkey for about a year. Use it at home and then take it in the Tab. A bit big for the Tab, but otherwise works fine.

DougH

OP requested gravity feed, but I use one of these in the T@B:

https://www.amazon.com/LIFESAVER-Jerrycan-Water-Purifier-Preparedness/dp/B019G8U952

...with a shower attachment.  Supposed to filter finer than the Berkey, but my TDS meter showed them to be about the same, though that mat be due to the carbon filter that follows the bacteria, virus, cyst main filter.  Had one jerry can spring a leak (replaced by seller), it's a bit harder to get water out with the hand pump, and there is a plastic taste to the water.  Don't leave pressurized in a hot vehicle.

Denny16

Interesting Doug, thanks for posting.  You can get the Berkey as a single stage for the basic filtering and add a second stage for additional filtration of heavy metals, fluoride and arsenic.  We use the Berkey mostly for making our morning coffee.  The filters last for up to 6,000 gallons of water before replacement is necessary.  MyBerkey.com has the details.
cheers

SubaruLou

I have a travel Berkey that I use at home and in my T@B. Easy to use and filters last a long time. 

grubbster

Easy to make a Berkey type filter system using two buckets and a berkey or other filter.  Cost can be around $30 if you use a non-Berkey filter.  I have one made with two small buckets from Lowes and it works great.  One bucket can be stored in the other for transport.

JeffroNC

Love our travel Berkey. Have filtered hundreds of gallons through it. We empty it and bungee it to the table leg while traveling.
If it slows down, remove the filters and scrub them with a new clean scotchbright.

TNOutback

We have had a medium-sized Berkey at home for at least a year, and we really like it.  Our city water can smell pretty bad in the summer months, and we don’t really trust it.  I can’t attest to its ability to remove biologics; we don’t use it that way, but it does make our tap water smell and taste better.  We’ve thought about taking it with us camping, but it’s too bulky to transport.

If you want purified water for anything from suspect city water to a muddy puddle in the road, get an MSR Guardian Purifier.  MSR makes these for the US military, and I have used it enough on backcountry trips to say it is an amazing piece of kit.

Jackie_Dave

We bought our Berkey on a Black Friday deal last year.  We got the travel Berkey for home and the Go Berkey kit for camping. It only filters a quart at a time, but it doesn't take long and you can have a gallon in no time. When assembled for use it 4" x 4" x 14". When assembled for travel it's 4" x 4" x 10" and has a nice padded bag to transport it in which increases the size a bit. But I'll filter water during the evening and have a gallon before going to bed and if more is needed for the day, I'll just filter more as needed. 

CrabTab

Firstly, I totally get that this discussion is about gravity filtration systems. My original post was just trying to add breadth...

Agree with you @TNOutback. Our MSR EX doesn't work as well on potential viruses as the MSR Guardian. That's why we've always carried the Aquatabs to use on the water after it has been pumped. When we bought the filter, oh so many years ago, we were a bit more budget conscious. Now that we have arrived in the world of 'glamping' (happily) we'd probably go with the Guardian if we were to buy again.

Tundra57

@CrabTab. Glad you chimed in with that one. I dont use much water that i dont boil. But i mainly use for my dog and travel walking etc. So if i was boondocking and needed water from a questionable source, then the MSR could be it. The various inputs have given me the drive to consider what I really need the filter for, then chose  accordingly. I have done no real boondocking to date, but intend to when i retire in a couple of years. So im getting things set up and checking them out. I go weekend camping with a singles  group. Although we get full hookups, I don't connect and get used to running off my Tab. Although at group dinners i sometimes connect power to run my microwave. Also a couple of weekends it was too hot at night ti sleep so I ran the AC for a few hours.

TNOutback

I will add that we invested in the MSR Guardian as both a backcountry water purifier and a home emergency kit purifier, so it pulls double duty.  We considered adding a travel-size Berkey, but ultimately decided to just maintain good hygiene on the fresh water tank and use a Pur water filter pitcher for drinking water.  If we are ever in a situation boondocking where we need fresh water, the Guardian filter is there if we need it.

VictoriaP

I think understanding your needs is critical. If I thought I’d ever be pulling water from a river, my criteria would be different. In my case, I do want a level of bacteria and virus protection because I’m immune compromised, but I’m way more concerned about the levels found in campground well water or in my tank after a few days, rather than needing military grade certification for filtering potentially contaminated runoff. I needed more than the Brita/Pur level of “let’s make it taste better”, but how much more, what price I’m willing to pay, and what level of inconvenience I’m willing to put up with, were all factors for me.

That Guardian looks sweet, and the prepper side of my brain covets it, but realistically it’s beyond what I actually need even for the zombie apocalypse...because let’s face it, I’m first in line to be bitten and won’t have to worry about filtering my water at that point!

TNOutback

@VictoriaP most good backcountry filters will mechanically reduce bacteria and protozoan cysts like Giardia.  They will not filter or eliminate viruses.  That being said, viruses are a pretty low-level risk in North America.  None of them, however will filter out chemical contaminants that might be present in well or runoff water.  The standard hose-end carbon filters you see for RV applications may be enough for you, or a mechanical backcountry filter, followed by an activated carbon filter, for some chemical reduction.  You could always follow up with a UV wand, or add chlorine tablets for virus inactivation if you are still concerned.

For me, I will start a trip with a recently-sanitized tank.  If adding water at a campground, I will use a typical hose-end carbon filter when filling the fresh tank.  We then run our drinking water from the fresh tank through a Pur filter pitcher.  If we were needing to refill our water supplies away from treated or well water, then the MSR Guardian would be in use.

Again, we like our Berkey, but they do NOT do independent NSF tests on their filters like virtually every other company does.  That does give me some pause, but hey, I own a Berkey . . . 

VictoriaP

TNOutback said:

@VictoriaP most good backcountry filters will mechanically reduce bacteria and protozoan cysts like Giardia.  They will not filter or eliminate viruses.  That being said, viruses are a pretty low-level risk in North America.  None of them, however will filter out chemical contaminants that might be present in well or runoff water.  The standard hose-end carbon filters you see for RV applications may be enough for you, or a mechanical backcountry filter, followed by an activated carbon filter, for some chemical reduction.  You could always follow up with a UV wand, or add chlorine tablets for virus inactivation if you are still concerned.

For me, I will start a trip with a recently-sanitized tank.  If adding water at a campground, I will use a typical hose-end carbon filter when filling the fresh tank.  We then run our drinking water from the fresh tank through a Pur filter pitcher.  Again, we like our Berkey, but they do NOT do independent NSF tests on their filters like virtually every other company does.  That does give me some pause, but hey, I own a Berkey . . . 

I ended up with the hose-end Camco as a prefilter just to keep general debris and such out of the trailer tank, + an EpicWater Nano pitcher for the bacteria/cyst/virus/chemicals side of things to cover actual drinking and cooking water. The Nano has been through some NSF standards testing, unlike Berkey (and yes, that’s the big reason I didn’t even consider them), but it’s not certified to the same levels as the Guardian. It’s marketed for use with well water, or while under boil orders, and for camping (presumably glamping, as this pitcher is too bulky for backpacking), so I feel reasonably safe with it as my filtration for the trailer versus having to haul along bottled water for personal consumption.

Denny16

Victoria, the Go Berkey makes one quart of water at a time, and as previously pointed out can do 1-gal,per hour.  It is rated for most contaminates including viruses, heavy metals, etc., but does not filter fluoride out, you need the row stage fileter system for that.  Cost is less than $200, so is another small size option.  See: https://www.amazon.com/Berkey-Stainless-Portable-included-Carrying/dp/B002YRPY94
cheers

ChrisFix

This has been a great and informative discussion. I'm just starting my research for a camper water filtration solution...and was going to look at the Berkeys as they are so popular among the YouTuber's at least. But some great alternatives discussed here.
Just wanted to say thanks for the info!

@VictoriaP
The EpicWater Nano pitcher is a great find...I'm going to look closer at that solution as I like the size, cost and most importantly, performance of it.

VictoriaP

@ChrisFix I’ll tell you the same thing I mentioned to Tundra—the pitcher itself is on par with any Brita model I’ve owned, in that, well, it’s just plastic, with all the advantages and disadvantages that brings. One design flaw on mine, which I’ve not seen mentioned in any reviews so I’m guessing it’s a one-off issue, is that the upper reservoir actually tends to float up when pouring if the lid is not held down. It’s a minor enough thing that I don’t care enough about to return it. It’s also too tall to fit under the stock faucet in the Tab, but so is basically every other gravity feed option I looked at. Other than that, I’m pleased with it so far at a quarter the price of a travel Berkey, and with validated performance testing against an established industry wide standard.

That said, I have several friends who own Berkey filters for home use and adore them. 

Denny16

You might also look at ZeroWater pitcher filter, it passed a recent test at the top of the water pitcher type units for filtering contaminates.  Bacteria and viruses removal were not tested or reported on this test.  ZeroWater does not remove microbiological contaminates, and is for use with treated muni water sources only.

Cheers

Tundra57

I went with the nano as its small and light good reviews and testing and its not expensive for all that. Ill let you all know if it suffers from the floating reservoir, but like @VictoriaP I can live with that for the convenience and cost. I did not expect the discussion depth when I started it. Thanks all. Really great info.

ChrisFix

I also purchased the nano yesterday after reading the lab report results and considering my needs. It seems a bargain for what it is, and the nano filter is made in the USA...which does actually give me some confidence in its performance. And it fits my use case very well.

GatorEgg

We have a couple a Big Berkeys.  One rides with us when we hit the road.  We’ve hauled and used it for thousands of miles of travels.  Wouldn’t leave home without it.  Even our dog prefers water from it over anything else.

Tundra57

The Berkeys have a big following. Those who love them really do so. Others absolutely hate them.

ChrisFix

Just wanted to follow up on my experience using the The EpicWater Nano pitcher in our T@B 400.
https://www.epicwaterfilters.com/products/epic-nano-water-filter-pitcher-navy-blue-removes-bacteria-virus-cysts
It has been great! No more carrying gallons of drinking water. The water from the Nano certainly passes the taste test, and hopefully lives up to the published lab testing results published by Epic Water.
The pitcher fits easily in our under sink cabinet and has been a great addition to our camping essentials.
Thanks @VictoriaP for sharing this find!