Water Filters

[Boss Hogg]

I remember there were multiple threads concerning water filters at GIM, primarily the Aquarain camp vs Berkey camp. I've been in contact with reps at Aquarain and they notified me that they pretty much filter out most harmful microbes and chemicals. My primary concern was regarding flouride. They informed me that Aquarain wouldn't completely remove flouride, reduction would be the better word. At those reduced levels is that considered safe?

[Kali]

"At those reduced levels is that considered safe?"

You didn't state any reduced level amounts. Simply "reducing it" doesn't make it safe.

Berkey claims to reduce up to 99.75% under certain conditions.

I have both these units.

Our water is not fluoridated so don't worry about filtering that out.

I didn't like the Aquarain...water tasted like the filter even after running tons of water through it. Could have just been me but thats my experience.

The Berkey is a better unit.

On what they each actually remove from water I don't know....haven't ran a test.

[Boss Hogg]

They never did give me the figures for "reduced".

[Glass]

I have a berkey as well. The construction is good. It works as in, it filters water. It really comes down to the filter element/candle type. In a family environment I'd expect to be cleaning filters maybe every month? Not hard to do but you need to take the filters out to do this, so it will take a little while to do. It depends on how much water is going through it of course and how much of what is in the water.

The filters look unpleasant when they really need cleaning so you will want to do it. The flavour of the water is superb. Best stuff I have ever drunk outside of some really pristine streams in very high remote places...... you know.... evian. :o nah. seriously nah.... just some spring somewhere on a hill but it was very clean. true ;).

The filters in mine are silver ceramic ones by doulton. The people who sold it to me send me a reminder for replacement filters. They are a bit optimistic on usage IMO but their replacement filter price is better than anywhere else so I have a small stockpile.

As for what they take out, unfortunately I don't think it includes fluoride. I don't have the faintest idea how effective it is in true water purification. For scheme/fresh water it's ideal IMO. Fluoride removal would be the ultimate. $$ of course.

[NOOB]

I have the berky. Great tasting water.

[DMac]

I have the berky. Great tasting water.


Same. When company comes over they always remark how clean tasting the water is.

A quick search and I see the Aquarain uses the ceramic filters. I got the black elements with my Berkey. According to their website the black elements are a stronger filter than the ceramic ones (not that the ceramic is bad but I'm not taking any chances).

[Kali]

We clean our Berkey black filters once every 6-8 months or so and use it daily...water tastes great even after 6-8 months of pumping several gallons a day but we clean it anyway.

[cedarchopper]

I have an AquaRain for an emergency but use an under the sink RO System for daily use, primarily because of RO fluoride removal.

The AquaRain ceramic filters are impregnated with silver to prevent bacterial growth, but as other have said, they don't remove fluoride. The Berkley Black filters seem to be superior to other gravity systems...I would probably buy the Berkley black system if I were to buy another one.

Here is the e-bay RO system I use:

http://cgi.ebay.com/100-GPD-Reverse-Osmosis-ALKALINE-ph-NEUTRALIZER-Filter-/390212370721?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item5ada784121

[Ash_Williams]

My guess is that "Reduced" is probably meaningless. They don't want to say it does nothing. Most things will be reduced after going through a gravity fed filter as they form the scale when some of the water dries... though the reduction might be like 100 units of fluoride in, 96 out.

[Nitz]

how do you clean the berkey filters? I have the black and the white in the bottom portion. How often are you supposed to replace them, I have heard drastically different reports, from 6 months to 10 years....

thanks!

[k-os]

I use a reverse osmosis system for my drinking water at home. I love it! Compared with bottled water, you can smell the chlorine in some of the bottled water.

Thanks everyone, for reminding me that I have a Berkey in SHTF storage. I am going to see if it's the right fit for my RV drinking water.

[cedarchopper]

I use a reverse osmosis system for my drinking water at home. I love it! Compared with bottled water, you can smell the chlorine in some of the bottled water.

Thanks everyone, for reminding me that I have a Berkey in SHTF storage. I am going to see if it's the right fit for my RV drinking water.


Here is some info on RV water filter systems...not necessarily the place to buy, but some good RV specific info.

http://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/

[Shami-Amourae]

I have a Berkey Light with the fluoride filters, as well as the Sports Berkey, which is a small water bottle. Water for once has no taste, and that is a wonderful thing I think.

A normal Berkey Light like mine will last about 2 years for as much use as I use it, or 6,000 gallons of water. Berkeys are good incase of a SHTF scenario where you are on the move, and have no electricity.

If interested, here's the sorta deal I got, if you want one. I love it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-BERKEY-LIGHT-Water-Purifier-System-w-Bottle-PF-2-/390217281144?pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US#ht_395 3wt_1137

[the riot act]

This is what I did for my water here at the house. Been using it for 4 years now, change the buckets every year. Works as good as a 200$+ Berkey for everyday use.

http://www.survival-spot.com/survival-blog/homemade-berkey-water-filter/

[Ash_Williams]

how do you clean the berkey filters? I have the black and the white in the bottom portion. How often are you supposed to replace them, I have heard drastically different reports, from 6 months to 10 years....

You clean the black filters by just rinsing them off. Same as the white PF2 filters.
If the water flow has become too slow, then (very) gently use a scrubber of some sort to wash off the surface. The very top layer can get clogged with stuff that it has filtered. The key here is that you don't need to put the filter on the table and give it some elbow grease - all you need to do is just remove the tiny bit of stuff on the top layer. Almost like you are cleaning dust off it.

If you clean them that way, they should be able to filter for a long time.
Time to replacement will be drastically different because of different conditions. Mine flows fine for a year without cleaning because I'm using already clean tap water, and given how little material a cleaning removes it could continue to filter particles out of water for decades for me. If you are filtering out any sort of grit then your filter will get clogged more, require cleaning more, and wear down faster. As the filter ages it may also lose its ability to remove chlorine and other bad tastes, just replace it then.
I recommend doing the food-coloring test after each cleaning so you can be sure it's still filtering. If that ever fails, put in a new filter.

[Kali]

Your supposed to put the Berkey Filter under the faucet using the rubber washer around the threaded side until the water starts popping through...That's the instructions I have here for cleaning them.

[Jewboo]

Exactly one month on my new ZeroWater (https://www.zerowater.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Z-9oseh5AIVxiCtBh1-pgDHEAAYASAAEgLa3_D_BwE) filter. I'm averaging around one gallon per day and so far so good. The included free TDS meter measured my Boise tap water at an enviable 50ppm (https://www.wateranywhere.com/media/wysiwyg/images/water_quality_testers/total_dissolved_solids_tds_ppm_chart.png) so determining the cost-benefit ratio of this filter will be very simple.

This old GSUS thread is now nine years old but demonstrates our still-continuing common interest.....................WE ARE SURVIVORS.

Can't post THIS (https://i.4pcdn.org/pol/1566854795743.jpg) very relevant 4chan image anymore but Mamboni will get it.

:)

[mamboni]

Exactly one month on my new ZeroWater (https://www.zerowater.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Z-9oseh5AIVxiCtBh1-pgDHEAAYASAAEgLa3_D_BwE) filter. I'm averaging around one gallon per day and so far so good. The included free TDS meter measured my Boise tap water at an enviable 50ppm (https://www.wateranywhere.com/media/wysiwyg/images/water_quality_testers/total_dissolved_solids_tds_ppm_chart.png) so determining the cost-benefit ratio of this filter will be very simple.

This old GSUS thread is now nine years old but demonstrates our still-continuing common interest.....................WE ARE SURVIVORS.

Can't post THIS (https://i.4pcdn.org/pol/1566854795743.jpg) very relevant 4chan image anymore but Mamboni will get it.

:)
Bullseye:cool:

[StreetsOfGold]

I remember there were multiple threads concerning water filters at GIM, primarily the Aquarain camp vs Berkey camp. I've been in contact with reps at Aquarain and they notified me that they pretty much filter out most harmful microbes and chemicals. My primary concern was regarding flouride. They informed me that Aquarain wouldn't completely remove flouride, reduction would be the better word. At those reduced levels is that considered safe?

The ONLY safe water to drink is PURE water, i.e. distilled
Since man has DESTROYED God's built-in distillery with pollution and chemtrails, you need to make it on your own.

[Jewboo]

Exactly one month on my new ZeroWater (https://www.zerowater.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9Z-9oseh5AIVxiCtBh1-pgDHEAAYASAAEgLa3_D_BwE) filter. I'm averaging around one gallon per day and so far so good. The included free TDS meter measured my Boise tap water at an enviable 50ppm (https://www.wateranywhere.com/media/wysiwyg/images/water_quality_testers/total_dissolved_solids_tds_ppm_chart.png) so determining the cost-benefit ratio of this filter will be very simple.


:o HOLY SHIT! AMAZON IS SELLING BOGUS REPLACEMENT FILTERS:




https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/amazon-avatars-global/default._CR0,0,1024,1024_SX48_.png

Lucy S.
(https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AHAZMV3ARFUO5QTPAIAJE77MTXZQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_gw_btm?ie=UTF8)
1.0 out of 5 stars (https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2MPGLMZSDK5FL/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003QXM57Y) This filter will poison your water. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2MPGLMZSDK5FL/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003QXM57Y)
August 7, 2019 Size: 1-Pack (https://www.amazon.com/ZeroWater-Replacement-BPA-Free-Dispensers-Certified/product-reviews/B003QXM57Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_fmt?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=avp_only_reviews&sortBy=recent&formatType=current_format)Verified Purchase
(https://www.amazon.com/ZeroWater-Replacement-BPA-Free-Dispensers-Certified/product-reviews/B003QXM57Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_rvwer?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=avp_only_reviews&sortBy=recent&formatType=current_format)
This filter will poison your water. If I could give minus five stars, I would. My tap water is registered at 46, after using filter it has to be 0. When I washed and drain first batch using this filter water quality registered at 154, it is more than three times dirtier than my tap water. I bought (4) of those filters. I decided maybe there is something wrong with first filter. I opened next one, and after cleaning my tap water, filtered water for second filter registered at 252, which is more than five times dirtier than my tap water.

(https://www.amazon.com/ap/signin?openid.return_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.c om%2FZeroWater-Replacement-BPA-Free-Dispensers-Certified%2Fproduct-reviews%2FB003QXM57Y%2Fref%3Dcm_cr_arp_d_vote_lft% 3Fie%3DUTF8%26voteInstanceId%3DR2MPGLMZSDK5FL%26vo teValue%3D1%26reviewerType%3Davp_only_reviews%26cs rfT%3Dgu1z5gJBu%252BTAsejqSeXaIHxukinVWHW7w1IQGGkA AAABAAAAAF1pCiJyYXcAAAAA%252B4kUEk%252F7iMGR3xPcX6 iU%26sortBy%3Drecent%26formatType%3Dcurrent_format&openid.identity=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fau th%2F2.0%2Fidentifier_select&openid.claimed_id=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2F auth%2F2.0%2Fidentifier_select&openid.assoc_handle=usflex&openid.mode=checkid_setup&openid.ns=http%3A%2F%2Fspecs.openid.net%2Fauth%2F2 .0)

ZeroWater Team (https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amzn1.account.AHGVJIAP6WYLP5GJRZO4FAE4XEYQ/ref=cm_cr_getc_d_pdp?ie=UTF8)17 days ago

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. After examining many filters we had returned with this same complaint, we have discovered that these are in fact NOT authentic ZeroWater filters. Please contact Amazon regarding their return process.





LINK (https://www.amazon.com/ZeroWater-Replacement-BPA-Free-Dispensers-Certified/product-reviews/B003QXM57Y/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_paging_btm_next_3?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=avp_only_reviews&sortBy=recent&pageNumber=3&formatType=current_format)

[mamboni]

:o HOLY SHIT! AMAZON IS SELLING BOGUS REPLACEMENT FILTERS:Good idea to check the TDS periodically. So far I've had perfect 0 scores with all my filters, each of which lasts me about 4 months.

[Jewboo]

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/S/aplus-seller-content-images-us-east-1/ATVPDKIKX0DER/A38OHMFGKMEP5F/8e199cd8-00b0-4194-8ad3-90b7ad03eefd._CR0,0,970,1300_PT0_SX970__.jpg

The very common complaint about Zerowater is that their cheapo plastic spigots eventually fail and flood the kitchen fridge or floor. Some smart guy solved the problem with THIS $12 Solution (https://www.amazon.com/Dispenser-Replacement-Oak-Leaf-Stainless/dp/B013FWX4HA/ref=pd_cp_79_3?pd_rd_w=jbsK0&pf_rd_p=ef4dc990-a9ca-4945-ae0b-f8d549198ed6&pf_rd_r=277TACB74GEERWS1P443&pd_rd_r=f3d09f6a-6fb3-40fe-98a9-ca487a8679c1&pd_rd_wg=sOqEw&pd_rd_i=B013FWX4HA&psc=1&refRID=277TACB74GEERWS1P443#customerReviews).

:D








:o Meanwhile, the actual replacement FILTERS from Amazon are dangerous (https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B003QXM3U8/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewopt_fmt?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=recent&pageNumber=1&reviewerType=avp_only_reviews&formatType=current_format)

[Jewboo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uQoZOJHr00


More research into my Zerowater filter. It's really just a two-stage filter with some plastic screens. Activated Charcoal and that stinky gooey orange stuff is polluted Ion-Exchange Resin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion-exchange_resin).


https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--MsPXl9HC--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/17nci38bc399tjpg.jpg
It does start quickly stinking above 6ppm as it catastrophically fails. This is why they warn us to regularly measure it with their provided "free" tester.

:(

[PatColo]

any of U zero-water fockers ever buy a cheap digital pH tester, & measure before/aft result? I wrote of this question further in another water filter thread.

[PatColo]

I'd have to find again at amzn; but some clever guy was selling a "berkee water kit"; IIRC used two 5-gallon buckets, stacked, & modified where top bucket contains berkee elements, thru which water must pass & settle in lower bucket which has a spigot attached near the bottom.

sold plans + parts; IIRC twas around $25-30

proper post filtered water container should be glass or stainless steel tho, not BPA-leeching plastic

[Bigjon]

McCanney sells the best water filters. They take out stuff the competition does not even test for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhFdVuBACj8


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhFdVuBACj8


http://www.jmccanneyscience.com/FilterComparisonChartWithTxt2.jpg

http://www.jmccanneyscience.com/SecWebOrderPg.htm

[Half Sense]

I'd have to find again at amzn; but some clever guy was selling a "berkee water kit"; IIRC used two 5-gallon buckets, stacked, & modified where top bucket contains berkee elements, thru which water must pass & settle in lower bucket which has a spigot attached near the bottom.

sold plans + parts; IIRC twas around $25-30

proper post filtered water container should be glass or stainless steel tho, not BPA-leeching plastic


I think one of the survival supply places was selling the "Bucket Berkey" when there was a shortage of Berkey stainless steel units. The buckets were a screw-together type, which I thought was pretty brilliant. It could also handle 4 filters. That would be a nice kit to take on the road because no chance of spillage with the top and bottom screwed together and a tight lid on the top.

EDIT: found it - the guy is using special food-grade buckets with screw-on lids.
https://preparednessadvice.com/water_purification/an-inexpensive-water-filter-the-bucket-berkey/