What is it about Berkey Water Filters that makes them so popular among survivalists, off-grid folks, and even third-world aid programs?
I asked myself that exact question not long ago. I wondered if it was just good marketing, or if the Berkey (I thought they were called Berkley water filters at the time for some reason) water filtration systems really were just leaps and bounds above the other options. Here’s what I came up with…
Berkey water filters are made by a company called New Millennium Concepts based in Arlington, Texas. They do most of their business through distributors / dealers, and you can even get great deals on their products through popular sites like www.environmentservices.co.nz . In other words, you’re not dealing with some disreputable company in China.
The thing that makes Berkey water filters superior, in my opinion after doing several hours of research on water filtration methods, is that they combine the oldest, most reliable water filtration techniques with some of the newest, advanced systems.
Most modern water filters force water through a filter at 60-90 PSI. It happens fast. These are the kind that sit on top of, or under, your sink and a filter the water between the pipes and the tap.
Berkeys don’t do that. They let gravity pull the water down through the filtration system, which leaves the water in contact with the filtration media for a long period of time. Think about the bacteria, heavy metals, sediment… in the water and how much more difficult it would be for that stuff to make it through a series of filters if it had no pressure pushing it from behind. It simply settles and sticks in the filter.
Just because we do not see it immediately it does not mean we are not affected by water that is not purified. There are several water purifiers, water softeners and water purification systems that we can choose from. A water purifier can remove all the bacteria without removing chemicals and minerals.
One thing to remember is that the tap water you have is already treated and some of the impurities, bacteria and chemicals are already removed. Because from the treating place to your house water still has a long way to travel through the plumbing system some new bacteria and other impurities from the plumbing system are carried by the water.
Thus even though water was treated and cleaned it can still appear dirty, cloudy and even have an odor. To get rid of all of these or at least most of them you have to use a water purification system in your house. You can select one that is installed in your kitchen, bathroom or both, or you can select a more performing one installed at the main water pipe outside your house. All these systems use different processes to purify water. Different processes let you obtain purified water at different levels
