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Old 08-28-2020, 01:37 AM   #1
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Question Is a Berkey worth the price?

I noticed a lot of people use a Berkey for drinking water. We plan on doing a lot of boondocking and are particular with our drinking water.

Is a Berkey worth spending $300 dollars on? or is there a cheaper option that is just as good?

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Old 08-28-2020, 03:36 AM   #2
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I noticed a lot of people use a Berkey for drinking water. We plan on doing a lot of boondocking and are particular with our drinking water.

Is a Berkey worth spending $300 dollars on? or is there a cheaper option that is just as good?

Never seen one in real life and don't know much about them, seem to be quite a trend among youtubers though.


What is the major selling point compared with the many other water filtration methods?


Beyond looks, I always thought the large countertop filter wasn't very well suited to bus or vehicle based living (both because they take up a lot of space, place weight up high, and appear not very well secured). But really I don't know much about them or why they are used.


What makes you interested/curious about using one?
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Old 08-28-2020, 05:45 AM   #3
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I have one and while I know the water is cleaner by a long shot than tap water I feel like it tastes funny.. not to mention the geniuses who created it made it just too tall to slide under a standard kitchen cabinet.. I’m a no clutter kind of guy . It’s also slow, if I forget to fill it then I’m hours to get a good amount of water. Then you do have to clean the filters.

I’ve had it for a couple years and after a year got tired of it blocking my spice cabinet door so it made its way to the basement. I still use it when I think about it for mixing up my sports drinks but more times than not I end up just grabbing a glass and hitting the faucet when I’m thirsty
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Old 08-28-2020, 08:43 AM   #4
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It's worth it for us. We never really know what the water situation is going to be when we fill up, and I have no idea how funky our water tank really is. Even when we lived in a house the Berkey made the city water tasted markedly better. Like many things on our bus, we found just the right piece of unused space for the Berkey, and it's right next to the sink so it's easy to remember to keep it topped up. We've got a nice whole-house filter under our sink, so that might be good enough, but we use the Berkey for drinking water. We got the smallest one (Traveler, I think?) and strapped it to the wall with a leather belt so we don't have to break it down to travel.
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Old 08-28-2020, 12:26 PM   #5
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From what I read they refuse to have them tested and certified, so their filtering performance is not confirmed. Given how small an RV is, having it take up so much room on a countertop is not a feature, nor is keeping them filled. I have one of those pitchers with a filter, smaller and can keep it inside a fridge, so water is cold.
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Old 08-28-2020, 01:21 PM   #6
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We have one at the house. Has been solid for over a year.

Currently debating Berkey filters for a larger system on our bus.

Keep an eye out for scratch and dent sales...
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Old 08-28-2020, 02:14 PM   #7
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Interested in this as well.



The most efficient pressurized systems we've seen have a 1:1 waste ratio. The most common ones have a 3:1 waste ratio. We just find that unideal for boondocking.



Downsides to the Berkeys from my research is filtration speed and water temp...
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Old 08-28-2020, 03:58 PM   #8
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Thanks for the responses. I was looking for a way to not have to buy filtered water. From reading the responses, the Berkey may not be the best way for us to go.

I guess I really should have titled this thread, what does everyone use to create good drinking water when boondocking?
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Old 08-28-2020, 07:55 PM   #9
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Interested in this as well.

The most efficient pressurized systems we've seen have a 1:1 waste ratio. The most common ones have a 3:1 waste ratio. We just find that unideal for boondocking.

Downsides to the Berkeys from my research is filtration speed and water temp...

Can you explain what you mean by waste ratio? Wasting what? Water, I assume? But how, its a closed system until it gets to the tap is it not?
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Old 08-29-2020, 02:12 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RobOfYork View Post
Thanks for the responses. I was looking for a way to not have to buy filtered water. From reading the responses, the Berkey may not be the best way for us to go.

I guess I really should have titled this thread, what does everyone use to create good drinking water when boondocking?
Well, since you have broadened the theme of the thread ...


At home, we distill all of our drinking/cooking water. We plan on doing the same in the RV if the energy budget allows for it. I really need to get a kill-o-watt meter on out current distiller.
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Old 08-29-2020, 04:42 AM   #11
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This is the first I have heard of them - so I know nothing. Glancing at the photos, I would guess that it is an expensive and bulky variation of installing a couple of good water filters in your whole house water system - then you have clean filtered water at every tap.

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Old 08-29-2020, 08:52 AM   #12
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Can you explain what you mean by waste ratio? Wasting what? Water, I assume? But how, its a closed system until it gets to the tap is it not?
The RO systems have a waste line. The waste line produces X:Y waste water where Y is "good" filtered water. So for every gallon of drinking water out of a typical RO system produced, the waste line yields 3 gallons.


Someone suggested to plumb the waste water back into the fresh water tanks- this is definitely a plausible solution I'd have to think about.
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Old 08-29-2020, 09:12 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kazetsukai View Post
The RO systems have a waste line. The waste line produces X:Y waste water where Y is "good" filtered water. So for every gallon of drinking water out of a typical RO system produced, the waste line yields 3 gallons.


Someone suggested to plumb the waste water back into the fresh water tanks- this is definitely a plausible solution I'd have to think about.
Plumbing the RO waste back to the fresh water tank is what I a planning. The only thing it will do is increase the mineral and salt concentration of the water in the fresh water tank a little. Your water pump will have to be set up so that it can be on for extended periods of time as the RO take a while to filter.

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Old 08-29-2020, 09:49 AM   #14
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Your water pump will have to be set up so that it can be on for extended periods of time as the RO take a while to filter.
I personally wouldn't run a DC pump without a pressure tank for a buffer.
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Old 08-29-2020, 11:08 AM   #15
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So, the Berkeys are pretty much just a glorified carbon filter with a huge markup. I've been a plumber who has done a lot of water filtration systems in the 8 years I've been plumbing and I was not happy with what I could find on their system. That being said, I've never had one or tested one myself, going by what I read on the internet(so it must be true) and the fact that they refuse to be certified by the NSF/ANSI. NYTimes did a pretty decent write up on them(https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/r...filter-system/)

RO systems are nice but like others have said they have waste water and aren't ideal.

Best bet in my opinion, is an activated carbon filter for basic function(say if you only got your water from a city source) or a sediment filter(probably 20 micron) followed by activated carbon filter followed by a UV light filter for pulling water from a stream other water source that wasn't treated.


My plan(I have not built a bus yet but soon....) is to have all my incoming water be filtered through the sediment, carbon and UV filters before it gets into my storage tank. This way I can hook up a small portable transfer pump to a hose and get water from a stream or I can hook up to a garden hose from a house or a RV park and know that the water I'm getting will be clean.

The housings for the filters are fairly inexpensive ($20-$50)and the filters themselves are cheap as well and readily available just about anywhere. The 10"x4.5" filters are pretty over sized for the application but you won't have to worry about the filter slowing down the flow of water when filling tanks.
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Old 08-30-2020, 03:46 AM   #16
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Originally Posted by kazetsukai View Post
The RO systems have a waste line. The waste line produces X:Y waste water where Y is "good" filtered water. So for every gallon of drinking water out of a typical RO system produced, the waste line yields 3 gallons.


Someone suggested to plumb the waste water back into the fresh water tanks- this is definitely a plausible solution I'd have to think about.

Reverse Osmosis would be one option, but just one of many, and not really that comparable to a Berkey type filter right?


Carbon, Sendiment, and UV are other alternatives. And are some of the usual suspects for inline under-counter water filtration or purification.



Berkey claims removal of Protozoa, Bacteria, and Viruses on their website, but as others have mentioned neglect official certification by NSF or ANSI. That said, if their claimed effectiveness is accurate, they are in the ballpark of some of my backpacking filters which haven't let me down (so far at least ).
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Old 08-30-2020, 10:04 PM   #17
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Thanks everyone for steering me in a better direction. Here is what I think I am going to do instead of the Berkey.

1. Have a filter system before the storage tank.
2. Have a second filter system after the storage tank.
3. IF and this is a big IF, if I feel I need a little more filtering for drinking water I'll go with something like a PUR water Pitcher.

If I decided to go with a UV filter, would it be better on the before tank or after tank filter systems?
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Old 08-31-2020, 09:16 AM   #18
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We have one, and have liked it though we don't use it that often. We initially got it to keep with our disaster supplies. It filters kinda slow, so don't be in a hurry for a lot of water, but it seems to filter really well.
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Old 09-02-2020, 04:06 PM   #19
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A Berkey is a gravity-fed reverse-osmosis filter. You pour water into the top bucket, gravity pushes it (slowly) through the replaceable filters into the bottom bucket. Berkeys have no automatic back-flush system, so don't 'waste' water like other RO systems do, but that means you have to clean the filters yourself (Like backpacking RO systems). The cleaner the water you put through it, the less often you need to clean the filters. Without cleaning (or replacing), they'll eventually plug up with what they've filtered out of your water. Also depending on how you like your water, it can taste "off" because it filters out the various trace elements normally present in tap water.



That said, if you create your own RO system (Filter down to 0.2 microns, maybe run it through an activated carbon filter), then you have an equivalent to a Berkey. Berkeys tend to be popular because they're all-in-one and don't require power, but that means they don't have UV filtration.



Whether it's worth the expense is up to you and how much work you want to put in to building an equivalent.
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Old 09-02-2020, 06:10 PM   #20
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OK, We have used a berkey since like 2008 we love it at the farm our well water tastes bad to drink. However I always said that if someone ever asked I would tell them to look elsewhere. Here is why; after just a few months the filter candles fell apart and berkey even though they knew there was a problem and said so would do nothing for us. we bought new candles (filters) after a few more months they fell apart too. We bought doulton candles and have the same ones in for 11 years no problems we just clean them every now and then, they have started to slow down some now but 11 years of 2 people drinking and cooking great. They make tabletop units or you can make your own with buckets if you can buy them to nest but they were like 1/2 the price. British Berkefeld is owned by doulton would not buy anything from berkey...
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