The Gravity Water Filter is a water filtration method with outstanding benefits and abilities but is not that well-recognized or acknowledged. Especially since there are tons of competitors out there, who are in the same line of business that aims to one-up the other through functionalities and customer satisfaction.
However, the Gravity Water Filter is not to be underestimated because it has highly beneficial features for consumers.
We live now in an era wherein everything is made possible. The modernization and development of technologies and machines have skyrocketed throughout the years. This left us all in awe about how certain things come together and result in something greater than we cannot easily grasp or understand and leave us feeling surprised.
One of the examples that can surprise us with its greatness is the Gravity Water Filter. This article will discuss the different features of gravity water filter, its different features, how it is helpful to its consumers, how it works, as well as the best Gravity Water Filter to choose from.
What Is A Gravity Water Filter?
A Gravity Water Filter is machinery that allows you to filter polluted or contaminated water with the help of gravity. It sounds too broad.
This device is composed of two chambers, the upper chamber, and the lower chamber. The upper chamber is where you pour in your contaminated water, and the lower chamber will then be the finish line where your contaminated water is now turned into filtered water.
The Gravity Water Filter is perfect because of its convenience, and it does no longer requires plumbing or electricity to function.
We live now in an era wherein everything is made possible. The modernization and development of technologies and machines have skyrocketed throughout the years.
This had left us all in awe about how certain things come together and result in something greater than we cannot easily grasp or understand and leave us feeling surprised.
One of the examples that can surprise us with its greatness is the Gravity Water Filter. This article will discuss its different features, how it is helpful to its consumers, how it works, and the best Gravity Water Filter to choose.
Overview of Gravity Water Filter
Gravity water filters are precise as they sound. These are filters that work by using the force of gravity to push the water down while it filters. As you would expect, water is fed into it from the top.
This can work with any filter method, e.g., distilled water, reverse osmosis, or charcoal filtered water can work using a gravity filter process.
Suppose you are unfortunate enough to be in a place with insufficient quality tap water, face an emergency without water or live in an area with a questionable water supply. In that case, a gravity filter can help.
One of the best things about gravity water filters is that they tend to work with gravity which means you don’t necessarily need electricity.
What Is a Gravity Water Filter?
A Gravity Water Filter is machinery that allows you to filter polluted or contaminated water with the help of gravity. It sounds too broad.
This device is composed of two chambers, the upper chamber, and the lower chamber. The upper chamber is where you pour in your contaminated water, and the lower chamber will then be the finish line where your contaminated water is now turned into filtered water.
The Gravity Water Filter is perfect because of its convenience, and it does no longer requires plumbing or electricity to function. The weight of the water allows it to flow over and through the filters. That filtered water is gathered in a tank under the filtration system.
As the name indicates, the system uses the natural force of gravity to allow water to flow over the filters. Many modern filtration systems are powered.
How Does It Work?
The upper chamber of the gravity water filter contains an element that takes care of the filtering process of your contaminated water. That element is composed of microscopic pores that disable the contaminants and other pollutants from passing through it, which leaves only the water to pass through that microporous element going to the lower chamber. Now, you had your filtered water, which is ready and made safe for drinking.
But then again, due to the increasing amount of manufacturers, some might have different contained elements in their chambers that allow them to filter water. Generally, the idea behind the Gravity Water Filter is having two sets of the chamber and a mediator in between the chambers.
This mediator acts as the filtering machine by letting the contaminated water pass through it while leaving all the contaminants and pollutants behind as the water transfers to the lower chamber.
When Was The Gravity Water Filtered Discovered?
Surprisingly, the Gravity Water Filter can be traced back to the year 1800 in London, England. With legendary craftsman John Doulton, Royal Doulton ceramics were already ahead in making water filters due to the drastic increase in water-borne diseases that was rampant during that year.
Polluted and contaminated water was one of the top problems faced in London during that year. Because of that, Doulton, now with the partnership of Martha Jones and John Watt, created water filter cases packed with powder carbon.
When Queen Victoria came to the throne, her highness acknowledged Doulton and his team by establishing their company brand as an innovative manufacturer of industrial products. In the year 1835, Queen Victoria requested Doulton to make water filters for the Royal household. It is then during that time they developed gravity-fed stoneware units crafted in delicately designed ceramics.
When was the Gravity Water Filtered Discovered?
Surprisingly, the Gravity Water Filter can be traced back to the year 1800 in London, England. With legendary craftsman John Doulton, Royal Doulton ceramics were already ahead in making water filters due to the drastic increase in water-borne diseases that was rampant during that year.
Polluted and contaminated water was one of the top problems faced in London during that year. Because of that, Doulton, now with the partnership of Martha Jones and John Watt, created water filter cases packed with powder carbon.
How did it start?
When Queen Victoria came to the throne, her highness acknowledged Doulton and his team by establishing their company brand as an innovative manufacturer of industrial products. In the year 1835, Queen Victoria requested Doulton to make water filters for the Royal household. It is then during that time they developed gravity-fed stoneware units crafted in delicately designed ceramics.
Queen Victoria requested John Doulton (of later to become Royal Doulton) to produce a water filter with his ceramic-making capabilities. Using various earth and clay materials, he created the first gravity water filter stoneware, Doulton water filters.
Pros and Cons
Indeed, the gravity water filter has various advantages as well as disadvantages. Let us take a look at each section:
Pros:
- The gravity water filtration system is effective and efficient. It is simple and very functional.
- There are various sizes to choose from, depending on your needs.
- It can be placed anywhere at home, even on the table or countertop.
- It requires less maintenance. It only needs filter replacement once or twice each year, depending on the suggestion of the manufacturer.
- The system does not need electricity.
- One can build his own version of gravity water filter if on budget.
Cons:
- The parts of the gravity water filter can be costly, especially for those on a tight budget. For example, the replacement for the unit parts can range from $25 up to $100 or more. However, the price cost will still depend on the type of water filter. Indeed, a water gravity water filter is cheap but not its parts.
- Before buying a gravity water filter, you must have the right estimate. You can also monitor the number of water you drink each day. It is indeed expensive to buy a large water filter. However, if you buy a small one, it might not work out for your big family, especially on a hot summer day.
- Some gravity filter takes time to clean the water, while others can do the cleaning real quick. As such, you should check out how fast the unit can do its job.
What To Consider Before You Buy A Gravity Water Filter
Here is a quick buying guide for gravity water filters. The list below are some of the things you should review and take into consideration before you buy one:
Do you have enough space? Gravity-fed water filters come in many different shapes and sizes, but you need to know where you’re going to put them and if you have enough space for your chosen device.
- Can it filter enough water for you every day? To answer this question, you need to know how much water you generally consume. Once you see this number, work out how much water filtration you get with each filter cartridge. This will let you know how often you need to replace cartridges and if your chosen filter can cope with your demands.
- What do you need to filter? Find out what is in your water supply. You can do this by looking at the water quality report by looking at the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) dedicated agency in your state. Alternatively, you can get a water test kit and see what is in your water. Once you know what you need to filter, you need to make sure the gravity filter you want to buy can cope with everything you find. Knowing exactly what contaminants are in your water will better help you to know which type of counter-top gravity filter system to get.
- Alkaline or acidic water? Another thing to check is the pH level of your water. A neutral number is seven on the pH scale, and any number that is lower than seven means you have acidic, and higher numbers mean alkaline. Regularly drinking higher alkaline water has some health benefits. And if you want to enjoy some of these benefits, consider getting a gravity water filter to improve the pH level.
Types Of Gravity Water Filters
Just like all other kinds of water filtration systems, the gravity filters may come in variations. Each one has its purpose plus advantages. Take a look at each type below:
Ceramic Gravity Water Filter: This type of product is best for those who are allergic and sensitive to chemicals. Indeed, excessive chemicals must not be used in drinking water.
Meanwhile, it works just the same as the steel water filter unit. You need to put the water inside the top ceramic chamber and have the system running.
Stainless Steel Gravity Water Filter: The majority of the stainless steel filters that are available in the market today are huge. Indeed, they are bigger than the average ceramic unit.
The Stainless Steel units are ideal for renting a house or are always on the go. Unlike the ceramic unit, this one will not break easily, even if you accidentally drop it on the floor.
Furthermore, it is lighter in weight and does not need complex installation. More families carry this along wherever they go. Thus, it would help if you considered this one too.
Gravity Bag Water Filter: This is also known as the gravity water bag filter backpacking, the real on-the-go filter unit. This is best for people who like to travel to various places.
When camping or hiking, of course, it is not best to bring huge and heavy water filters with you. As such, the bag filters can be beneficial significantly if your water supply is depleting.
Do-It-Yourself Or DIY Water Filter
Indeed, having a water filtration unit in your home is a great investment. This is helpful in case of emergencies. You can use it when there is water contamination in your area during natural calamities.
Meanwhile, you can create your version of the gravity water filter system now! It will cost you around $75-$100 only, which is a good deal for your water filter. Here are the materials that you will need in creating one:
- Two pieces of food-grade buckets-You can ask restaurants for these buckets. Check the lid and see to it that there are no cracks. Meanwhile, you can also buy at online or local stores near you.
- Water filter-You can opt to buy between ceramic dome water filter or fluoride filter.
- Faucet or spigot- Choose the plastic faucet instead of metal or steel because this may be too heavy for the project.
- Drill-Have the drill with you to make holes on the food-grade buckets.
How Effective Is A DIY Gravity Water Filter?
So now that you know how to make a DIY gravity water filter, and can put one together in any situation. How do you know if it works effectively?
The first thing you can do to prevent any issues is to use good quality materials and take your time to construct them with care.
Another thing you can do to make sure the water is safe to drink is to boil any water that you filter. Boiling water is a great way to kill off any final harmful pathogens present in your water.
However, boiling water cannot adequately kill things like toxic chemicals, and neither will it dissolve any contaminated solids.
How To Make A Free-Standing Water Filter
Step 1
Drill a hole in the lower container. Make sure that the hole will enable the spigot or faucet to fit precisely. Once done, put the knot to make sure that it can be sealed in the place.
Step 2
Next, measure your dome water filter inside the upper container. Place the water filter dome inside and use a marker to measure it. Once you have measured its placement, drill the bottom surface of the upper container. Do not place the dome filter just yet.
Step 3
Get the lid of the lower container and put the upper container on its top. You can now see the hole in the second container on the lid due to the plastic. Drill a hole that can match the other one.
Step 4
Put the two containers altogether by sliding the dome filter inside the upper container. Next, the lid of the lower container and lock them.
Tips In Buying the Best Gravity Water Filtration System
If you still haven’t made up your mind about what type of product you should have for your home, then familiarize yourself first with the features to look for when buying the system. In this way, you can save time, money, and effort in your next shopping. Have a look at these tips:
Water Capabilities And Quality
The essential feature of the water filter is the quality of the water that the system produces. There is no point in buying a system that cannot cope with the water from wild resources.
If you wish to invest in a water filter system, make sure that it can generate lots of healthy drinking water.
Capacity
Another consideration is the water capacity. Ensure that you know how much water you are most likely to use at any time of the day. Next, buy a water tank according to your family's use.
Speed of Filtration
Lastly, also consider the speed of filtration. Check out how fast the system can filter the water. Some systems work slowly, while some work quickly. You don’t want to wait 30 minutes or more to have a tank of clean drinking water.
What Is The Best Gravity Water Filter System Out There?
Many gravity water filter manufacturers compete for head to head on who's the best in delivering their consumers with quality results to safe, reliable, and drinkable water. As far as they are all competitive and have highlights of their own, one brand easily stands out from the rest. That is the Berkey Water Filtration System.
What Is The Berkey Water Filtration System?
The Berkey aims to provide its consumers with different water filtration systems that can each cater to their needs and satisfaction.
Not only that, but their products are also proven to bring about the highest quality results when it comes to providing safe, healthy, reliable, and drinkable water to every household.
The Berkey Water Filtration System comes in different sizes for the sole purpose of giving our consumers other options as to what Berkey Water filtration system is suitable for their household.
Despite the difference in sizes, the Berkey Water filtration systems are all competent and credible when filtering your contaminated waters.
The Different Kinds Of Water Berkey Filtration Systems
- Crown Berkey - The biggest among all the Berkey Water Filtration System. It can contain 6 gallons of water without any additional installation of elements.
- Imperial Berkey - It can contain 4.5 gallons of water without any additional installation of elements.
- Royal Berkey - The size is just convenient for households with a larger number. It can contain 3.25 gallons of water.
- Big Berkey - It perfectly fits the size of an average headcount to every household. It can contain 2.25 gallons of water without any additional installation of elements.
- Travel Berkey - The Travel Berkey is great for those who love traveling or going on a small on-the-go adventure. Since it is just the right size to fit in small compartments such as a travel bag or suitcase, it can contain 1.5 gallons of water.
- Go Berkey - If you want to choose a ready-to-go filtering system, Go Berkey will be a suitable choice. It is great for those who love to go hiking and cycling. It can contain 1 quart of water without any additional installation of elements.
The Design And Features Of The Berkey Water Filtration Systems
The Berkey Water Filtration Systems are designed with a well-constructed, highly polished 304 stainless steel. Not only that, but it also comes with a complete package essential kit containing the following:
- 2 Black Berkey elements (expandable to 4)
- Two chambers
- lid
- a spigot
- rubber gasket base
- Two blocking plugs
In addition, the Berkey systems can significantly reduce fluoride and arsenic through its 4 PF-2 Fluoride and Arsenic filters that can be installed into the lower chamber.
Air Locking in Gravity Filters
If there is one issue with gravity filters, is its very frequent incident of low flow rate. In line with that, one of the reason for low flow rate is a thing called air locking.
An airlock, as the name implies, is just air trapped in a high point a fluid-filled pipe system. This causes the air to move and feel lighter than the liquid itself, which results to air rising to an elevated point and linger around —disrupting the flow of liquid.
Needless to say, gravity water filters have risen to prominence in almost all parts of the world. However, it is still undeniable how these kinds of water filters have low head or insufficient pressure used to push water through the filtration system.
By standard, there are only few centimeters of water segments accessible to push the filtration in a gravity channel. Specifically, the water column in the gravity filters can only give about 0.4 psi pressure at the beginning of the filtration system.
As it falls head, the psi drops as low as 0.1 psi. Conclusively, the height of the container used for water filtration defines the operating water pressure available in the system.
However, due to very low velocity, it's become hard to release air bubbles trapped inside the filter channel out of the cartridge to clear the passage for water to flow.
Ultimately, the issue of air locking in your water gravity filters can generate a number of complications if not addressed immediately. For one, apart from resisting the flow of water, it channels or short circuits water in the filter bed —which, in turn, can only partially use the filter channel surface of the filtration system and results in a compromised version of the water content.
Another thing is that it reduces the longevity of the water filtration cartridge. In fact, as soon as the fouling of the filter bed begins and you see blocks of impurities in your water, the impact that this may pose will go beyond the aesthetic because, in this case, it might affect your and your family's overall health.
The Bottom Line
The main highlight of all the Berkey Water Filtration Systems is the Black Berkey Element that already comes with the product. The Black Berkey Element is the core feature that makes the filtration magic happen.
It has been tested and is now continuously proving to people across the globe how it is the perfect choice to provide your household and loved ones a clean, safe, reliable, and drinkable water.
At the end of the day, clean and reliable drinking water is essential for our day-to-day lives. You can rest assured that gravity water filters possess a high capacity for filtering out a number of contaminants from your drinking water.
Another thing is that they are very easy to install at home. In fact, you can DIY the process as long as detailed guidelines with easy-how-to procedures are laid out by the manufacturer in simple explanations. Plus, it is the more affordable option than any other costly and expensive water filtration systems!
Not only will it be convenient in terms of proximity, but it can also eliminate the risk of waterborne diseases. So, in the long run, it will be a very cost-efficient and energy-efficient investment.
And, while you're at it, invest in the Berkey Water Filtration Systems to maximize all the possible benefits that you can get and drink clean water comfortably at the premise of your home.
With Berkey Water Filters, you can rest assured that your water is safe because it is a pack leader in water filtration that uses gravity to feed water through a gamut of “Black Berkey Elements." If you wish to know more, give us a contact at (888) 899-3903 and visit our website theberkey.com for more information.
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