Berkey Water Purification Process OverView

Why Berkey?

• Gravity‑Powered Convenience – No electricity, pumps, or plumbing. Fill the upper chamber and let gravity do the work.

• Everyday & Emergency Ready – Kitchen counter, RV, campsite, or power outage—same unit, same performance.

• Pennies per Gallon – One pair of Black Berkey® elements treats up to 6,000 gallons before replacement.

What Comes in the Box?

Item	Purpose
2 Stainless‑steel chambers (upper & lower)	Durable, food‑grade 304 SS housing
Lid with knob	Keeps dust out and purity in
2 Black Berkey® Purification Elements	The heart of the system
Spigot	Fast, drip‑free dispensing
Washers & wingnuts	Tool‑free assembly
Priming ring/bulb	Quick, mess‑free priming
Detailed instructions	Set up in 15 minutes or less

 

Berkey Water Purification Process – How It Works

1. Fill the Upper Chamber
   Pour tap, well, river, or rainwater into the top stainless‑steel chamber. No pre‑treatment, pumping, or electricity is required.

2. Gravity Takes Over
   Water begins its slow descent through the Black Berkey® Purification Elements. Because the flow is gravity‑powered—not pressurized—each drop remains in contact with the filter media for several minutes, maximizing contaminant removal.

3. Stage 1 – Microfiltration
   Tortuous‑path pores (< 0.2 µm) block sediment, microplastics, protozoa, and pathogenic bacteria on contact.

4. Stage 2 – Adsorption (Electrostatic Attraction)
   The charged surface of each filter creates an “ionic net” that pulls in contaminants and other sub‑micron particles too small for size‑exclusion alone.

5. Stage 3 – Absorption / Ion Exchange
   As water continues downward, proprietary media swap harmful ions (lead, mercury, chromium‑6, arsenic, etc.) for harmless ones and lock them permanently inside the element.

6. Polishing Touch – Pore‑Pressure Equalization
   Residual chlorine, chloramines, VOCs, pharmaceuticals, and even PFAS compounds are neutralized as water passes through progressively finer media layers.

7. Collect in the Lower Chamber
   Pure, great‑tasting water accumulates in the bottom tank, ready to dispense through the stainless‑steel spigot.

Result: Water that exceeds NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for heavy‑metal, VOC, and parasite reduction—qualifying Berkey as a true purifier (99.9999 % pathogen reduction) rather than a mere filter.

Inside the Black Berkey® Elements

Berkey’s performance comes from three synergistic technologies:

Stage	Science at Work	Targets
1. Microfiltration	A dense maze of microscopic pores (<0.2 µm) forces water through a tortuous path, physically trapping bacteria, parasites, sediment, and microplastics.	E. coli, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, rust, silt
2. Adsorption	Charged media surfaces create an electrostatic barrier that pulls oppositely charged or weakly polar molecules out of solution and bonds them to the filter matrix.	-Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, xylene, and trichloroethylene -Disinfection by‑products like trihalomethanes (chloroform) and haloacetic acids -PFAS (“forever chemicals”) including PFOS and PFOA -Pesticides & herbicides (e.g., atrazine, glyphosate, lindane, DDT residues) -Pharmaceutical residues & hormones (ibuprofen, naproxen, estradiol, ethinyl‑estradiol) -Chlorine & chloramine taste/odor compounds Industrial solvents & fuel additives such as MTBE -Endocrine‑disrupting chemicals like BPA and nonylphenol
3. Absorption / Ion Exchange	Proprietary media swap harmful ions for benign ones, chemically binding heavy metals and dozens of industrial contaminants.	Lead, mercury, arsenic, chromium‑6, VOCs, pesticides

Tested & Trusted

Independent laboratories have verified Berkey performance to—or beyond—NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for heavy‑metal and VOC reduction. Typical lab results show:

Contaminant	% Reduction
Lead, Mercury, Chromium‑6	> 99.9 %
Chlorine & Chloramines	> 99.9 %
VOCs (MTBE, TCE, Benzene)	> 99.9 %
PFAS (“Forever Chemicals”)*	> 99.5 %
Pharmaceuticals & Hormones	> 99 %

*Based on third‑party PFOS/PFOA testing.

Choose the Berkey size that fits your household, add fluoride/arsenic PF‑2™ post‑filters if desired, and enjoy reliable, affordable, and portable water purification for years to come.

Clean water is freedom.