Big Berkey Water Filter-2 Black Filters and 2 Pf-2 Fluoride Filters Review

 Rating: 4,5 of 5 stars====================Product price: Check new Price in amazon====================Buy with Secure Transaction Amazon now…====================
Product DescriptionThe versatile Big Berkey system is the ideal system for use at home with small or medium sized families, travel, outdoor activities or during unexpected emergencies.This powerful system purifies both treated water and untreated raw water from such sources as remote lakes, streams, stagnant ponds and water supplies in foreign countries, where regulations may be substandard at best. Perfect for everyday use, outdoor activities and a must in hostile environments where electricity, water pressure or treated water may not be available. The Big Berkey system removes pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites entirely and extracts harmful chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, VOCs, organic solvents, radon 222 and trihalomethanes. It also reduces nitrates, nitrites and unhealthy minerals such as lead and mercury. This system is so powerful it can remove food coloring from water without removing the beneficial minerals your body needs. Virtually no other system can duplicate this performance.Constructed of highly polished 304 stainless steel, the system comes complete with two purification elements and utilizes the latest technological advances. This system has a storage capacity of about 2.25 gallons (8.5 liters) and when in use it stands 19.25" in height with a diameter of 8.5". The upper chamber nests within the lower chamber for transport and stands only 13" in height. Configured with two Black Berkey purification elements the system will purify up to 3 1/2 Gallons (13.3 liters) per hour. This system can be expanded to use four purification elements and is capable of purifying up to 7 Gallons (26.5 liters) per hour. The PF-2 reduction elements screw onto the bottom of the Black Berkey water purification elements and work in conjunction to adsorb the following unwanted elements found in drinking water. * Fluoride * Arsenic V and pre-oxidized Arsenic III * Other residual heavy metal ions

Big Berkey Water Filter-2 Black Filters and 2 Pf-2 Fluoride Filters

Customer Reviews:* My husband and I have been using Brita style water filters for years -- not only does our area (Metro DC) have atrocious bleachy water, but our condo building shuts off the water for monthly repairs and it always runs cloudy white and silty brown afterwards. (You should see the muddy-metallic buildup in the toilet cisterns.)But we use so much water between us for tea and coffee and the home carbonation system, that poor little filter jug would get filled countless times per day, and that's without using it for cooking water. What I hadn't noticed was I had eventually stopped drinking water, at all. I had grown to hate water so much that I was disguising it with herbal teas and juice. That's not right. As soon as I drank my first glass of Berkey water, I could not believe how sweet and light it was. Pretty much exactly what water should be! Gone was the dreaded heavy flatness of the old filter water. It has now become a sought after beverage -- we still have to work on developing the habit, but it's quite a pleasure.The 4 filters take up a lot of space in top and bottom reservoirs, but there's still a ton of water on tap; we don't even fill it daily now, so I am sure we will have a full year of use before cleaning and changing the filters out.My next purchase will be the glass sight spigot, since it's cumbersome to lift the top section to check on the lower levels, and I don't really have the grip for it when full either.The instructions are quite involved, but I figured it all out quickly enough. They tell you to put the conical white washer inside, narrow end to hole, and the flat black one outside, but it leaked with a slow drip. No matter how I tightened it or how many tricks I learned on the manufacturer/distributor websites, it still leaked into the sink after the first tightening, then seeped slowly into the rubber base liner after the second tightening. It spent the first few weeks hanging over the kitchen sink and getting in the way of everything, until I switched the washers. The white washer doesn't look great outside, but the leak has been sealed tight, and I've been able to move the ensemble to a safer place.Bottom line, this is the best investment we have made all year. I spent months researching water purification methods and briefly considered the white ceramic candles, but figured if there were ever a municipal water issue, this would be the way to go. It filters out everything except the minerals. Water being so important to survival and health, I figured it was about time we took the leap and got one (in November), and we do not regret it.***Update, May 2, 2012: Six months later and we're still loving the clean water. I've had to scrub out the top reservoir only a couple of times because of sediment buildup (like plastic dust) from our condo water that floats in the water and coats the inside of the reservoir. Then I rinse out the bottom reservoir just for the sake of it. Last night was my first time needing to scrub the black filters because the flow had stopped. Six months is a good run between scrubs! It's back to flowing perfectly.Also, I'm even more relieved that I have the PF-2 Fluoride/Arsenic filters because last week I found out that Maryland has some of the most heavily fluoridated water in the nation! * After reading reviews and testimonials, I couldn't wait for my Big Berkey to arrive! My anticipation was thwarted however when I unpacked the box and found a decent sized dent in the top chamber and a missing priming button! For the amount of money these things cost, you'd think there's be some quality control going on in the packing and shipping process! Meanwhile, I'm going to have to MacGyver something to get the filters primed...***EDITING DUE TO OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE***I've updated my rating from 3 stars to 5 stars. After posting the above review, I was contacted by Berkey who offered to ship me a priming button AND new chamber right away. Since I was able to pop the dent out of the chamber, I only had them send out a priming button, which arrived super fast! They also included a sports bottle for the trouble. It's customer service like this that will keep people coming back and recommending these products to friends and family! Thanks!