Hello,
I'm in the process of choosing a water filter. Basically I plan to use it like a regular counter-top filter (I currently use a Brita), but I want it to be usable in the event of a long-term emergency. My local water source would be rain, snow and a nearby creek.

A neighbor recommended an RO (reverse osmosis) system but I believe those require a pressurized system and clog rapidly in less than "clean" water.

The only one I've found that seems to fit the bill is the Berkey System. Does anyone have any experience with these? The Berkey Light seems to be the obvious choice, though the other models in stainless steal look really good.
Are the other options out there?

Thanks,
Michael

Been using the Travel Berkey (w/black filter elements) at home for a little while now. (I house sit quite a bit and wanted something portable) Its a great filter, simple to use and clean, and works exactly as advertised. (It really does remove food coloring) IMO the Travel Berkey is good for 2 people daily use. Anything more I'd go for a larger model. Got mine from these guys.

http://www.jamesfilter.com/

I have heard great things about Big Berkey and British Berkefeld filters, and they would fit the bill of a countertop filter system. They're gravity filters so there's no need for any great amount of pressure.

The more particulate matter you clean out before you run the water through the filter the longer the filters will last. But with filtration, long term will be determined how much water you run through them, how clean the source is, the filter capacity, whether or not they can be cleaned and so on. Even after all of that, the more replacement elements you have, the better off you will be for long term filtration.

A filtering pair of Black Berkey Filter Elements will filter 6000 gallons of water (3000 gallons per filter). Long term will depend on how many people you need to filter water for, the volume of water per person per period of time you want to be able to filter and so on.

DIY Big Berkey Filter courtesy of AlphaRubicon and Daire. With this link and a little work you can save a hundred dollars or more. These are not as pretty as the Stainless Steel Big Berkeys, or even the Plastic ones, but what you save in cost can be used to purchase more filters.

That Berkey water filter looks pretty interesting. I could not find on the website how many microns it filtered down to, but it was definitely at least 0.3 microns, probably 0.2 microns if they also tested for the smallest bacterium. The actual number would be interested as it could then tell you if it removed free viruses as well.

Does anyone know if there is a carbon filter core to it as well? I would imagine the carbon filter component would "wear" out faster than the Berkey filter itself, but they claim 100% removal of VOC's as well, which I would think comes from some sort of filter element.

Eric

If you go to the New Millennium Concepts Site (the makers of Big Berkey filters) you'll find in the FAQ why they don't give micron ratings.

Essentially they say that there are two different rating systems; International (absolute) and U.S.(Nominal); and it has led to confusion in the past. You can decide for yourself whether it sounds legit or not. If it's such a big deal I'd include both, but instead New Millennium decide to provide neither. Also, due to "Proprietary This" and "Trade Secret That" type of language they don't say what materials the filters are made of or contain.

What Millennium Concepts will say is this: "the Black Berkey® elements remove greater than 99.9999999% of pathogenic bacteria such as E.coli. To our knowledge, no other personal filtration element can match that capability. In fact, the Black Berkey® elements are so powerful, they are unique in their ability to mechanically remove food coloring from water."

Also, while Millennium Concepts doesn't mention activated carbon and chemical filtration with the Black Berkey Filter Elements specifically, they list many VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that are removed by their filters.

Since I wrote all that I figured I'd offer the standard disclaimer that I'm not affiliated with Millennium Concepts or Big Berkey in any way. I'm simply interested in the product and my interest in what the filters can do was piqued enough for me to track down the information.

Are filters the best choice for long-term? With a UV treatment, if you have a long-term solution for electric power (eg solar panels) then the UV lamp should be good for a long time (eg SteriPen claims 8,000 x 1 litre treatments). Won't any filter inevitably get clogged before that?

In some ways I like the SteriPen and in others I don't.

My main concerns with the SteriPen are; One, that with UV treatment you're still drinking any sludge you didn't filter out by other mechanical means; and Two, electronics seem to fail me often even though I take very good care of them.

Using filters like the Big Berkey you have the container and the filter elements to deal with. Whereas with something like a SteriPen with rechargeable batteries you have the Pen, the Batteries, the Charger, and the Solar panel that need to function.

That's just my two cents though. I could be wrong.

Truthfully, I'd really like to have both. LOL

On another unrelated note, I noticed that the Berkey Filter Elements need to be primed, and they suggest doing this with pressurized water (from a faucet). There is an alternative priming method, but it appears to be much less effective.

This makes me start to consider other methods of water purification such as Slow Sand Filtration.

I've had my eye on one of the Katadyn Endurance series filters - they start at $169 and go up to $1200 depending on gallons per minute, but they all appear well built, with long warranties and good throughput. http://products.katadyn.com/brands-and-products/produkte/Endurance_Series_23.html. The Katadyn Pocket for example is $240, pumps 13,000 gallons at 1 quart per minute, screens to 0.2 microns, and appears to have metal moving parts, and a 20 year warranty. Replacement filters are appropriately enough just about as expensive as the device itself. Compare this to a Katadyn Hiker filter, all plastic, same 0.2 microns, same throughput, but lighter and more suited if you're mobile / hiking. Still, the hiker weights 11 ounces, the Pocket 20 oz - not much difference in weight, alot of difference in gallons treated, 13,000 vs. 200, it might be a good idea if you're using it in a home instead of on the trail. Several in the Endurance series appear capable of integrating with pressurized water systems too. At the high end there's the Expedition, 4 gallons a minute, but 11 lbs and $1200. And there are several gravity filter solutions as well, as low as $169.

To my eye the Pocket looks interesting, it would appear that the pump handle is directly inline rather than off to the side, which should make pumping water somewhat easier than with the Hiker model. I think I'll get a Pocket for my long term supplies.

Disclaimer: I've never set eyes on any of these filters except a Hiker, which I've used for several seasons and like alot. I don't work for Katadyn or any supplier etc.

I once stayed in a jungle lodge in Ecuador that used ozone to keep drinking water safe. They had a 55-gallon drum and an ozone generator hooked up to a solar panel. Whenever the sun was out, ozone was bubbling through the water. This worked great at keeping anything biological out of the water. The raw water we used though was completely free of chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides). I live in an urban area and if the water ever goes out, my surface sources are all suspect. Even rainwater coming off of a roof is suspect of arsenic and a few other nastys. I don’t think ozone or UV does anything for chemical contamination, which is why I’m leaning toward the filtering route. Another option would be to dig a well, but I don’t think the city would allow that.
Thoughts?