Leaky Berkey

[randallhilton]

I decided to bite the bullet and get one of those high dollar Berkey water filters. I like the way it filters just about anything, including pond water if necessary, so it should be just what I need for rain catch and/or my shallow well.

But I don't like the fact that I have to check the water level in the lower chamber before adding unfiltered water. If I overfill the upper chamber, it starts leaking where the upper meets the lower.

I suspect that I can cobble together a seal which would prevent that leakage but I'm just wondering if anyone has tried it.

Thanks!

[OzarkMtnDaredevil]

I've got one too, and love it!
Why not just empty the lower into a clean storage container before refilling?

[randallhilton]

I've got one too, and love it!
Why not just empty the lower into a clean storage container before refilling?

So I would, for instance, fill a 1 gallon bottle, then add a gallon into the filter. . . .now wait just a minute . . . I'm a highly refined and well educated person. How can I possibly implement such a simple solution. There must be bells, whistles and hoopla! ;D

I don't suppose you can solve economic problems as well? Geithner needs a bit of your help I think!

Thanks!

[jadlee]

If you sealed the top chamber to the lower chamber there would be no place for the air trapped in the lower chamber to excape, and the whole system would stop working. I'm pretty sure.

[CountryBertha]

So I would, for instance, fill a 1 gallon bottle, then add a gallon into the filter. . . .now wait just a minute . . . I'm a highly refined and well educated person. How can I possibly implement such a simple solution. There must be bells, whistles and hoopla! ;D

I don't suppose you can solve economic problems as well? Geithner needs a bit of your help I think!

Thanks!

randallhilton, I'm wondering how long you've had your water filter. When you first start out, people do tend to keep adding water when really, they shouldn't. What I learned from my "water cleaning learnin'" is: (1) I didn't know how long it would take to filter water, (2) I didn't know how much water would filter in any given time frame, and (3) I really didn't know how much water we used around here on a daily basis.

I just wanted to make sure we had plenty of clean water for this bunch and in the beginning I was really tumping that water in that top reservoir. Yep, I got me a leaky gasket on the ceramic filter too, and a bulging bucket. The bottoms of my buckets are what bulged from too much water. (My "Berkey" is homemade with two buckets). Anyway, those babies commenced to rocking which was noticed by the Grandchildren who thought it was quite a show watching Granny's buckets rock like that.

What I failed to recognize is this. When you first begin filtering water, it will filter slow with ceramic filters for about a week. After that it goes way faster and it finally gets to be second nature about filling the top bucket. Around here, I check the water level and always add water to the top just before I go to bed.

That said, if I know company is coming I'll do way more water and I'll get a head start on that extra water by cleaning more of it during the day and putting it in jugs in the refrigerator.

(Gosh I love refrigerators. They are way so much better than ice boxes.)

Hope this helps, and please don't give up. You'll get the hang of it, I promise you will. Those Berkeys are real nice systems.

Granny

[BWHLover]

I purchased the Daulton Water filter system as Berkey is not available in California ( have the plastic system). I just set up my system and ran a top chamber full of water. I noticed condensation on my counter, is this normal for the systems ??

[str8sh00ter]

You could install a sight guage like they use in homebrewing. It would involve drilling a hole in the base and attaching a bulkhead fitting with o-rings. Most oof the sight gauges Ive seen are about 50 - 75 USD search on google for a homebrew shop.

[randallhilton]

Oh duh! Why didn't I think of that before?? Thanks for an excellent idea!:yes2:

[cubcadet]

Stay away from the Berkey Lite line. If you don`t, you`ll regret it! Check carefully around the holes that the black filters go into. Mine started leaking about 1 year from my purchase. The plastic will start to crack in a radial pattern. It is endemic in these filters. The unit is made in India from BPA laced cheap water bottle plastic. The whole poop is on -

http://shownotes.armchairsurvivalist.com/

Click on the show note for May 8, 2011, scroll down to the Water section of the show notes and click on History of Doulton Water Filters. Down the bottom of the page, click on the purple `go here` link in the gray box for the real story of the Berkey line of filters.