The media used in our post filter elements can contain a small amount of harmless process dust or fines, due primarily to assembly, handling and shipping of these elements. For aesthetic reasons, we recommend the Berkey® Post Filter elements be purged on both ends to remove the majority of this process dust, prior to installing these elements in your Berkey® system.
If the Berkey® Post Filter elements are not purged prior to use, the possibility of turbidity in the first few cycles of water may occur. For the sake of simplicity, turbidity appears as cloudiness in the water. In other words, the process dust/fines are what cause the cloudiness.
For example, NMCL had the post filter elements tested to determine at what level the turbidity falls off. The results were as expected and are available here
The laboratory tested the turbidity remaining after purging the Berkey® Post Filter elements (as described in the assembly instructions). The results show that the levels of turbidity drop off dramatically if the purging process is followed. It is recommended that the post filter elements be purged for approximately 30 seconds on both ends, prior to installation. It may be necessary to repeat this purging process up to ten times in order to remove all the process dust before installation.
Our lab tests determined that the turbidity drops off as follows:
One Purging: Turbidity reduced by >94%
Two Purging’s: Turbidity reduced by >96%
Three Purging’s: Turbidity reduced by >98%
The turbidity will continue to decline with each refill cycle of your Berkey® system. While turbidity may be aesthetically unpleasing, according to current research, there are no negative health effects with which to be concerned.
If you have used your elements:
The Berkey PF-2™ elements can be stored in a refrigerator, short term; but definitely don’t store them in a freezer. To do this, remove the filters from the system, place them into a sealable sandwich bag or container and place the filters in the refrigerator towards the front to ensure that they do not freeze.
If you do store them in a refrigerator, we recommend re-purging the Berkey PF-2™ post filter elements, for up to 1-minute each in both directions, before using them again.
The Berkey PF-2™ elements should not be allowed to air dry as this could allow some bacteria growth in the media to occur.
Due to the contents of the media in the Berkey PF-4™ elements, storage in a refrigerator is not recommended. Once use begins, the Berkey PF-4™ post filter elements have a six month life expectancy, regardless.
If you have never used your elements:
If the elements are unopened and in their original packaging, please ensure you do not store the elements in an area that also has strong smells to them, such as a laundry room or garage. The elements have carbon as one of their components so it is possible for them to absorb the odors of the room they are stored in. For example if they are stored in a laundry room, it is possible for the media in the elements to pick up the odor of highly fragranced items such as powdered laundry soap.
The elements can be adjusted by either turning them more revolutions or less. If the elements are screwed on too tight, the screen within the post filter can become damaged. This will not negatively affect the performance of the element. The only purpose for the screen is to keep the media within the element during shipment. Secondly, a “lock” condition can occur, where upon the water coming through the element and post filter will stop flowing into the bottom chamber once the water level reaches the bottom of the post filter. To solve the lock condition, the post filter needs to be loosened slightly so that enough water can escape to prevent pressure from building up within the post filter element(s). In other words a small amount of “burping” (bubble) is necessary for the elements to perform properly.
To obtain optimum flow without a lock condition and to not have excessive water seepage, you can adjust the post filters a bit each way, to reach a proper balance. Again, the number of turns is a guide. If it appears that too much water is seeping between the threads, the post filter can be tightened a bit more, using care to not overt-tighten. If the system air locks, then the element(s) should be unscrewed a bit.
NMCL’s most recent laboratory testing indicates that the Black Berkey® Purification Elements will initially reduce Fluoride up to 99.9%. Typically, carbon-based elements that reduce Fluoride begin to lose that ability rather quickly. This may be the case with Black Berkey® Elements as their efficiency at removing Fluoride likely plays out long before the 3,000-gallon life of the element.
There are a number of filters on the market that utilize carbonized bone char (a media that BERKEY purposely chooses not to use), and that make claims for Fluoride reduction, without informing their customers that the fluoride removing ability of the filters plays out quickly. The reason this occurs is because it takes a very large amount of media to remove small amounts of Fluoride. Therefore, there is not enough media in such filters to remove Fluoride effectively over the long term. For example, we have testing for a competitor’s 3-filter system that utilizes bone char for their Fluoride removal claims and, as one would expect, those elements become quickly exhausted. Testing shows that their efficiency declines from 100% removal to 81.4% removal after filtering a mere 45 gallons. This is equivalent to only 15 gallons per element required for them to experience a dramatic ~20% decline in efficiency.
This same effect likely occurs with Black Berkey® Elements after a few hundred gallons. For that reason BERKEY developed a more durable and longer lasting solution for Fluoride reduction by creating the replaceable Berkey® PF-2™ Fluoride reduction elements. The media in a set of Berkey® PF-2™ elements can reliably remove Fluoride contaminants for up to 1,000 gallons, which is less than the 3,000 gallon life of the Black Berkey® Elements but again, that is why they were designed to be replaceable. This enables the users to reliably remove Fluoride contaminants from their water while taking full advantage of the 3,000 gallon life of their Black Berkey® Elements.
The Black Berkey® Purification Element’s job is to remove a wide variety of potential contaminants, while the Berkey® PF-2™ Post Filter’s job is to remove Fluoride contaminants that the Black Berkey® Purification Elements may begin to miss after extended use.
Actual capacity is dependent on the presence of other competing contaminants in the source water. High levels of arsenic and heavy metals may reduce the capacity and efficiency of these elements.
Our PF-2 filters reduce fluoride and arsenic in your water using the media aluminum oxide (aka activated alumina). As a consumer, it’s important to know that pure aluminum and aluminum oxide have vastly different characteristics. Pure aluminum is water-soluble, it is highly reactive and it is associated with negative health effects. By contrast aluminum oxide is not water-soluble; it is inert, is very stable and is not associated with negative health effects. To learn more about aluminum oxide and separate fact from fiction, click here. To view independent lab results, click here.
That is correct, high or low PH impedes the ability of the media to remove fluoride. For maximum removal efficiency, maintain the water being treated between a PH level above 5 and below 7.
Each set of two Berkey PF-2™ Elements will last for approximately 1,000 gallons of water.