Berkey PF-2 Fluoride Filters

The PF-2 fluoride filters are attached to the Black Berkey filters for the removal of fluoride. The only countries in Europe that continue to fluoridate their water are Ireland and parts of England and Spain. The water in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is not artificially fluoridated. However artificial fluoridation is being administered in some parts of England by local water authorities. The two following links show where artificial fluoridation / high natural fluoride levels are present. The first pdf map shows fluoride levels in England and Wales. The second pdf map gives a county by county breakdown of where fluoridation/high fluoride is to be found in England. Ireland is the only country in Europe that mandates the addition of fluoride to drinking water. In all other European countries, fluoridation has been banned or was never implemented. See the following links for more information about the hazards of water fluoridation:

• Fluoridealert.org
• Wikipedia.org
• Irish Independent article on fluoridation

Berkey PF-2 reduction elements are specially designed for use in conjunction with the Black Berkey Water Filters to adsorb the following unwanted elements found in drinking water.

• Fluoride
• Arsenic V and pre-oxidized Arsenic III
• Other residual heavy metal ions

The number of PF-2's must always correspond with the number of Black Berkey filters installed in the upper chamber. For example, 4 Black Berkeys (2 sets of 2) would require 4 PF-2s (2 sets of 2), and so on.

• The PF-2 shell is made from safe, non-leaching Polypropylene #5, this is a BPA-Free plastic and is used for food containers such as ketchup bottles and yoghurt containers.
• PF-2 filters reduce the filtration flow rate by 15-20%.
• Do not boil the PF-2 filters.

Replacement

Under normal conditions, we recommend that each set of two PF-2 filters be replaced after approx. 3,785 litres. For instance, the Royal Berkey system is about 12.3 litres, therefore the PF-2 filters should be replaced after (3,785/12.3) or 307 refills. If the system is refilled about one time per day, the PF-2s should be replaced after 10 months, if the system is refilled about twice per day, the PF-2s should be replaced about every five months. Actual capacity is dependent on the presence of other competing contaminants in the source water. High levels of fluoride, arsenic and heavy metals may reduce the capacity and efficiency of the elements.

Priming the PF-2 Water Filter

(Attention: PF-2 filters must be primed before use.)

1. With blue caps in place, wash the exterior of each PF-2 water filter with a mild dish soap.
2. With clean hands, remove both blue caps from each end of the PF-2 water filter.
3. Place the rubber-priming button (tan coloured) onto one end of the PF-2 water filter and align the hole in the button with the hole in the PF-2 water filter.
4. Press the priming button up against a sink faucet so that the priming button creates a seal between the faucet and the PF-2 filter.
5. While holding the priming button against the faucet, turn on the cold water gently and allow the water to fill the cavity of the PF-2 water filter and discharge from the opposite end. Allow the water to discharge for at least 20 seconds or until the water runs clear, whichever is longer. Hint: Place your thumb on top of the faucet to apply pressure creating a tighter seal.
6. Now repeat the process by turning the PF-2 water filter over and priming the filter from the opposite end in the same manner.
7. Prime each additional PF-2 filter repeating steps 3-6.

How to Prime and Install the PF-2 Fluoride Filters

PF-2 Installation Procedure (PF-2 Installation Instructions PDF)

1. Remove the upper chamber from the filtration system and place it upside down on a counter so that the stems of the Black Berkey elements are facing upward.
2. With the water flow arrow pointing away from the upper chamber (the PF-2 water filters have threads on one end only) screw the PF-2 water filters onto the stems of each Black Berkey filter 8 revolutions. Attention: a) Do not screw the PF-2 filter on more than 8 revolutions as this may damage the internal media screen b) The flow arrow should point away from the upper chamber.
3. Replace the upper chamber on to the lower chamber (the PF-2 water filters should now be hanging in the lower chamber). Fill the upper reservoir with water and let it drain into the lower chamber. When the lower chamber is full, discard this 1st batch of water, which may contain some residual process dust. Your purification system is ready for use. Attention: On a rare occasion it can take up to 5 full chamber flushes/batches before the dust subsides. If the dust does not subside after the 5th full batch of water, please contact us for a potential replacement.

Technical Information and Testing

Testing for fluoride was based on 20-30ppm of the ion in the influent aqueous solution at a flow rate of no more than 3 gpm (11 lpm) per cubic foot of media. Results of < 1ppm of the fluoride ion in the effluent were typical for the media (>95% reduction). Under optimum conditions, effluent concentrations of less than 50 ppb were readily achieved (>99.75% reduction). This product uniquely targets the entire family of arsenic oxide anions as well as arsenic cations.

Our original tests were done using gravity alone to purge the PF-2 filters. Since then, we have added a step by using purging buttons which are much more efficient at removing any residual process dust from the PF-2 media. The test does not distinguish between activated alumina (Al₂O₃) and Aluminum (Al). So we had to use the total count of aluminium and activated alumina in our tests.

PF-2 filters contain high-grade activated alumina (Al₂O₃), which currently is the most efficient media available for extracting fluoride from water. The activated alumina is inert. Below are the results we obtained when testing the PF-2 filters (the water was not pre-filtered through the Black Berkey Filter Elements). The reduction over time is due to additional residual process dust being washed free from the PF-2 filter as the system is used. To give a scale for comparison purposes we include test results from a national brand of toothpaste and water boiled in an aluminium pan.

• National brand toothpaste 52.878 ppm aluminium oxide
• Water boiled in an aluminium pan for five minutes: 2.791 ppm aluminium
• PF2 after conditioning (5 cycles): .178 ppm aluminium oxide
• PF2 after 10 Cycles: .037 ppm aluminium oxide
• PF2 after 20 Cycles: .029 ppm aluminium oxide

While the above results indicate that the residual process dust adds a minute amount of activated alumina to the water, the Black Berkey Water Filters reduce aluminium from the water. We tested water that naturally contained .320ppm aluminium and filtered it through the combination of the Black Berkey and the post conditioned PF-2 filtration elements (5 cycles). The results showed a net reduction in aluminium contamination (Raw influent: .320ppm - Effluent after passing through the Black Berkey and PF-2 elements: .232ppm). Again, the standard tests cannot distinguish between aluminium (Al) and activated alumina (Al₂O₃), which is inert. Nevertheless, the tests showed a net reduction by the Black Berkey filter element in the combination of naturally occurring aluminium plus any residual activated alumina (Al₂O₃) process dust from the PF-2 elements.