The bestselling and popular Big Berkey water filtration system is the perfect drinking water filter for couples in a city flat or small families. The Big Berkey is also suitable when travelling, such as camping in Wales or on a secluded beach in Cornwall, in a caravan touring the Lake District, or during unexpected emergencies whether in a cottage out in the English countryside or in the middle of London.
The Big Berkey water filter system may be ordered with your choice of one discounted Berkey accessory. For a description of the various Berkey accessories see: Sightglass Spigot, PF-2 Fluoride/Arsenic Filters, Stainless Steel Spigot, Berkey Replacement Parts, Berkey Stand or Berkey Primer.
The Big Berkey water filtration system will purify your home's treated tap water as well as untreated water from such sources as lakes, brooks, ponds and water sources in foreign countries, where the local water supply may be compromised or regulations may not be adhered to. The Big Berkey is the ideal drinking water filter for all outside activities and is definitely a must in inhospitable environments where electricity or clean drinking water may not be at hand.
The Big Berkey assembles in minutes with no need for tools, electricity, water pressure, or plumbing.
The Big Berkey is also easy to operate, clean, and maintain.
The Big Berkey water filter system eliminates pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites entirely as well as removing toxic chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and all manner of VOCs, organic solvents and trihalomethanes. In independent testing the Black Berkey filters have also been found to reduce nitrites and toxic minerals among others: lead, mercury and aluminum (See a detailed list of which contaminants are eliminated by the Black Berkey Filters). Besides this the Big Berkey water filtration system leaves undisturbed and intact the beneficial minerals your body requires.
The PF-2 fluoride filters can be attached to the Black Berkey filters for the removal of fluoride. The water in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is not artificially fluoridated. However artificial fluoridation is being applied 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.
The Big Berkey is manufactured from highly polished 304 stainless steel and the water filtration system comes standard with two Black Berkey filters. The upper chamber can be fit within the lower chamber and measures only 33 cm. in height for easy transport.
A set of 2 Black Berkey water filters can last for up to 22,700 liters. At a usage of 38 liters per week, this is equal to 600 weeks, more than 11.5 years of purified water!
Configured with two Black Berkey water filters the system will purify up to 13.3 liters per hour. The Big Berkey can be expanded to use four Black Berkey Water Filters and is then capable of purifying up to 26.5 liters per hour.*
*Flow rates are calculated with upper chamber full to top. The flow rate decreases as the water level declines. As it is impractical to keep the upper chamber completely full at all times, the flow rates are in practice less than the stated optimal rate.
How often should I clean my Big Berkey Water Filter?
It is recommended to clean your Big Berkey Water Filter every couple of months as calcium carbonate can build up in the lower chambers. If you would like to calculate how long your filters will last please see the: Black Berkey Filter Replacement Calculator
Anonymous, 2021-04-19
I'm wondering if the Berkey system removes fluoride from the water?
The standard Black Berkey Filters do not remove fluroide. In order to do this, you would need the extra PF-2 Fluride Filters. These can be brought as a discounted accessory with every Berkey Water Filter System and are attached to the Black Berkey Filters.
Barbara, 2014-06-20
Does the Big Berkey come standard with 2 Black Berkey filters and can it be expanded to hold 4 Black Berkey filters?
Yes, the Big Berkey Water Filter, and all the other Berkey Water Filter Systems, come with 2 Black Berkey Filters. The Big Berkey can be expanded to 4 Black Berkey Filters and can be set up with 2 or 4 Black Berkey Filters. The advantage of 4 filters is a faster flow rate and a longer lifespan.
You can also order the Big Berkey with 4 Black Berkey filters and keep 2 Black Berkey Filters in reserve as replacement filters.
Guy, 2018-09-11
Just want to say thank you for our Berkey which we got from you in January, we are very happy with our Berkey. We live in an area with very hard water and we would like to know if it can affect our Berkey. When do we need to replace the filters and do we need to clean both containers regularly? We have found there are marks of limescale inside of both. Also does the filter remove limescale for drinking water or not?
Yes you will have some calcium carbonate build-up in the lower chamber and it's a good idea to clean it every couple of months. The limescale is in itself harmless, it’s just a mineral build-up. I can't say how it will affect the filters as the mineral make-up of every local water is different. If your flow rate remains more or less the same, then there's no problem. No the filters do not remove calcium carbonate (scale). If you would like to calculate how long your filters will last please see the: Black Berkey Filter Replacement Calculator
Leo, 2014-06-18
I am concerned that the stainless steel containers could lead to leaching of nickel into the drinking water. Has any research been done into whether this happens?
Several studies indicate that nickel leaching may occur with 304 stainless steel however it is an extremely small amount (parts per billion) and typically it only occurs in an acidic solution, during cooking, etc. The purified water in a Berkey system is not acidic and should not cause any leaching to occur. Just to emphasise Berkey purified water becomes more alkaline after passing through the Black Berkey filters. Please see the following reports from the National Center for Biotechnology and here.
Mark, 2015-08-18
We live in rural France and we have problems with pesticide contamination of our mains water. Our daily usage for drinking would be around 8 litres. Which of your systems would be most effective?
We would suggest the Big Berkey which has a capacity of 8.5 liters would be most appropriate in your situation. The Berkey systems all come standard with 2 Black Berkey filters and the only difference is capacity and the number of filters which can be installed in the larger systems.
Richard, 2018-08-25
We wondered if the Berkey filters also remove hormones from the water? They sound fantastic, but we are also keen to find something that removes hormones as well.
The Black Berkey filters have not been officially tested for the removal of hormones so I can make no claims for their elimination. Unofficially I can say that the likelihood is very high. Please see the report regarding hormone removal by GBC carbon filters which are virtually the same as the Black Berkey filters and they attained a removal percentage >98% in various tests.
Tansy, 2014-06-07
