I purchased the Imperial Berkey about 2 years ago. The unit came with 6 Black Berkey filters. I used only 2 at a time. 3 months ago I replaced the original first 2 Black Berkey filters with a pair from an unopened box. This left me with 2 more new filters left.After one month, the water started tasting funny. I looked inside and discovered that the Black Berkey filters were both coming apart and oozing some gelatinous material into the water compartment where the filters were.
I have tried and tried to contact Berkey, but there phone number is just a voice recording. They have not answered my numerous emails. I contacted the distributor who is not at fault. He has been overwhelmed with similar complaints.
I cleaned out the Berkey unit completely and installed the final two Black Berkey filters. Last week, the same thing happened again! The filters were coming apart on the bottom where the black part is supposed to be sealed with the black plastic ring.
Now I have no filters left! I bought the Berkey Water units for everyday purification as well as for emergency water filtering in a survival situation. I have lost confidence in this company. Berkey does not respond to complaints, you don''t even know if you are reaching them because no emails are ever acknowledged.
Do your research. There is another company called AquaRain, which makes filters that fit the Berkey. They are made in the USA. Also, a company called Pro Pur also makes filters that will fit the Berkey units. Pro Pur filters, unlike Berkey, are NSF certified.
Sorry to see another formerly great company fail due to poor quality control and even worse customer service. But in this economy, and with my family''s health on the line, I can no longer recommend Berkey products or its company. Look elsewhere.
Initially, I found that the now-infamous "laboratory report" alleged to have been conducted at Louisiana State University was outright fraudulent. As other people have indicated, one can write the scientist named on the report, Professor Ralph J. Portier, Ph.D., and he will cheerfully confirm the report is not genuine. I did just that (and you can, too).
I was disturbed sufficiently by this expose, and I consequently ordered the best, affordable home water analysis kit available here at amazon.com, one manufactured by the respected Industrial Test Systems (ITS). Unfortunately, due to many family matters demanding my time, including chronically-ill parents, it wasn''t until this week that I was able to perform the testing using best practices possible in a home setting.
I am now very sorry and deeply embarrassed to say that the Black Berkey output tests positive for Coliform bacteria. ''
I performed the tests in the most hygienic and scientifically-sound manner possible in a home setting, and state confidently that no cross-contamination caused this positive test. The only explanation is the failure of the Black Berkey elements to perform their claimed "self-sterilization."
I would suggest that anyone interested in getting into the Berkey water "purification" system DON''T.
I would suggest that anyone who currently uses one STOP, and get a unit that is known to work and doesn''t allow microbes into your family''s water. I have meekly returned to the Pur system just tonight, which may turn out to be a stop-gap measure, or simply a return to our previous long-term water system. If you doubt my credibility, please, I implore you, and praise you for doing so go buy your own water testing kit here at amazon.com, or, if you have the resources to do so, have testing done by a real specialty laboratory, and find out for yourself.
As for New Millennium Concepts, Ltd., and its distributors & groupies (of which I was one until tonight), I dare you to challenge me on this matter. If you feel what I say is "libelous" to your product, I invite you to contact me, and I will happily provide you my full name, address, and the address of the court of proper venue in which to file your tort claim against me. I will, of course, dearly welcome the opportunity to engage in discovery on your business, its practices, and its "trade secrets." I had confidence in you, total confidence. That makes you "con" artists experts in the "art" of gaining peoples'' confidence.
Buy 2 Black Berkey Replacement Water Filters Now
I purchased this in the spring of 2011. Twice now the filter has come apart (he glue fails) after being in water for a few months.To their credit, Burkey replaced the filters. The problem is if you buy this product as part of your emergency preparedness program and store it on a shelf somewhere. It may fail when you finally use it at that point it''s too late. Your water is not purified and you are way beyond the warranty replacement period.
In my opinion you cannot rely on this product.
Read Best Reviews of 2 Black Berkey Replacement Water Filters Here
We have stream water at our ranch. For the past 11 years we used the $35.00 PUR countertop filter without problems. But I believed Berkey''s advertising claims. I wanted filters that were the best, that could be scrubbed and reused. In the Spring of 2011, we ordered a Royal Berkey, and several replacement filters (the order was over $800.00). We set it up, and started using it. I have to say, Berkey is sloppy in so many areas. We didn''t get the knob to lift the lid with, so I fashioned one from a drawer pull. I was supposed to get two plugs for the bottom of the top reservior, but only got one, so I had to use three filters instead of two.I recently read that there is a defect in some of the black filters where it attaches to it''s plastic base. I did the ''red dye test''. I poured water with red food color into the top. Berkey says the water should come out clear. I lifted the top up to see what was happening. Nothing was coming out of two of the filters, but pink, unfiltered water was pouring quickly out of the third. This means that we have been drinking unfiltered stream water since we bought the thing! I am SO ANGRY! This company has been aware that they have this problem since 2010, yet they continue to sell defective filters to unsuspecting consumers!
Berkey says they will replace the defective filters if I print up and fill out a 5 page form. I need to dig ALL of my filters out of storage, prime them, put them in the Berkey, do the red dye test, separate out the bad from the good, Set them all upright for 5 days to dry out, send off the bad filters AT MY OWN EXPENSE, put the Berkey back together with good filters, if I have enough good filters, and wait for the replacement filters.
Gah! We were so much better off with the PUR! I feel like such a sucker!
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We live in rural Alaska and the water here is full of iron, not to mention other metals, but iron is the worst. There are times when the water that comes out of the faucet is orange or brown. We have used this water filtration system for 4 years. I am confident in saying that the filters make the water drinkable. I am not sure of the % of metals it removes, but I do know that once our water is filtered it does not smell like iron, it is not orange, or brown, and it tastes clean. I would recommend this product to anyone who has concerns about their drinking water.Save 14% Off
