Berkey filter question:

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Magus

Magus

The Shaman of suburbia.
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My son sent me this huge Berkey the other day, that kind of removes the need for my little one.
is it safe to sterilize the filters with hydrogen peroxide before I store them?
 
What kind of filters? You can buy 3 different types for a berky. I use the old white ceramic filters. H2 O2 isn't needed. If your filters have charcoal in them they'll absorb it.

There's usually a user guide... what does it say?

Also, I put a few 1964 or older dimes in the upper and lower sections of my berky. The silver (90%) in the dimes kill any bacteria and keep it clean.
 
Peepaw from Tex said:
I don't just make sure they are dry.
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Weedygarden said:
I haven't done that. Aren't the filters pretty much sterilized in their packaging?
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Peanut said:
What kind of filters? You can buy 3 different types for a berky. I use the old white ceramic filters. H2 O2 isn't needed. If your filters have charcoal in them they'll absorb it.

There's usually a user guide... what does it say?

Also, I put a few 1964 or older dimes in the upper and lower sections of my berky. The silver (90%) in the dimes kill any bacteria and keep it clean.
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Amish Heart said:
Don't use peroxide. They don't need sterilizing.
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Bacpacker said:
Never used peroxide on mine. Never had an issue.

Good idea about the dimes Peanut. I need to do that
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Well, it was lightly used, so no wraps or manual, Just curious about the filters if they would mildew.
I like the silver idea!
 
I don't drink a lot of milk, usually goes bad in the fridge. So I buy the little pint bottles. Sometimes if I buy a half gallon I'll put a couple dimes in the jug. The milk will last a few extra days. Again, the silver kills bacteria, delays spoilage.

I keep dimes in my berky, the water jug in my fridge etc. My water always tastes fresh.

Just have to remember to take them out before throwing the jug in the trash.
 
I've never used H2O2 to sterilize my berkey, but I can't imagine it would hurt anything. Mine is always in use. When I clean the black filters, I just use the plastic looped scrubbies that don't leave any particles behind. I scrub out the inside of the container with soap and water, then scrub down the filters with just hot water....no soap. I don't know if that's the way it's supposed to be done but it has worked well for me over tthe years.
 
So, if you were faced with having to drink 'guvment' water, would you trust it?
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I trust my own tap water b/c it's well water, but I still run it through my Berkey b/c you just never know. IF I had to drink potable water from any source (especially provided by the guv) I would certainly run it through the Berkey. The only exception to that is if I'm away from home and have to drink bottled water, which I don't make a habit of.

I don't know if there is any truth to the story above, but this is another excellent reason to have a water filtration system. A bonus to the Berkey is that you don't need any power for it to work....other than gravity. Thankfully (at least thus far) the guv hasn't messed with widespread gravity disruptions. Geez, I hate to give them any ideas though.o_O

BTW, I realize with the complete distruction that Lahaina has experienced, that those people do not have the Berkey option availabble to them. However, there are other scenarios that could fit into a disaster where your belongings are not completely torched and yet the water is deemed unsafe. If I were to request any emergency supplies as a resident there, a berkey would definitely be at the top of my list.
 
You know... You can make a good filter out of plastic buckets and the Berkey filters. I'm thinking a stack of five for some industrial-strength purifying!
 
I scrub my filters with a green scrubber, rinse, and put them away. They will dry on their own. My filters, Katadyn, are silver impregnated. Some Berkey filters are also. I surmise that is how the feds declared them pesticides and tried to stop their sales.

My filter body holds 4 filters, I plugged three holes and only used one filter. That provided plenty of water for the two of us. Unless you are running short I'd use the old setup. You could also move your current filter to the new body, plug the extra holes, and save the new filters as spares.

If making a 5 gallon bucket filter I'd use 6, or better yet 7, gallon buckets. That will increase your storage, and place the filter lower in the water increasing recovery time.
 
I have several 3.5 gallon buckets that I get for free from the grocery store bakery. I clean them out and use them for water storage. Frosting and such come in them so they are food grade.
 
Magus said:
Nice! But the way the bugs get into stuff here, I'd fill them full of rice and beans.
Maybe bulk cornmeal.
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I did that too. I don't go back every week but I hit multiple stores and multiple times.
 
Didn't Berkey have some filters that had silver in them? Nothing wrong using silver coins, that goes way back in their use, I think I read somewhere that people put silver coins in milk to keep it from spoiling too quickly.
 
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