HOW TO PRIME BERKEY FILTERS?

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR BERKEY FILTERS?

Black Berkey® Purification Elements don’t necessarily need to be cleaned every time one cleans their Berkey® unit. However, this can vary depending on your area and water source. In certain areas, the  water is much dirtier than normal, and will necessitate cleaning the elements more frequently; possibly even more than cleaning the rest of the system requires. If your water is muddy or really dirty we advise pre-filtering  your water by running it through some type of cloth, ie: shirt, bed sheet, bandanna, etc.  before putting it in  your Berkey® system. While this isn’t necessary, doing so keeps the cleaning schedule for the elements down by collecting debris that may clog the pores of your Black Berkey® Purification Elements.

When is it time to clean your filters?

• Cleaning the elements should be done when you experience a drastic slow down in your flow rate.
• You may consider cleaning your elements on a consistent basis. For example, every 6 months. The benefit to doing so is that you won’t experience a slow flow rate. Cleaning elements on a regular schedule is at your discretion. This is a suggestion, not a requirement.

How do you clean your filters?

1. First, empty and disassemble the Black Berkey® Purification Elements from the Berkey® unit.
2. Use a cleaning pad similar to a Scotch Brite Pad or a stiff toothbrush and gently scrub the outside of the Black Berkey® Purification Elements under cool running water.
3. Re-prime the filters. If you’re not familiar with this process please visit our YouTube channel with step by step instructions, here.
4. Reassemble the Black Berkey® Purification Elements into the Berkey® unit.
5. Lastly, fill your Berkey® unit and perform a red dye test as described in your instructions and here to ensure the Black Berkey® Purification Elements are effective.

If you are currently using a water softening system, we highly recommend that you obtain pre-softened water directly from the source rather than run softened water through your Black Berkey® Elements. Please click here, for more information regarding the use of the Berkey® system with softened water.

HOW TO RUN A SYSTEM TEST

Your Black Berkey purification elements are powerful enough to remove food colouring from your water. This test will allow you to ensure that your system is operating properly. Simply fill the upper chamber with water and add a tablespoon of red food colouring per gallon (4 litres) capacity of your system. If the food colouring is removed entirely, your purification system is working properly. If not, check to make sure that the wing nuts on your system are securely tightened and re-run the test.

It is recommended that the food colouring test be done upon first use and then at a six-month intervals.