Understanding the Berkey Water Filter Testing Process

If you want clean water but don't want to overspend on bottled water, then a Berkey water filter is the way to go. They are the best water filter for home use and each filter can last for years of everyday use.

They also undergo extensive testing before reaching the market, ensuring that your water supplies are safe, even during emergency situations. Here's how your filtered water is tested and how you can ensure you have pure water to drink at home!

Black Berkey Filters Test

Berkey water filtration systems use their famous Black Berkey purification elements. These are tested in labs to see their level of contaminants both before and after filtration.

Essentially, water in the top chamber will have a certain amount of pathogenic bacteria, harmful chemicals, heavy metals, and other harmful contaminants and beneficial minerals. These are present to some extent in tap water, untreated raw water, and more. Once these contaminants are measured, the gravity-fed filtration process begins.

From there, the purified water is tested. Berkey's Black elements have shown reductions of well over 99.9% for the contaminants mentioned above. However, there are a couple of weak spots.

Arsenic and Fluoride Reduction Elements Test

If you use treated water from the town or city where you live, you may want to invest in Berkey's arsenic and fluoride reduction elements. While the black elements are great for organic solvents and heavy metals (including 99.9% of arsenic), arsenic and fluoride levels can be quite high in tap water. In this case, you may need more protection.

These undergo extensive testing in the lab, and third-party test results show that these elements can reduce fluoride levels dramatically. One test used 25 gallons of water spiked with high levels of PFOA standard solution (fluoride) with a concentration of 1 ± 0.25 µg/L. The spiked and filtered solutions were both tested, clearly demonstrating that these elements reduced PFOA presence by more than 99.9%.

How to Test Your System

If you want to test your Berkey water filter systems at home to see if they're still working optimally, we recommend the red dye test. Dye is difficult to remove in a gravity-fed filter entirely, and it's also quite visible. You can do this when you get your new filtering elements and every 3 to 6 months afterward.

The test is simple. Add a few drops of red food coloring or food-safe dye to your upper chamber and then pour out the water in the lower chamber into a clear glass. If it's clear, then your Black Berkey elements are working properly.

If you see the dye, try priming your gravity filter element and retrying the experiment. If the water continues to come out red, you may need to replace your Black filter elements with your Black Berkey replacement filters. Also, if they don't work upon purchase, they should be covered by the manufacturer warranty!

Test Your Berkey Water Filter Today

If you don't trust the lab tests, that's okay! Test your own water supply before and after with the tips above and ensure that your Berkey water system is of high quality. Water purification isn't something to gamble with, so get yourself the right equipment and test it for yourself!

Keep reading our blog for our latest product advice, and buy a Berkey water filter today with free shipping and a price match guarantee!