We’ve been full-time RVing for just about two years now and one of my favorite items is our Berkey Water Purification System. Roll back two years and we were living in Ventura, CA where we purchased the most wonderful water from our local Water Store. Yes, that is correct…we bought our water. You see, the agua is not so bueno in Ventura. As I drink a LOT of water, I am very sensitive to any taste or odor. We were fortunate to always have great water. Neighbors and friends would literally ask for water when they came for a visit…it was just that good.
Why Do We Need This Anyway?
Then we started traveling…Over the first year, we bought and tried two different inexpensive RV water filters. They were just ok. Not great, just ok. I lowered my standards and accepted the fact that low-caliber water was just part of our RV journey. Although I had heard of this mysterious Berkey® from the moment I started planning our full-time journey, I thought it was out of my reach. You see, my husband and I were convinced that it was out of our budget, out of our RV weight limit and out of our space availability.
What is a Berkey® System any way?…It is a gravity-fed water filtration and purification product.
During our second year of full-timing things began to change. By the time we hit the northern states, we began to see a serious issue with the quality of drinking water available in campgrounds and RV parks. We found ourselves running to the store and buying a case of bottled water more often, depending on where we were parked.
Then it happened…we pulled into Morris Erickson Campground in Wisconsin one afternoon and set up for a night while traveling south. The campground is a quaint and lovely lake-front park. It has electric hook-ups only, so we had to fill our tank from their potable “well water.”
As we ran our sinks that evening, we noticed that the water was BROWN. That “unique ore stained water” that we saw on Lake Superior…well, our drinking water now looked just like that. Let me tell you, it does not taste good.
As we continued to move east, the water seemed to get worse. Though it was usually not visibly brown, it smelt bad and tasted poor. My husband, who had not been very concerned about the water until this point, was now running to the store on a regular basis to buy water, without any persuasion from me.
Enough was enough. While in Massachusetts, last September, we purchased our Berkey®.
Our Sixth Month Review
We have now enjoyed delicious and clean drinking water from our Berkey for 6 months. Honestly, I cannot believe that we survived the first eighteen months without this item. Looking back, we should of made the investment from the beginning and enjoyed it all along. I do believe though, that we all appreciate it even more now.
We purchased the Royal Berkley®, as it holds a considerable amount of water. The Berkey comes in several different sizes. The Royal version holds 3.25 gallons of water. We drink a lot of water…and it requires a lot to fill up five sets of bottles or camelbacks for our hikes…we knew that we wanted a bigger unit to meet our needs. Am I glad that I bought such a big unit? Yes…it is big though. We can not fit it in a corner by our stove as it is much too tall. Would I buy this same size again? For our family, and seeing how often we fill it up…I most certainly would.
We absolutely love this product! It is by far, one of the best additions we have made to our traveling home. We have had zero problems with our Berkey. The water is delicious!
Some Helpful Information To Consider
- Why is the Berkey system superior to other systems? It filters out 99.99% of contaminants from the water. It does not strip away minerals. It leaves the water with a neutral PH. It does not require electricity. It is portable.
- What about the cost? Although the initial cost may seem high, it is actually very economical when you think about the life of the equipment and the filters.
- How often will we need to change the filters? The filters will purify up to 6,000 gallons of water (for a set of two, which is what we have). We calculate that we use 100 gallons of water per month. As you can see, these filters last a long time.
- How does their system work? You can click HERE to visit the manufacturers website to read exactly what they have to say.
- Exactly what did we purchase? We bought the Royal Berkey which came with two filters, the optional Flouride water filters and the the Sight Glass Spigot (so that we can see the water level of the bottom chamber without lifting up the top portion).
- Flouride Filters? For those who wish to eliminate as much fluoride as possible, these filters remove about 95% of the fluoride in the water. The basic filters remove everything else, but not fluoride. Note that these filters only last for 1,000 gallons, so they will need to be replaced sooner.
- Sight Glass Spigot? You can not fill the top chamber without knowing how much water is in the bottom chamber. Without this little glass tube, you will not know how much is in the bottom without lifting up the upper chamber and peeking in. This is especially helpful when the kids are filling up the unit. I am so thankful that we added this item to our unit.
- What was the most significant factor for my husband in deciding to purchasing this? When he read that it could filter pond-scum water…he immediately thought of it as a survival tool for times of disaster and it became a done deal in his mind.
- How do we keep the exterior of the unit clean and pretty? I wipe it down with a damp dish towel every few days and dry it with a microfiber cloth. It is super easy to clean up.
- Where can we find more information? Check out these informative You Tube videos HERE and HERE.
- How do we store the unit when traveling? We place it in a laundry basket inside of the shower, covered with a towel. I did not think I would like this, but it actually works perfectly.
- Is this only for RVer’s? No. This is perfect for anyone who loves fresh, pure water. They even make a sports-bottle with a small filter for those on the go.
- Is it easy to purchase this item and find replacement filters? Yes! There are many different places online that offer this line of products. If you decide to purchase the Berkey® and/or the filters from Amazon, you can help support my blogging efforts for free by clicking on this link HERE and ordering them. When clicking on this link, Amazon will give me a referal fee for whatever you purchase…as long as you place your order within 24 hours of adding the items into your cart. Should you do so, thank you for your support!
You can find a link to the Berkey® on Amazon HERE.
Well, there you have it. This is our Burkey experience thus far. How are you filtering your water?
Barry Good Times 