Black Berkey purification elements will outlive their owners, yet should be regularly cleaned and primed to maximize efficiency of filtration process. This is usually an effortless task.
Apply a fresh scrub pad or walnut scrubber under cold water to the exterior of the filters and spigot to clean it thoroughly, until its surface is even and clean. Repeat scrubbing as necessary until surface is fully scrubbed clean.
Remove the Elements
Once the Black Berkey Purification Elements and any attached PF-2 Filters have been carefully removed from their housings, place them in an area where they won’t fall or roll and will only come into contact with clean materials and surfaces. Next, using warm water and a sponge or cloth, scrub all parts of each Black Berkey element until everything appears as expected.
Once finished scrubbing your filters, use clean water to rinse them in order to minimize further contamination entering the core of the element. If forced to use compromised water instead, consider adding 16 drops of household bleach or iodine per gallon used to clean.
The Black Berkey elements are impregnated with proprietary filtration media which uses IONIC absorption to remove harmful contaminants like chlorine, herbicides, pesticides, VOC’s, MTBE, heavy metals, foul tastes and odors, organic solvents trihalomethanes detergents volatile organic compounds as well as pharmaceuticals (up to 99.9% removal rate). Furthermore, pharmaceuticals as well as petroleum contaminants like gasoline diesel fuel kerosene crude oil contaminations are also effectively removed (up to 99.9%). Additionally it removes pharmaceuticals as well as petroleum contaminants like gasoline diesel fuel diesel fuel kerosene and crude oil contaminations (up to 99.9%).
Clean the Elements
With a clean bucket or similar container filled with clean water, take care to extract your elements from your Berkey system and place them into it for removal. To prevent contamination, consider covering up any holes at the base of element stems. You may then scrub these elements using something similar to 3M non-scratch Scotch Brite pads and stiff brushes (to scrub thoroughly). Rinse well afterwards using cold water.
Black Berkey elements are impregnated with an absorbent media to facilitate ionic absorption of contaminants, remove particles from sourced water sources, and neutralize odors through a process called adsorption.
Before installing filters back into the system, ensure they have been appropriately primed. One way of testing this is by placing elements with their stems pointing upward into a container filled with water; if they sink to the bottom then they have been correctly primed and ready to use. Any white residue left behind on elements due to naturally occurring minerals in source water should also be easily wiped off using damp sponge.
Re-Prime the Elements
Black Berkey purification elements typically filter about 6,000 gallons or three years before needing replacement. Over this time, they may become clogged with pollutants and sediment that reduces their effectiveness and restrict their flow rate, ultimately making the purifier ineffective.
Instead of using soap or harsh objects to scrub the elements, simply fill a bucket with clean water and mix in some white vinegar for several cups. Allow your filters to soak for several hours in this solution until their stems no longer submerge in it.
Once your filters have been soaked, remove them from the bucket and rinse thoroughly before either installing them back into your unit or storing for later use. When storing, ensure they are bone dry prior to sealing in a sealable container as any moisture could compromise them and lead to eventual failure of their components. For added precaution and peace of mind when storing elements it is advised to carry out the Red Food Coloring Test as seen below.
Disinfect the Elements
Berkey filters are designed to preserve the essential minerals present in water while filtering out harmful pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, VOCs, trihalomethanes and nitrates and nitrites. Furthermore, they remove mercury, lead and cyanide as well as radionuclides from decay of thorium-232 and uranium-238 (including radon).
Cleansing your Berkey on a regular basis to ensure the water produced from its filters remains pure and safe is of utmost importance. To effectively disinfect them, empty both upper and lower chambers before setting them aside on an upside down hard surface upside down. Next, unscrew Black Berkey elements from your system by unscrewing their washers; scrub each filter using non-scratch 3M scrub pads until every surface is thoroughly cleansed; finally prime and reinsert these clean elements before running pre-treated water through your Berkey system again.
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