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Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
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Subject Topic: Water filters - Berkey or ProPur Post ReplyPost New Topic
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MarilynW
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Posted: Nov 19 2013 at 8:07am | IP Logged Quote MarilynW
I have been saving up for a water filter that is better than my Brita. Two that have been recommended are the Berkey and the ProPur.

I would love to hear from anyone who has either. Please would you share:

1. Size
2. How fast does the water flow?
3. Ease of setting up and using
4. How many and which filters you use
5. Is it worth the $$$

Thanks so much.

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CrunchyMom
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Posted: Nov 19 2013 at 9:11am | IP Logged Quote CrunchyMom
We have the Berkey and love it.

1. It comes in a variety of sizes, and I'm not entirely sure how big ours is. It isn't the biggest one. Size would also depend on how you plan to use it. Just drinking or for cooking too?

2. Do you mean how fast from the spigot or how fast does it filter? It filters faster the cleaner the filter is. It comes out of the spigot plenty fast, imo.

3. Very easy. My husband did build a stand for it, which means I can keep it on the back of the counter and set the kettle or pitcher or pot underneath it and use it one handed. Much easier than keeping it on the edge of the counter.

4. We have only the regular filters now. We just replaced them this year after 6 or so years (with your size crew, you might need to do it sooner, I doubt we'll be able to go that long again). We used to use the fluoride filters when on city water, but now we have well. This is also a consideration regarding size choice. The extra fluoride filters take up space and would mean less water.

5. Yes. Much more economical than buying bottled water, and the fact that you can clean the filters (just use a clean scotch pad) means it is quite cost efficient. I also count it towards emergency preparedness and feel good knowing that in a time of crisis, I could filter water we might not otherwise drink. The Berkey is used in field situations around the world.

If you are really confused about size, you might buy several of the large water jugs with spigots and use those for a week to keep easy track of how much you use in a day. I probably fill ours every other day, but you might want to be able to go longer or not need to if you have lots of helpers.

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Lindsay
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MarilynW
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Posted: Nov 19 2013 at 9:22am | IP Logged Quote MarilynW
The problem I have is the amount of space on my countertop. Right now we have a big Brita reservoir, but it is not high and fits under the cupboards. The maximum height I have is 19" which will not fit the Berkey. So I probably will have to keep it in the basement and use a glass beverage container or pitcher in the kitchen.

We use a lot of water. But I don't think we would do bigger than the Big Berkey.

How do you know when to fill it and how much water is in it?

Do you ever have problems with leaks?

On more ? - where did you buy from Lindsay? Do you recommend a dealer - there seem to be a lot of dodgy Berkey retailers out there.

Sorry for the 20 questions!!!

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CrunchyMom
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Posted: Nov 19 2013 at 9:57am | IP Logged Quote CrunchyMom
The space thing is a frustration. I have a picture slider in my kitchen, and there is a gap in between the cabinets and the window that my berkey fits into. Frankly, having it in the basement sounds miserable to me. Do you think you could come up with a system where it was on a kitchen cart or stand like, say, if you had the big bottles delivered?

The water starts to slow down a little when it gets low. You can still get a good bit out when that starts to happen by tilting, which is usually enough for your needs and then you can fill it. Mostly, I think you just start to get a sense for how much you've used, when you would regularly need to fill it, etc...

Never a problem with leaks.

I can't remember where we first bought our berkey, but we recently ordered replacement filters from http://www.berkeyfilters.com/ without issue.

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Lindsay
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MarilynW
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Posted: Nov 19 2013 at 10:22am | IP Logged Quote MarilynW
Yes the space issue is frustrating. Nope - absolutely no room for a cart or anything. BUT maybe I should just go for a Travel Berkey - that one is only 18" high. It will still be better than our current Brita. I will have to store water in a pitcher or something to make sure we have enough - for drinking, tea etc.

Thanks again Lindsay. I have been agonizing over this for months - but have not met anyone personally with a Berkey. I just met someone at church with a propur - but reading the reviews on these, I am not convinced.

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