An Article we wrote on Berkey Water filters

[Zac]

More about NSF and evaluating the quality of water filters:

http://www.everythingyoualwayswantedtoknow.com/watertreatment/p-certification.htm

[JoMama]

The activated alumina used in their fluoride/arsenic filter cartridge is likely to add aluminum compounds to the output water.

Although it was thought aluminum compounds were dangerous and may contribute to dementia-related disorders, the most recent studies show no measurable effect.  So it's still safe to cook in aluminum pots etc.  Unless the water being filtered here is decidedly acidic, I wouldn't worry about that.

One easy way to test the efficiency of a filter is using a TDS (total dissolved solids meter) which is available inexpensively ($10-20).  Water filtered using reverse osmosis will read close to zero while water filtered by the Berkey and other such filters will read no differently than the input water.

Well, solids is rarely the issue.  It's toxic chemicals and microorganisms that are the problem.  Carbon removes the majority of the former, and a micron filter the majority of the latter (smaller bacteria and viruses will pass, but unless you're filtering sewer runoff, it's unlikely to be an issue).

Distillation always seems to me the best option.  If you omit condensing the initial head of steam, you will get rid of volatiles.  A few substances form azeotropes with water and will still carry over, but the majority of bad stuff will be gone and you'll have purer water than you can get with anything but a multistage filter with several types of chemical adsorbants.

[theberkeyguy]

We understand that they are the same, just wanted to clarify that it was the clam shell version, as that is the superior version.

I don't see why carbon from clam shells would be superior to carbon from coconut shells.  As long as the carbon is free of noxious contaminants, carbon is carbon.

Please check the test data again, as it does show the amount of contaminants in the source water, it is technical, but it does explain how much was in before the test. NSF test protocol Standards were followed in the 2nd test also.
 

I saw no information about the concentration of contaminants in the source water except for the few tests (e. coli, chlorine, lead, and some kind of cyst as I recall) they provided actual test data for.  There is no information about the source water in regard to their claims of removing dozens of other substances. 

It's also interesting that Berkey claims NSF compliance, but neither Berkey nor their parent company New Millenium is listed in the NSF database:

http://www.nsf.org/Certified/Common/Company.asp?CompanyName=new+millenium

http://www.nsf.org/Certified/Common/Company.asp?CompanyName=berkey

An example NSF listing of a GE reverse osmosis system:

http://www.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/Listings.asp?Company=4T020&Standard=058

If you want to check NSF listing for any other company:

http://www.nsf.org/business/search_listings/index.asp

Thanks for the correction in relation to what type of carbon it is, but there are differences in carbon, and i invite you to research that topic more.  I stated the wrong name for the type of carbon, and it is coconut shell, the highest quality of carbon.

New Mellenium clearly states this about the black berkey elements:

"The Black Berkey® purification element formulation has been tested by State & EPA accredited laboratories to exceed EPA & ANSI/NSF (Std. 53) protocol."

They do not claim they are tested by the NSF, nor have i stated that the NSF has tested the elements. 

If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask them.

theberkeyguy