I just purchased a Berkey®
system but the system is hardly filtering any water at all. Am I
doing something wrong?
Typically the problem you are experiencing
is due to high water tension, which prevents the air from being
purged from the micro pores of the new purification elements.
Water tension is higher in certain parts of the country and can
change from season to season. The higher the water tension, the
more difficult it is fot the water, using gravity pressure, to
force the air from the micro-pores of a new element. Included
with your Black Berkey® elements is a priming button
and instructions for use. Please remove and prime your
purification elements, reinstall them and that should fix the
problem.
I just purchased a Berkey®
system but didn’t receive a priming button. Instead, I think I
received an extra black washer in the box. The instructions say
to use the tan colored priming button. What gives?
Please check in the box which held Black your Berkey
purification elements. The box should contain two (2) elements.
Attached to each element should be a rubber washer and a wing
nut. Also in the boxes should be what could looks like another
single black rubber washer. This is your priming button. It is
thicker than the washer and the center hole is smaller. This
black priming button can easily be confused with a washer; so we
asked the manufacturer to change the color of the priming button
back to tan.
How do I prime the Black
Berkey® Purification Elements, in the field, when
water pressure is unavailable?
The micro pores on the Black Berkey®
purification elements are extremely small, in fact they are
small enough to filter red food coloring out of water. The
benefit from having such extremely small pores is greater
efficiency at removing pathogenic bacteria and other
contaminates. The downside is that too much water tension can
require that the purification elements be primed before they
will flow properly. When you receive the purification elements,
they are dry and air is trapped within the tiny micro fine
pores. In certain parts of the world, water has more water
tension than in other places and this can change from season to
season. The higher the water tension, the more difficult it is
for the water to force the air out of the micro fine pores using
gravity alone. The pores that have air trapped within them do
not allow water to pass through and therefore become an
inaccessible passage for the water. This then can cause the
system to either filter very slowly or not at all.
Before traveling to the field or using the system in an area
without water pressure, we recommend that the purification
elements be primed using the priming button method. If water
pressure is not available to use the priming button method, the
elements can be field primed approximately 50-75% by using the
below method. In other words by using this method, the elements
will not purify as fast as they will by using the priming button
method however they will run significantly faster than if the
elements have not been primed at all. The field priming method
is as follows:
STEP 1: Fill the lower chamber with water, then place the
purification elements into the water in the lower chamber,
upside down with the stems facing upward. Put a ceramic coffee
cup (or something else that will hold them under the water) on
top of each purification element stem to force the element down
under the water.
Or, install the elements upside down in the upper chamber so
that the elements are on the exterior of the bottom side of the
upper chamber facing downward. Then place the upper chamber onto
the lower chamber so that the filters are forced into the water
within the lower chamber.
Let the purification elements soak in the water for 30 to 60
minutes until they fill up with water. NOTE: Make sure that the
opening in the stems of the purification elements are not
underwater as the water must be forced through the pores of the
element and not allowed to enter the element through the hole in
the stem.
STEP 2: When the inside of the purification elements are full
of water they will be significantly heavier. Next, assemble the
purification elements into the upper chamber while keeping the
stems of the elements facing upward. It is important to keep as
much water on the inside of the purification elements as is
possible. Next, fill the upper chamber with water as quickly as
possible. Hint: the fastest way to fill the upper chamber is
to pour the water from the lower chamber into the upper chamber.
Then place the upper chamber onto the lower chamber.
When the purification elements have water within the bore
(inside core), more force is generated to draw water through the
purification elements. This is because the water that drips out
of the purification element also hydraulically pulls new water
into the element as it begins to work like a siphon. Thus, in
addition to the "Push" of gravity, there is also a hydraulic
"pull" and this drastically improves the ability of the water to
force the air from the micro pores. The above method is less
efficient than priming the purification elements with the
priming button but should be about 50-75% effective in clearing
the blocked micro pores.
Let the water from the first purification cycle that is
collected in the lower chamber run to waste. Next, refill the
upper chamber with water. Your Black Berkey® elements
are now FIELD primed and your Berkey® system is ready
for use.
Note: If the water used to field prime the elements is from a
contaminated or suspect source, if possible use a container
other than the lower chamber to immerse the elements. If this is
not possible then use the water that collects in the lower
chamber from the first purification cycle to make a soapy
dishwater. Then wash thoroughly the inside of the lower chamber
and discard the soapy water. Next, purify more water and use it
to rinse any remaining soap from the lower chamber. Your Berkey®
system is now ready for use.
New Millennium Concepts Ltd.
888-803-4438
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Berkey Water Filters | admin November 28, 2011