Stainless Steel Berkey Water Filter Instructions: Proper Usage Guide

Stainless Steel Berkey Water Filter Instructions

By Jeff Wise March 10, 2020

Are you looking for Berkey water filter instructions?

Sometimes before we make a purchase we like to see how the product will work.

I personally do that kind of research whether it's a TV, toy, health food product or water filter.

This is why I want to provide these Berkey water filter instructions.

This guide is for the stainless steel filters such as the Travel, Big, Royal, Imperial and Crown Berkey's.

The following information can also be found on this printable PDF here.

Contents of the Stainless Steel Berkey Water Filter

Upper Chamber
Lower Chamber
1- Spigot, nut and two washers
2-8 Filtration elements, wing nuts and washers (depending on model)
0-6 Blocking Plugs
1- Priming Button
1- Assembly instruction sheet

Stainless Steel Berkey Water Filter Assembly Instructions

Extreme cleanliness is important. Wash hands and before proceeding to assure that contamination of the components does not take place during assembly.
Remove the filtration elements and parts from their protective packaging, checking each item against the above list.

Note: The number of elements supplied will depend on the type of unit ordered.
Fit the knob onto the lid by inserting the screw up through the hole in the lid and screwing on the knob. Hand tighten only.
Prime Black Berkey filtration elements.
Place the large sealing washer over the threaded portion of the element.
Place the element into the hole in the base of the upper chamber.
Secure element in the chamber base by screwing on the wing nut onto the threaded mount. Repeat #4, 5 & 6 until all elements have been installed.
For systems having more element holes than filtration elements, (Expandable systems) secure blocking plugs into empty holes with one washer on the inside and one on the outside.
Place one rubber washer onto the threaded portion of the outlet spigot.
Insert thread of spigot through hole in the side of the lower chamber.

Place the second small washer over the thread within the chamber and secure in place with the nut. Tighten securely by hand only.
Place the upper chamber onto the lower chamber and place lid in position.

Operation of Your System

When lower chamber is partially filled, be cautious not to overfill upper chamber as this could cause lower chamber to overflow.

For example if the lower chamber is 1/3 full the upper chamber can be refilled by 2/3rds, if the lower chamber is 1/2 full, the upper chamber can be refilled by, etc.

The micro-pores within the Black Berkey filtration elements are extremely small, in fact they are small enough to filter food coloring from water.

The benefit from having such extremely small pores is that an exponential increase is realized in the efficiency at removing pathogenic bacteria and other waterborne contaminates.

Water tension may require that the filtration elements be primed in order to flow properly.

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 for the water, using gravity pressure alone, to force the air from the micro-pores of a new element.

Priming your filtration elements forces the air from the micro pores of the element.

Additional Notes

Notes when traveling: When using the system in an area where treated water is not available, we recommend that the user bring along a bottle of clean water or a Sport Berkey filtration bottle to prime the purification elements.

Using bottled water, have one person hold the element, with the priming button attached and facing upward.

Have a second person press the mouth of the bottled water against the priming button and squeeze until water is forced through the entire exterior wall of the element and it begins to sweat beads of water.

Alternatively, a Sport Berkey purification bottle can be used to prime the elements by inserting the straw into the hole in the priming button and then squeezing until water is forced through the entire exterior wall of the element and it begins to sweat beads of water.

Do not discard priming button after purification elements have been primed. Re-prime elements after cleaning (see maintenance instructions below) and when elements have been allowed to dry for a prolonged period of time.