PF-2™ Elements

During the assembly, handling, and shipping of the filter elements, they may acquire a small amount of dust or fine harmless particles. This is why we recommend priming the Berkey® PF-2™ filter elements at both ends to remove the dust before installing them in your Berkey® system. If this procedure is not done correctly, there may be turbidity issues during the first few water cycles.

Priming the filtration elements should be done for approximately 30 seconds at both ends. It may be necessary to repeat this process up to ten times to remove all the dust. An analysis was conducted to determine how turbidity decreases based on the number of washes. A summary of the results is available below:

- One wash: turbidity reduced by a value > 94%
- Two washes: turbidity reduced by a value > 96%
- Three washes: turbidity reduced by a value > 98%

You can view the complete test results here (document in English).

Turbidity will continue to decrease with each filling cycle of your Berkey® system. Although turbidity may be unsightly, it poses no health risks.

The Berkey® PF-2™ water filters reduce fluoride and arsenic from water using aluminum oxide (activated alumina). It is important to know that pure aluminum and aluminum oxide have very different characteristics. Pure aluminum is soluble in water, highly reactive, and has adverse health effects. In contrast, aluminum oxide is not soluble in water, inert, very stable, and has no adverse health effects.

It should also be noted that this aluminum oxide is not treated with cyanuric acid.

Learn all about aluminum oxide (document in English).

If the filters have already been used:

The Berkey® PF-2™ elements can be stored in a refrigerator for a short period of up to 10 days (but not in a freezer). Remove the filters from the system, place them in a sealed plastic bag, and place them in the least cold part of the refrigerator to prevent them from freezing. They can be stored this way for up to a week.

If you store them in the refrigerator, we recommend priming them for at least one minute, running water through both ends, before using them again.

Berkey PF-2™ elements should not be left exposed to air to avoid the potential development of bacteria on the media.

If you have never used your filters:

If the elements are still in their original packaging and have not been opened, make sure to store them in a place that does not emit strong odors, such as a laundry room or garage. The elements contain carbon, among other materials, which could absorb odors from the storage area, such as soap or detergent.

The lifespan is 3,800 liters of water or 1 year, whichever comes first. To determine when to change the filters, simply perform the following calculation:

- Assuming the use of a Big Berkey® model equipped with 2 Black Berkey® filters and 2 PF-2 filters, filled once a day, the calculation will be as follows: 3800 / 7.3 / 365 = 1.42 years. In this case, you should change your PF-2 filters after 1 year.

- Assuming 2 filtrations per day, you adapt the above calculation: 3800 / 7.3x2 / 365 = 0.71 years or 8.5 months. In this case, you should change your PF-2 filters after 8.5 months.

This calculation should be adjusted according to the model used and the frequency of refills.

No. On the one hand, the positions of each filter are not interchangeable, and on the other hand, they do not serve the same purpose. They are complementary. When the Berkey® PF-2™ water filters are installed, the water first flows from the upper chamber through the Black Berkey® purification elements, then into the Berkey PF-2™ filters, and finally into the lower chamber.

The former have a purification role by removing all harmful elements from the water, while the latter are specialized in retaining fluoride and arsenic.

Laboratory analyses indicate that the Black Berkey® purification elements reduce arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals by up to 99.9% (full test results). All filters using activated carbon to reduce arsenic begin to lose their efficiency quite quickly. This is also true for Black Berkey® elements, which lose their effectiveness in removing arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals likely well before their estimated lifespan of 11,300 liters.

Many filters on the market use carbonized charcoal and claim fluoride reduction, without informing their customers that the fluoride removal capacity of their filters is quickly reduced. This is because a very large amount of media is required to remove small amounts of fluoride. As a result, these filters do not contain enough media to effectively remove fluoride in the long term.

For example, we conducted tests on a competitor's three-filter system that uses activated carbon for fluoride removal. As expected, these elements deplete quickly. Tests show that their efficiency drops from 100% to 81.4% after filtering only 170 liters, a loss of nearly 20% for an equivalent use of less than 60 liters per filter! The efficiency of these filters decreases dramatically.

This is why a more durable solution for the reduction of arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals was developed with the creation of interchangeable reduction elements Berkey® PF-2™. The media contained in a pair of Berkey® PF-2™ elements can reliably remove these contaminants up to 3,800 liters, which is still less than the 11,300-liter lifespan of the Black Berkey®. For this reason, they were designed to be replaceable. This allows users to reliably remove arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals from their water, while fully benefiting from the 11,300-liter lifespan of their Black Berkey® filters.

The role of the Black Berkey® purification elements is to remove a wide variety of potential contaminants, while the role of the Berkey® PF-2™ filter is to remove fluoride, arsenic, and heavy metal contaminants that the Black Berkey® filter elements can no longer address after prolonged use.

The actual reduction capacity depends on the presence of other competing contaminants in the water to be treated. High levels of fluoride, arsenic, and heavy metals can reduce the capacity and efficiency of these elements.

It is strongly advised against letting your filters freeze. Similarly, it is strictly discouraged to store the elements (even unused ones) in very cold climates. Residual water inside the element will expand and consequently enlarge the pore size, eventually destroying the element. Whether your filters are unused or already used and completely dried, a small amount of moisture could still remain inside, especially in predominantly humid climates. This moisture could expand inside the filter and render it unusable. Please note that this recommendation applies to ALL Berkey® elements, including the Sport Berkey® bottle. Freezing your element and making it unusable will also void your warranty coverage.

The PF-2™ filters are optional  placed under the Black Berkey® filters in the lower chamber and are used to filter arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals in the water. Enev though the Black Berkey® filters are effective against these pollutants, a high levels of these contaminants can saturate them before their normal lifespan. To determine if you need these filters in your system, check the analysis of the water you will be filtering.

More details on these filters can be found by consulting the product sheet.