Big BERKEY® Filter - No. 1 water purifier

Big Berkey® 8.5L

Name: Big Berkey® 8.5L
Brand: Berkey®
SKU: BK4X2-BB
Price: 416 EUR
Availability: InStock

€416.00 Tax included

Pre-order, dispatched from 31/07

Water filter for 2 to 4 people
To filtering drinking and cooking water
Stainless steel, ensures water quality
Includes 2 Black Berkey® filters

INSTRUCTIONS SUPPLIED

Optional :

- PF-2 anti-fluoride and arsenic filters
- Additional Black Berkey® elements
- Stainless steel tap or level tap
- Stainless steel base

Open pre-order
Shipping from 31/07/24

Reference

BK4X2-BB

Pre-order, dispatched from 31/07

Powerful stand-alone water purifier
99.999% pure water, it's proven!
Economical, less than 1c per litre

No electricity, tools or plumbing required
Keeps minerals healthy
N°1 gravity-fed water purifier

INFO NEW LOGO: since April 2022, a new simplified logo has been stamped on Berkey® tanks. This is in line with the manufacturer's desire to simplify the brand. The new models have been introduced randomly into current stock.

The Big Berkey® water filter is the perfect system for family of 4 people. Its filtration capacity can handle higher demands for pure water, such as when you have guests.

Simply pour water into the system's upper tank and easily dispense pure water using the lower tank's tap.

By adding 2 additional Black Berkey® filters to your Big Berkey®, you can filter approximately 26.5 liters of filtered water per hour.

The 2 Black Berkey® filters included with your system can purify up to 22,700 liters of water. To calculate the lifespan of your Black Berkey® filters, check our FAQ.

If you wish to filter reclaimed water (well, rain, borehole...), we invite you to read the useful recommendations.
If a softener is installed on your home's network, please read this topic from our FAQ.

The volume of each model refers to the capacity of the lower tank. The upper tank is smaller because of the volume of the filters (approximately 1 litre per pair). As a result, the advertised volume corresponds to the quantity of filtered water that can be stored in the lower tank. Find out more...

The dimensions of the product can be consulted in the buyer's guide.

The equipment is guaranteed for 2 years (excluding consumables such as butterfly nuts, seals, plastic valves, etc.).
Filters are guaranteed for 2 years with a proportional discount every 6 months.

The Big Berkey® system includes:

New: Quick priming kit
Stainless steel upper and lower chambers
2 Black Berkey® purification elements
1 stainless steel lid, knob, and screw
1 food-grade plastic spigot
2 wing nuts, 2 washers, 1 priming washer
2 blocking plugs
1 rubber seal for base
Downloadable manuals FR, EN, ES, IT

*Flow rate is calculated with the upper tank full. The flow rate decreases as the water level drops.

Available options

Adding Black Berkey™ filters speeds up filtration so you always have the amount of filtered water you need faster:
Speeds up filtration time
Increases the amount of water available daily

Depending on the model, 2, 4 or 6 additional filters can be added.

The addition of PF-2 filters™, enhances the degree of water filtration by absorbing the following unwanted elements:
Fluoride
Arsenic V and pre-oxidised Arsenic III
Other residual heavy metal ions

As many PF-2™ filters as Black Berkey™ filters should be fitted. PF-2 filters are screwed onto the Black Berkey® filters on the lower tank side. There is therefore no need for additional holes. The water is filtered first by the Black Berkey® and then by the PF-2

There is still a little water in the chambers of my Berkey® water purifier. Is this normal?

Yes, it is entirely normal for 1 to 2.5 cm of water to remain in the upper and lower chambers. For water to be filtered, it must pass through very fine micropores in the filters. The lower the water level in the upper chamber, the lower the pressure available to force the water through the micropores. You may have noticed that the filtration rate is much faster when the upper chamber is full than when it is half empty. This is because there is more pressure. The only way to remedy this would be to enlarge the pores of the filter elements, which would reduce the effectiveness of the Berkey purification system. During each cycle, the residual water from the previous cycle mixes with the water from the current cycle and is then purified. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the excess water during normal use. However, if you stop using your filter for an extended period, such as during a vacation, it is best to empty both chambers and let them dry completely.

Regarding the lower chamber, the spigot cannot technically be positioned at the bottom of the tank for sealing reasons. Don't worry; this is not stagnant water as it will mix again and again during successive filtrations.

I have an 8.5 litre Big Berkey®, but I can't fill 8.5 litres all at once, why?

The following response applies to all models in the Berkey® range, with adjustments for volume calculations.

The volume of each model refers to the volume of the lower tank. This means you can have up to 8.5 liters of filtered water in stock.

Explanation: The upper tank is slightly less voluminous for safety reasons to prevent overflow if the lower tank is not completely empty.

To be more precise, for the Big Berkey, the top tank has a volume of 8.32 liters. Additionally, the volume of the Black Berkey® filters must be taken into consideration. Each filter has a volume of 0.51 liters.

If your Big Berkey is fitted with 2 filters, you can fill a maximum of 7.3 liters of water.

You will actually fill slightly less than this because there is always about 2 cm of water remaining at the bottom of the tank (see explanation here).

Also, when you have emptied the lower tank, roughly 1 liter of water will still left in the bottom of the tank (see the previous link).

The amount of water you can put in the upper tank has been carefully designed and determined by the manufacturer to allow, in regular use, a volume of 8.5 liters of filtered water in the lower tank, whilst preventing a risk of overflow.

Tip: If you would like to completely empty the bottom tank into a jug, this can be done by tilting your Berkey® forward gripping the knob on the lid.