tkayinnc wrote:I have a travel Berkey at home and was thinking it may be too big to go with me. I haven't finished my teardrop as of yet (just started actually), so wasn't sure about space in the galley. But knowing that it will block out some much harmful "stuff" and also make my water taste so good, hate to go without it. Sharon, I was am considering the Go Berkey, but was wondering if it would be sufficient, looks small, let me know what you think and thanks about letting me know about the discount!
My opinion/review of the smaller Berkey water filtration systems: In the country and when camping, much of the water may be from ground wells that may not be tested for long periods of time. During a drought, the ratio of health-hazards to fresh water may become greater. I have even seen some camp spigots with signs, saying that the water is not potable. In some cities, city water may be supplemented with well water. My city has 5 wells and two of these are known to contain more arsenic than what is federally allowed. While they only use these two wells when there is a drought and they mix it with other water, it still makes me very nervous; thus, my initial purchase of the Travel Berkey water filtration system, which removes both pollution and pathogens. I have been so pleased with it that I decided to get the Go Berkey for my trailer. I now have three Berkey water filtration system products, as the Go Berkey comes with one Sport Berkey personal water bottle. As requested, I am giving a review of these products. (Part of this review may seem like Goldilocks review of the three bears’ porridge. HaHa!) Below is a picture of the three Berkeys, (three bears?) standing together:
From left to right, Sport Berkey, Go Berkey, and Travel Berkey
The Travel Berkey is perfect for a home of two people. Its top reservoir holds approximately 1.5 gallons of water for gravity filtration. It is quick and easy to use. It has a well fitting lid with a knob in the center for easy handling, and a water spigot for convenient filling of glasses, cups, pans, etc. Because the volume of water is large enough, careful monitoring and water refill ensures never running out of good, clean water. It contains two black filters and will filter up to 6,000 gallons of water before needing filter replacement. While perfect for a home kitchen or possibly a large motor home, at 18” tall and 7” wide plus a protruding 2.5” spigot, this unit takes up too much space for our teardrops and tiny travel trailers.
The Go Berkey is the best bet for our smaller trailers. Even though its 3.5” width seems too narrow for its 14” height, it isn’t. It is obvious that it has been well engineered to be very stable as it sits in the galley. Its top reservoir holds 1 quart (4 cups) of water for gravity filtration and its one black filter will filter up to 3,000 gallons. Because of its smaller size and portability, it does not come with a water spigot and its lid does not have a knob built into it.
Another plus, the Go Berkey comes with its own travel case and with one Sport Berkey (review follows). The travel case has three sections, a larger one for the Go Berkey and two smaller, padded ones that are just the right size to hold a couple of Sport Berkeys. When all is packed away in the travel case, it fits easily into the sink compartment, a drawer, or the car for transport, as shown in the galley sink, below.
While the Go Berkey seems like it might be ideal for campers, its “one-size-fits-all” can make for some problems. It is small enough for back packers; but, seems not quite big enough for small camper units such as ours. The unit nets just 3.5 cups of filtered water from its 1 quart reservoir, which most likely will not be enough to cook a pot of spaghetti or a pot of rice for a potluck. Also, because of its small size, it becomes very easy to misjudge how much water to put into the water filtration reservoir. Over-filling could allow water to spill out, possibly causing water damage to your trailer. The solution is to empty the filtered water into another clean vial whenever refilling the upper reservoir; and, of course, plan ahead for your personal cooking and drinking needs. Further, because gravity filtration is not instantaneous, take advantage of over-night filtration by refilling the reservoir before retiring to bed in the evening.
The Sport Berkey holds 22 ounces of water; and, rather than filtering by gravity, it filters by the water pressure of either squeezing the bottle or sucking on the straw. The straw is attached to the filter. The bottle has an interesting cap that is reminiscent of a miniature observatory roof. The finger ring on the top of the cap allows one to move the lid to an open or closed position. When closing the lid, the straw folds over. Please note, however, that the vessel can leak if laid on its side or upside down. The amount of water that the Sport Berkey filter can be used for depends on the whether the water is city water or undetermined water; therefore, I suggest you read the explanation and description given at this website:
http://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/sp ... fgodw0gA3gThings to generally be aware of: 1) Before installing the filter into the tank, you are instructed to put the filter under the tap and allow water to run through the filter at a high pressure. This didn’t work for me. Not only was water spraying everywhere; but also, my water pressure is too low for flushing and opening the filter pores. Alternatively, you can soak the filter in a tub of water overnight. This is what I did.
2) Allow a day or two to flush and break in the filter. This is normal. The first two full tanks of filtered water must be discarded because they may contain particles from the product manufacture. This worked for the Travel Berkey and the Sport Berkey; however, the Go Berkey needed 4 full containers of water filtration before the water looked and tasted clean. This may be the result of the method I used to flush the filter before installing it, I don’t know.
3) In the beginning, water filtration will run through very slowly; but, as the filter gets broken in, it should get faster.
4) The amount of water that each product is said to hold is the amount that the upper reservoir holds. The volume of the filtered water will be slightly less.
5) Be sure to read and follow the instructions that come with your water filtration system.