DIY BERKEY STYLE WATER FILTER. Update on my homemade water purifyer
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- A follow up on my How To Build Your Own Berkey Style Water Purifier video. In this episode I show how I maintain my homemade water filtration unit. Having a way to purify drinking water plays an important role in the off grid lifestyle and can be a lifesaver for SHTF situations when the grid goes down. You cannot survive without water so be prepared for disasters with this simple how to project.
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MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q: How do you have internet at your cabins? A: I have cell service at both cabins but it is spotty due to foliage and cloud cover. I can access the internet from my cabins but have to drive to a local wifi location to upload videos.
Q: How old is Frankie? A: Frankie will be 10 in April of 2018
Q: What video editing software do I use? A: Presently, all I use is Windows Live Movie maker but I’m considering trying imovie, Adobe Elements or SONY VEGAS PRO.
Q: How do you get your water? Did you dig a well? A: Presently, I haul water to the NY cabin but at the NH cabin, I drop a kettle into an old well that was dug by hand by the settlers in the 1700’s.
Q:What is your favorite brand of cast iron cookware? A: I prefer using vintage cast iron. My favorites are BSR and Griswold. If I had to buy new I would buy a Lodge Brand. I plan to purchase this dutch oven in the future:
Q: What do you use for refrigeration? A: We have a small gas refrigerator that we salvaged from an old Shasta camper and a custom icebox that I built into the cabin wall. We make ice on site with a propane freezer.
Video of icebox:
Video of Gas Refrigerator:
Propane Freezer:
Q: What do you use for cooking and heating? A: We use a Kitchen Queen 380 for cooking and heating during the winter months but we also have an antique gas stove in the cabin for when we don't need the heat from the KQ.
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Looking forward to making my own water filter soon.Thanks for showing how its done plus doing a follow up on it with the maintenance.
+Deep South Homestead Have fun with your project.
Thanks for your additional video on your water purification system. Great job.
My wife showed this video to me the day it was posted and told me to make one. about a month later i had all the parts and put it together. we enjoyed the use of it. But it really became useful the past 2 weeks we live about 100 miles from the path of the eye of Hurricane Micheal we received high winds downed trees lots of damage as you go west from my place the damage is horrible and going north in the eye path lots of damage. We got power 8 days after landfall i used 2 old hot water heaters to hold 76 gallons of water and the DIY Berkey i made from your video. I was ready to draw water from the creek below my home knowing the berkey would make the water safe. It is the best water filter system i have made and a whole lot cheaper than buying one from a store . Thanks for posting this Video it made a difference for me down here.
Glad it worked out for you and thanks for taking the time to comment.
Maybe those folks in that city with all the lead problems could build a few of these while the local GOV get's their heads out.
Isn't it great when folk scan use common sense to fix a problem? LOL
Great update and nice to see how nice it works. You sure taught a great way to save lots of money. Thanks for sharing JC!!
+Melody Capehart Medina I'm very pleased with the outcome of this project. Same with the rocket stove. Got more ideas so here goes another walmart stockpot ha ha ;-)))
I've been using mine for a few days. LOVE it! Thank you again! I highly suggest you guys go for it if you are considering building one. It sure feels good to know the water you are drinking is pure!
+travisrhaley Glad it's working out for you. Thanks for commenting.
You can do a reverse purge of the filters by repriming them to extend their lifespan too.
JC, Just found your channel and have spent the weekend catching up with your videos. Great job and a good eye for composition. Have you ever explored the Reddit.com communities? Many like minded individuals in the self sufficiency, preppers and homesteading communities there. link for you to check out: www.reddit.com/r/SelfSufficiency/new/
Keep up your labor of love. Love that dog, I have a Australian Shepard who he reminds me off. Great dogs!
+John Toland Thank you kindly. Aussies and Border Collies. My favorite breeds right there. I'll check out your link soon.
Just made my filter system last night! Works GREAT! Thank you for all Your Great videos Keep them coming!
IF the Berky filter are too expensive for you, you can get a good ceramic filter from Cheaper Than Dirt. These filters clean with a scrub pad, just DON'T use a pad with soap.
That is a cool system. I'm going to make one the first rainy day that comes along...after I order the filters. Good job again JC!
Wow ive got hard water also and I have a reverse osmosis system that came with my house when I bought it and the filters are a pain to change not to mention expensive so I think I might try this out myself! another great video JC! keep em comin!
+fishbone856 My house needs a built in filter system too but I never got around to installing one. Don't care now cause I'm selling the place :-D
I still love my filter and use it daily....I had wanted one for a few years but your videos pushed me into just doing it...not sorry that's for sure.
Loving mine too Judy. So glad I built it.
I built one after watching your video. Thanks for the update, God bless ya
very nice and I'm sure you are going to have plenty of people making this in the near future...I hate hard water...The last town I lived in it was like that...Always had to clean our screens on our sinks where the water comes out of the faucet...
+Heith Gagnon My faucets are always jammed here too buddy. The water sucks bigtime :-x
Thanks for the video JC! No need to respond. I know you have thousands of viewers!
Good video, JC. I was wondering what the maintenance was like.
Two videos now and no Frankie!
+Raspberry Rock Look in the final seconds of the video at the bedroom. Frankie was sitting on JC's bed!
Good eye, Bill.
+Raspberry Rock Frankie's on vacation and wants everyone to know it :c)~
Hey, I know about the Berkey, as I learned it from your channel. You made a good replacement pot for the Berkey filters. But Berkey also provides ceramic filters.
Ceramic filters are used for filtering out bacteria and viruses. Charcoal filters are used for filtering out sediments/heavy metals that affect taste. So if you only use the charcoal filters, you're not filtering out the harmful bacteria and viruses. But that might be a moot point if your boiling your water to make tea. There are also sand filters ( a kind of biofilter) that harbors bacteriophages and other useful bacteri that help to kill of harmful bacteria and fungi.
Unless I'm mistaken, the black Berkey filters are suppose to purify the water, not just filter out substances that effect taste. That's what the specs say on the box. I'll look deeper into the ceramic filters too and see what I come up with.
Thanks for commenting.
He still alive right must be doing it right
After "Yay" was supposed to be a bunch of .......'s, not ,,,,,,,'s. sorry! Couldn't figure out how to edit it..... too much Moose Brew or whatever!
If you have stubborn mineral build up and rust on the pot, use regular household vinegar when cleaning. It breaks up the mineral pretty well.
Have you watched videos on you tube on "BIOSAND". It is a cheaper,, higher volume of clarifying water. No plastic filers needed. Just an Idea
Dandy video.
Thanks for this update. I have the buckets (got a hooooole in ma bucket) but not yet the filters. Was hesitant, but now I see how easy it is to maintain! WOOF! WOOF!
+chinookvalley Very easy. go for it :-)
I'm just trying to say... You would probably need a 2-stage system to be most effective. Number 1 - a pot fitted with ceramic filters - to filter out bio-contaminants... then a second charcoal filter to filter out chemical contaminants.
Hey "Boss", we followed your excellent directions and made our own filter system. We are just tickled to have it as the water where we are in TX is pathetic! However, I have a question: We are only 4 weeks in using this system and have found some crystals forming around the handle brads on the inside as well as a collection of the same crystals around the bottom in the filtered water. I have four "piles" with another starting. Do you have any idea what this may be and how to fix it?
It's possible that the brads are made of a material other than stainless steel and it's causing a reaction with the minerals in your water. Do you allow the brads to get submerged? If so, maybe you won't get this problem if you kept the water level below the handles Just a thought.
@Suzanne Mathes ... I'm worried about the same thing. I haven't made my unit yet, because Walmart does not have the 16 quart in stock at this moment. However ... I wonder if you took a little melted bees wax, and coated the rivet, if that would help?
Thank you! Like your system of attaching to lid. Most I seen just sat on top.
How's Frankie he hasn't made the last couple videos
+Greg Cline You'll see him in the background near the end of the vid.
Great Video Boss, but I would strongly suggest you test your filters after cleaning them.. I have been using them for a few years now because my wife has chronic Kidney disease and is on dialysis so clean water is very important to us. After each cleaning I test them using red food dye and have found several times the filters have actually failed.. but otherwise we love the Berkey and the water taste great, glad your enjoying your set up and keep the vids coming....
Great video, we made the filter. We had difficulty drilling holes in the stock pot, but were successful. I had a great idea! I love my water cooler and was paying $8 for 5 gallons of spring water delivered. The bottles that the water company used were not flat on the bottom, so I bought water from home depot and used their bottle....drilling holes for the filer to fit into. Now I have cold or hot water on tap and I'm not paying an arm and leg....straight from my well. Thank you love your videos
FYI...A kitchen sponge is 10K dirtier than a toilet seat in terms of germs. Use a brand new sponge every time you clean it. I know you are using the scrub pad but the bacteria must move over to that side too.
After scrubbing the parts clean, use a syringe or other means by pressure to back flush clean water through the filters, will make them last longer. By the way, what is the certified filtering-microns?
Notice kids , when he was running water over the filters , it was down low doing the job without wasting excess water . Our kids will have water if we follow his lead Thank you sir for caring about our children . And us .
Maybe your out put is low and it was coincident , but regardless it was good advertisement .
I gotta say, the sight glass spigot is pretty great. I put dots on it at the 1, 2, and 3gal marks making it really easy to measure how much water to add.
I am all about this system. cannot wait to make my own for my off-grid vacation home. Love all of your videos. Thanks for sharing so much information.
J C how many times can you clean the filters before replacement is required. And if the upper chamber is full of water how long would you guess that it takes to drains to the lower chamber. I would think 24 hrs. I would have to do it one to two times a week at our house.
Built mine six yrs ago the day the first video came out. Still using it once a week. Six gallons at a time.
Much appreciated. Thank you so much.
That is a awesome filter. Wow, so simple.
+backcountrypipe So glad I built this :-)
Mind gets serious iron deposits in it. I take out the filters and put white vinegar in the pot and let it sit there a few hours. Works great.
Don't you back flush the filters as well
Cool! Nice setup and easy to do. Low maintenance and reusable. Thanks for sharing
Remember the video when you made this. Glad it's working for you. thanks for the follow up.
Are you still using this system? And how many times have you needed to change the filters?
Very nice system boss. Later buddy and all the best.
I'm going to make one! Thanks this is great information.
I've seen these done with 5 gallon buckets before but those pots sure do look like a great idea. Thanks JC, hope you and yours are well and staying warm. ATB Louise :D
I have seen that filter advertised for years. It is supposed to work really well. Looks like it does. Thanks
those poor stock pots. :( lol
(awesome project! )
+Kristene Schmitt I've got lots of ideas for cutting up stockpots Kristene so stay tuned :-D
Awesome! :)
Thanks. I like your videos.
Glad to see that is still working out for you
Maintenance tips that make sense.
Now that you are back "home" for a spell, love to hear all about that granite-bed water! I sometimes miss that more than a good night's sleep I do for sure! Coffee here in TN without a berkey is NO COFFEE AT ALL!
Good idea. I'll have to chat about that.
Another goody!
+deeann pookie :-D
Great ideal thanks for sharing we have sulfer in out water we use a lot of filters like this ideal better then ours more simple blessings to you.
I made one with four filters it's works great.
@william burnett ... I was trying to tell by the first video if there would be room enough for four filters. Did you use the same Mainstays 16 quart pots from Walmart as he did?
Thanks for the update. I have just bought the berkey filters, but WallyMart was out of the 16qt stock pots so I am waiting for them to come in stock. I remember watching your "how to" video on how to make one of these filters without seeing a "mortgage broker" (smirk) and I have waited until my tax return came in to purchase everything. Can't wait to get ours built. Think I too will make a vid on ours and of course be sure to mention who inspired me! :-) Keep the great videos coming and you and Frankie have a Simply Unbelievable Day & God Bless!
+NoBudgetHomestead I'm very pleased with the outcome of this project and I'm sure you will be also. Please post a link to my channel when you show this in your vid. I'd certainly appreciate that. God Bless.
You should sent a few of these to flint, It's amazing how much "stuff" there is in water
+backyardmeat Flint?
Flint Michigan .....I hear they have some water filtration issues, though I don't think you could ever make enough to fix that mess
+backyardmeat Thanks for clearing that up cause I had no idea what you were talking about lol :-D
How to select an effective filter? Reviews of filters on Amazon are very discouraging.
Reviews can make your head spin. I've always used the black Berkey ones and really have no complaints about them except for the price.
'Thank You'. I just found your making the homemade Berkey and this update video this morning. Thank you so much! I have subscribed and am so looking forward to learning more from you.. love to you
Thank you Connie :-)
Lakes region or mountains in NH?
👍👰❤
Hi! I have been educating myself for a few years to live off grid and so happy I found your channel! Just bought a piece of land on Boone lake in ri wish you were closer to come give me pointers!!! Love your videos!
Welcome to my channel friend and best of luck with your cabin plans :-)
Really works well. Thanks for the update.
Shanks for sharing Boss, I always enjoy your videos
thanks for the update JC.....I wonder....any benefit to back flushing the filters before re-installing? Nice to see us making some good use of that cheap crap the chinese are dumpin at wally world!!
+Keith Rayeski I suppose you could but the water doesn't backflush very easy through these things.
question. have you messed with the fluoride filters at all? wanting to know because I'm thinking about purchasing the fluoride/charcoal set for starters.
+Kristene Schmitt All I have ever used is this pair but I'm pretty sure they filter out fluoride and chlorine too.
can you please send this vid to our goofy governor we have here in Michigan , if you not heard which i kinda doubt has poisoned us & our kids & pets using leaded water from of all places the FLINT RIVER which they pull body's & car body's from on a regular day or any day of the year.
i have a bought 1 that they gave us but i'm going to make us 1 of these can't hurt , can only help it is that bad , our color of water is brown yes i did not miss- spell the color
t.c. be safe out there don't let BIGFOOT get you ( i just watched your Q& A VID )
have fun cas life is short
+BIGMAN FROM MICHIGAN Since this vid went out, many folks have mentioned Flint. It must be really bad out there. Better build two of them :-o
Like the video bud-------have you ever tried the do it yourself filter with sand charcoal and rocks method to use out in the field? Works great!!! Take care and as always, Stay Creative and Dream!!!
+RTT aka Winders Templing I never have but certainly good to know.
Are you getting your water from public tap water or from your own private well water in the ground? I have land upstate NY and will be drilling for well water, who knows, I might just hit a PBR well. Now that would be worth celebrating.
+Blue Collar Mark It's a private drilled well. The water around here taste like crap. If you drill I doubt you'll hit PBR's in NY, Probably more like Genny ha ha. Celebrate just the same :-D
This may or may not have anything to do with your video but I have been feeding my Hummingbirds for years now and I've Noticed that their water stays much fresher using Glass Feeders versus Plastic....
Glass is better for our beverages too.
Boss, Not sure you will see this question on a older video. But here goes, I plan a similar Berkey filter setup. My off grid tiny cabin in Northern Michigan has a hand driven well. Between cold winter visits the cabin drops to freezing outside temps. Do the Brekeys have to be dried out to survive freezing temps? No water will be left in the containers.
The filters may retain water to some degree. If so, they will freeze and break. Not sure i would risk it.
I received the Berkey filters for Christmas. Now it is very difficult to find cheap stainless steel pots. I hope this will be a fun winter project. How is that double backed tape holding up? Was it the thin style of tape or the thicker foam style of tape? Thanks.
It was the thin stuff and has never failed me.
Thanks for update Boss
great video, Thanks for sharing. If you have very hard water you might need to clean the purifier as often as once per month. If your flow rate is slow its a good time to clean.
+steve cromer So far so good with the filters :-)
Great update on them Filters, Boss; Good 2 know U only have 2 clean them twice yearly, Thanks 4 sharing Friend.. Hay 'Lil-Frankie ATB Terry God Bless
+T.W. Milburn (skillet210) Twice a year seems to be fine for the quality of my water but I'll need to do it less than that in NH I believe
I knew there was a project you did that I was going to do.
thanks for the reminder.
Have a Jesus filled day
Greg in Michigan
+Greg Homestead Jesus filled day to you as well my friend. :-))
My parents have a Berkey and I really want to get one, but they price tag.... I am happy I came across your video, now I can make one myself :) thank you
Glad I could help!
When you cut the center out is the lid still strong enough to support the pot with all of that water in it?
Still going strong.
I've used food grade 5 gallon buckets with lids. Saves the cost of the stainless if your on a very tight budget.
+MrOldclunker I found a couple stainless steel stockpots of a reasonable size on sale for less than the cost of a couple new buckets! Usually, I re-purpose buckets, but a new walter filter seemed to dictate new containers. So yeah, I splurged, LOL.
When cleaning the filter do you pour water back thru the filter like a back flush on a pool filter?
What happened to the rubber washers you put on first before you threaded on the wing style nuts?
How long will the filters last?
Yes backflush and 3 to 5000 gallons depending on what you're filtering.
Boss, I followed your example and have been using my filter for about a month now and couldn't be happier.
Question: If you had it to do over again would you still affix the top pot to the lid of the bottom pot? I did not do this out of concern for ease of cleaning.
Yep, I wouldn't change a thing. I love it :-)
You are amazing, I think I will learn a lot from you, Thank you
Happy to hear that and thank you for saying so :-))
I found that if you pre filter first with a Sawyer bucket system then run it in the berkey you won't have much cleaning to do. My water is like yours.
+rick packo Thanks for the tip.
at the time of this comment - 906 thumbs up zero thumbs down, that's a good online community! yessah!
+James Scott I have a few haters that dog me and I see he has logged in and threw me one and another on my last vid. 3 more to go and he'll be up to norm. I can't imagine being so childish :-/
I was going to make one of these but found out the filters are made in China, and I wouldn't drink anything filtered through something made in China. There are some other options for filters but all are made in Asia.
+Robert Drake Hey at east our Chinese food is still made in America ha ha :-D
Well done J.C.! Keep them coming.
Great Vid Boss, your right the spring water is fantatic up in NH. No nead to filter, the ice age took care of that.
+MML@ADDERHOLE Nothing like Granite state water :-))
Looks like Frankie found a comfortable place on your bed!
+Bill Laut That's Frankie's spot and he knows it ;c)~
Love your vids. Nice job!!
your system works great.take care
Do you not back purge the filters with water?
I purge them as directed.
God Bless You and Frankie !
God Bless :-)
JC there is one thing you have never made a hole video on, making coffee on a wood or gas stove, the size of coffee ground in a stovetop percolator, would love to see that.
+brenda alexander I've been using a vintage percolator for most of my adult life but now I use a French press. I'll try to work this into a vid. Thanks for your suggestion
can you give us the drill sizes you used for the filter holes ,and what a faucet hole size would be ??
I don't remember the size but it's slightly larger than the threads on the filter. I never installed the faucet.
I happened upon one of your videos a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I have watched quite a few since then. I have been working on building a small elevated cabin for my two boys, 10 and 4, "and myself" for several months now. It is almost finished but I have found a lot of your videos very helpful and entertaining. Me and the boys built a rocket stove last week and it looks like a water purifier is next on the list. This is the first channel I have ever subscribed to, but I really appreciate the videos. Keep 'em coming. The boys in Oklahoma love them.
+Josh Mac Glad to hear you are enjoying my videos Josh. Please share my channel with others that may enjoy them also. Best of luck with your cabin.
Have you ever done anything with composting toilets? I am going to build an outhouse and am planning on using a composting toilet or just the old 5 gallon bucket and bury your bag when your done. Its worth noting that this is a weekend cabin and not anything that we will be staying in full-time, at this point. Any suggestions?
as i have posted before i gotta say ur a good man/love the tips god bless!!!!!!!!!!
Than you Bill and blessings to you as well :-)
Nice water filter you made there,, I miss Frankie
+southernmost homesteader Thank you. Frankie's searching for a bride :-)
+thebossoftheswamp I could send him my ex's info she was a real bitch! ;)
+Barbarossa4U hey hey now frankie desrves better then that lol
+grizz270 I agree. Frankie wants a Lady ha ha ;-)
Haha, Frankie managed to work his way at the end. Chillin on the bad.
+Matt Capistrant He's been doing a lot of "chillin" these days :c)~
YOU FILTER YOUR DRINKING WATER FOR DRINKING & COOKING?WHAT ABOUT YOUR TAPS.ITCHEN & BATHROOM??? IS YOU "POTABLE" WATER FILTERED? WELL WATER OR CITY WATER???? BASIC INLINE FILTER OUTSIDE?? WATE SOFTENER???
+k zane MY WELL WATER TASTE LIKE CRAP EVEN THOUGH IT IS SAFE TO DRINK. I JUST FILTER WHAT I WANT FOR DRINKING.
ah.... I understand. in Hawaii our water is artesian, filters thru the volcanic layers, extremely well filter & tastes wonder right where it bubbles up in some places...
good to know ! but i missed Frankie the last two video is he alright?
+Joy Arnold Frankie's shopping for a bride so he's taking time off :c)~