I am following the directions from another site on building a water filter using two plastic buckets and a Berkefeld filter. But the instructions were unclear on which way to position the filter. In other words, is the hole in the end of the filter the outlet or the inlet....is the ceramic filter positioned up or down?

Thanks much

jw

-- J Werner (jwerner15@hotmail.com), October 01, 1999

Answers

Hey there, The little hole in the bottom of the filter is the outlet. The large white filters stand up from the bottom of the buck in the "bad water" champer. The water goes through the filter, out the bottom into the "good water" chamber. Did you receive information on how to condition the filters?

-- smfdoc (smfdoc@aol.com), October 01, 1999.

Thanks, doc, I got it hooked up right. No, no instructions came with the filter. I ran 3 gallons of tap water through it so far. Can you provide break-in info.

Again, thanks.

jw

-- J Werner (jwerner15@hotmail.com), October 01, 1999.

The breakin into for the berkefeld is one full run through (which is two gallons for four elements) and then the first 15 minutes of the second two gallons. We bought our Berkefeld last week and have never tasted such great filtered water before!!

-- Scheri (scheri@innocent.com), October 01, 1999.

Thanks Scheri! jw

-- J Werner (jwerner15@hotmail.com), October 01, 1999.

Scheri...are you filtering regular tap water? Thanks

-- quietly (quietly@preparing.com), October 02, 1999.

If you are filtering chlorinated tap water, are you aware that the chlorine will deactivate the filter much more rapidly than would "plain ol'" contaminated stream water.

After (I think) 2,000 gallons, the filters must be boiled in order for them to process the other 13,000 or so gallons they are rated for.

(I hope these numbers are in the ball park -- it's been a while since I was told.)

-- Gypsy (GypsiGold@aol.com), October 06, 1999.

I've heard about the chlorinated water causing the Berkefeld filters to be deactivated prematurely. (Don't know whether it's true or not, though.)

If this is the case, what should we do with the tap water we've collected and stored? Do we just drink it as is? Do we get a pitcher- type filter (Brita or Pur) to process the tap water and save the Berkefeld for non-tap water? Or do we do something else? This is a lot more confusing to me than I thought it would be...

-- Don (whytocay@hotmail.com), October 06, 1999.