Instructions / Assembly

Continuous Operation:
• Your system will continue to filter water even when the lower
chamber is full. This can cause the system to overflow. It is
recommended to empty the lower chamber completely prior to
refilling the upper chamber.
• Purified water can remain in the lower chamber for three days.
If any water still remains at the end of three days, dispense
into a clean secondary container and refrigerate up to four
more days.
• If you plan to leave your system unused for more than three
days, empty both the upper and lower chambers, remove all
filtration elements, and allow the components to dry. The
Black Berkey® Elements should be allowed to air dry. See
“Storing the Black Berkey® Purification Elements” on page 8
and “Storing the PF-2 Elements” on page 13.
Source Water—General Precautions:
• While this system can effectively purify raw untreated pond,
lake, and river water, always use the cleanest, clearest water
whenever possible.
• This system is not intended for use with saltwater or softened
water.
• If the source water contains large amounts of particulate
matter, pre-filter it using material such as a coffee filter or
cheesecloth. In emergency situations, a T-shirt or similar
material will serve the same purpose.
• If you suspect a water source contains viral and bacteriological
contamination, add 16-drops of plain bleach or iodine to
each 1-gallon of water and wait 30 minutes in order to
pre-treat the water before purifying in this system. The disinfectant
will be removed from the water during the purification
process, leaving no odor or taste.
Black Berkey® Purification
Elements Priming Tips
1. To create a useful finger-hold for priming, screw the wing nut
onto the end of the threaded stem of the Black Berkey®
Element just until only two or three threads are exposed from
the tip.
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