Build DIY Emergency Berkey for less than 1/4 the Cost

[@chrismcwilliams3552]

I’m 66 and on a very fixed income. Clean water has been on my mind for some time as the likelihood of a SHTF situation looms closer. You have made it possible for me to deal with that now in a manner I can afford. Thank you!

[@robmcghie5248]

What is shtf shitty fluoride?

[@skinnyway]

ceramic flowerpots and a plastic trash can from dollar store, spout & rubber seals = way less than $90. its here on YT.

[@rebal1681]

@@skinnyway you should get food grade plastic.

[@yvonnewilson3505]

Absolutely agree. And for a Bonus ... i did it myself ! This is always the coolest part. 😏

[@wildernesscamper4294]

To save even more money, I've found that the bakery division of my local grocery store willingly gives away their empty frosting pales if you just ask them. (With graduation season just around the corner they will be going through even more frosting than normal - and they have different sizes, even all the way up to a 5 gallon bucket) They are food-grade plastic buckets, along with lids that have the gasket ring in the lid for a complete seal. I just made sure I thoroughly washed (with soap and piping hot water) and dried them before using. The buckets still smell sweet from the frosting, but it doesn't seem to affect the taste of my water. If you notice a sweet taste or odor to your water, try washing your buckets and lids again. Cheers!

[@SiMahDan]

Basically good. But here are some refinement; *Use food grade plastic buckets. * Let the raw water settle for at least one hour before filtering. *Use a teaspoon of Clorox in a quart of water inside the buckets after assembly and before each use to sterilize. Let the Clorox water sit in the bucket for at least 30 minutes, shaking the bucket with the lid on several times. Pour out the quart but do not rinse. After sterilizing keep hands and other objects out of the buckets. *For a 2 gallon bucket of filtered water and five drops of regular Clorox. Let it stand for 30 minutes before using. (I was certified in three states to treat & process drinking water).

[@itwasentme17]

Isn’t Clorox bleach with something else added? Do you mean to add only the bleach?

[@unclest1nky]

Thank you. 🙂

[@davidhawkins847]

​@itwasentme17 yes, you would need PLAIN bleach. But bleach also has a shelf life of about 6 months. Splashless bleach is not the same thing.

[@davidhawkins847]

I was thinking get some stainless steel units like used from turkey frying, but food grade plastic buckets will work. I guess the buckets would stack better too for less space in storage. A lot of Mexican grocery stores or similar places have the large metal pots available since the culture tends to be large family gatherings and cooking.

[@mayamachine]

mmm chlorine, ya that's good for you..

[@NickFrom1228]

If you do want to deal with spigot, get a stainless spigot. I ditched the plastic one quickly, though I did use it. I drilled a hole in the bottom unit, just below where the top unit ends when sitting on the bottom unit. I put the plastic junk spigot there, upside down and wrapped it with a tea bag to act as an air filter. This allows the water to come out much faster, which you really notice when filling something larger than a water glass. It also prevents the buildup of pressure which can slow down filtering a slight amount. Secondly, in an shtf situation, your source water will likely not be very clean. So, create some process similar to the following: 1. When filling the bucky/berkey place a clean pasta colander on top of the unit. Place a tight fabric like a clean bed sheet, or something similar over colander. 2. When you get your water, have a full size bucket ( 5 or 6 gallon). Fill that bucket with water. 3. Let sit for an hour so the majority of the particles will settle to the bottom. 4. DO NOT pour out of this bucket. Use a scoop to carefully scoop the water out of the bucket and pour into your colander. 5. When you are down to about 25% of the 5 gal bucket, swirl it around and dump it. If you keep the old water you will accumulate particulate matter and it will slowly get worse. If water is scarce and you want to use that water, your can place a sheet over the bucket and pour through it. Now, here's the mind bender. We are all used to having a two bucket system. In reality, though it is a bit awkward, you can have 3 buckets stacked up and the top bucket is used as a large particle filter that can be a variety of forms, which feeds the second bucket, which then gets filtered for real. The berkey filters will plug quickly if you have even slight amounts of junk in the water so be sure to pre-filter as much as you can!

[@TheChristonline]

yeah man

[@RJD0314]

Where did you find the SS spigot? Thanks!

[@lolawalsh9187]

You rock

[@NickFrom1228]

@@lolawalsh9187 Glad to help. There are just so many videos I've watched that have been so helpful that I just want to give back if I can.

[@tborpatterson6467]

Absolutely well said heads uo

[@carlbates8381]

Put the drill in reverse and drill backwards. The bit warms up and melts through the plastic, leaving no plastic bits to contaminate water. Learned this from drilling plastics for many years.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

I'll try this out thanks Carl!!!

[@utubepunk]

NICE.

[@HandyMan657]

Good man for sharing that tidbit. Cheers

[@irishseaswimmer]

Niiiice. Everydays a school day 👍

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Amen to that. Best part of life IMO. Never ending things to learn

[@HaskellMoore]

Thank you for the excellent video! However, you failed to mention the importance of priming the cartridges before use. You'll get about 10x-20x throughput if you properly prime them. For example, when using the Big Berkey with four cartridges, the throughput was far too low for just two of us. However, when properly primed, we had ample water with excess to share with others so I highly recommend getting the Berkey priming kit. Also, Scotch-Brite scour pads are best for cleaning the filter without damage. If you put the cartridges away wet, don't be surprised if they are covered with mold when you go to use them after a few months. I test mine periodically, let them dry, and store them with a silica gel pack to absorb excess moisture. Fortunately, the Scotch-Brite pads do an excellent job of getting the mold off the cartridges and you should be good to go. As with all preparedness gear, test everything thoroughly before you have to use it in an emergency to ensure you know how to operate it quickly and efficiently, and that it meets your needs. Keep up the great work! Haskell

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Absolutely! Great insight. I could have sworn I mentioned that you needed to prime the filters, I know I called it out in my second video showing the 5 Gallon bucket. I very well may have missed going into the details though. Thanks for sharing this

[@nelrondeau7572]

@@PracticalPreparedness you did

[@goofsaddggkle7351]

Do you just mean the green pot scouring scotch brite pads? They seem so abrasive.

[@daphneraven6745]

Haskell Moore; Those Scotch-Brite scrubbies, they do a nice job of cleaning, but make no mistake, they will eat your filter over time, and it might not be a whole lot of time, particularly if you have to scrub it very often. The system that has served me for about 19 years now, has a ceramic filter component. It was chosen and purchased because there were breaks in the water main near my home, which had gone undetected until people had been drinking the water for a while. Anybody who drank tap water Without boiling it in my neighbourhood was subject to it, and personally I got really sick to the point where my guts were bleeding, reducing me to a curled-up little ball of agonizing misery. I found a good doc who was able to treat the multiple infections in my body from it; he suggested that I go buy a filtration system that filtered to .02 µm; I found one that did that plus purified. After that, I’ve taken this filter everywhere I went. It was the old MSR Waterworks filter plus purifier, and I used the scrubby. The entire unit with the scrubby included ran about $125 plus tax, as they were just phasing that model out in favour of a new one. What I really liked about it is that I could take it everywhere I went, whether traveling, or just out in the bush. There was always clean water then. In some places, The contamination or mineral content of the water was so extreme that it was only possible to easily get maybe a couple of litres of water out of it before I had to stop and wash the contaminants off. (E.g. Iron contamination in the water to the point that the water was rusty- but I still had clean, delicious water from one I’ve gotten poked through the filter). I could see the scrubby eroding the filter away. Those things are a little pricey, and back then I had almost nothing, so it was a problem. I discovered that a microfibre scrubbing cloth cleans every bit as well as the abrasive Scotch-Brite pad, without eroding my filtration unit. And really, a person could also take a gentle veggie brush or toothbrush that’s not too stiff, and give it a cleaning a lot more gently. In a situation where the water supply is compromised, a filter will likely get a lot of cleaning, so it might be important to find ways to do this that do a whole lot less damage to the unit, particularly if supply continues to be a problem to getting replacement filters. Not everybody knows that a lot of filters are made to be washed off, and many of them are also made to be put in a pot of water on the stove and fairly slowly brought to the boiling point for disinfection purposes after the initial cleaning is done on the outside. After a good solid boiling, filters that are made to be cleaned have to be left in place in the pot of water to cool, and then allowed to air dry after that. It’s a tiny bit time-consuming, but not much of that is time that has to be spent with the unit, but this can save hundreds of dollars over a few short years. My first MSR filter lasted 19 years. But it became absolutely necessary to replace that scrubby, because it was really eating the ceramic part of my filtration system. Hopefully this little tip might save somebody hundreds of dollars on costly filters, and maybe save someone some misery when supply could be an issue. It’s worth checking with the manufacturer to see what components of yours can be cleaned and how deeply. There’s also an interesting tutorial by Doug and Stacey’s homesteading; Doug is extremely handy, and has figured out how to refurbish his expensive ceramic filters. He uses the refurbished filters himself, and his information would also save people hundreds of dollars or even make it possible to still have a filtration unit in a real bad pinch.

[@girlnextdoor369]

I would have never thought about putting the filter away I would have just left it for the next time I put water in…. So there really needs to be an after use, storage protocol to prevent mold? Do people with the regular berkey’s do this? I didn’t see anything about this on their site… the reason I am somewhat alarmed is I am allergic to mold…. This would not be a good situation for me.

[@CabinGRL]

It’s crazy but I actually bought the Big Berkey with stainless steel spigot + the To Go Berkey Bundle today and with my new member discount 10% I still paid at least $577 😮 it really hit my wallet. The Filters are $166 now OCT 2022 for 2 of them and I’m gonna get 2 extra filters and do this bucket method as a backup. Thank you so much! Great video. I’m a single Mom and I need to save every way I can

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Not cheap at all… please use food grade :) I regret not saying it more in the video, so now I’m just a broken record!

[@davidhuett3579]

Seems to me that a 'Lifesaver Jerry Can' would have been the way to go. Cheaper outlay and it will filter 20,000 litres on a filter.

[@lillieberger2883]

@@davidhuett3579they run from 250.00 to 350.00. Still not cheap

[@BigBlue1026]

I couldn't afford a Berkey, but I can now thanks to you. Great video and you may never know just how many lives you'll end up saving with this fantastic content. Thank you!

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Thank you for watching and supporting!

[@milesfong3901]

When doing more than one filter, I suggest you drill the holes in the bottom of the bucket while on top of the cover of the bottom bucket to align both holes.

[@vanessarheadart9708]

Or use a felt tip through the top bucket holes if your drills to bug to go in the bucket.🤷

[@robertalonzo1569]

Love your idea & observation point👍 line up is so helpful !

[@janp7660]

This is the best, cheapest, and easiest video for making a homemade filter that I have seen. Thank you!

[@Az_N.S.O.L.]

Build this using a sawyer mini instead. The sawyer filter is only $20 and filters 100,000 gal.

[@Metqa]

@@Az_N.S.O.L. That sounds interesting, but I have a question. It looks like the Berkey filter allows water to flow in from all sides. but the Sawyer device only accepts water in from the small tube opening. if the Sawyer were upright, like the Berkey filter then any water above would go through but it would stop once the water line went below the opening. How would you modify this bucket designe to account for that? would you secure the Sawyer to the inside of the clean bucket? I don't think it has any outside threads so I'm trying to figure out how it would be held up. Thanks for the ideas. I'm thinking of making a water filter for a friend, but I don't wanna break the bank either. Brita filter pitchers hold so little , take so long and the filters are costly and need replacing so often.

[@Az_N.S.O.L.]

@@Metqa the sawyer filter threads onto the bottom of the 5 gal bucket using a 2 liter soda bottle. You have to drill a hole in the bucket and cut up a soda bottle, but it's very easy and very cheap.

[@melsiewelsie2729]

I used a half inch spade bit for the lid and pail and a 3/4 inch spade for the spout. Worked perfect.

[@CityPrepping]

Excellent!

[@jenallen5202]

Chris hi.

[@terribelle3]

Hey there 😄❤

[@redse-porium4032]

I’ve had the Lifestraw family filter on my to buy list recently. It runs about $70 and, after a quick bit of research, can’t remove everything that the Berkey filter can. This is a great idea to add to the preps!

[@LSuschena]

Exactly what is a Berkley “certified” to remove? Only chlorine, that’s it. Everything else it claims is removes, are just that, CLAIMS.

[@sandym6760]

I like the Sawyer filters over the LifeStraw. Filters out the same things, but a lot more quantity wise.

[@Манлетопия]

there both 0.2 microns

[@shawnr771]

Try a Zero Res. Project Farm did a review on water filters. Excellent presentation

[@LSuschena]

@@shawnr771 what is the link?

[@thedoubleboiler6971]

Combine this with water distiller and you are golden. Thank you for sharing this!

[@PracticalPreparedness]

The distiller is a fantastic idea

[@NatureZone101]

Great video! If using the no spigot version I would say use 3 buckets total. Make 2 bottom buckets that way there is a secure place to put the top bucket when using water from the bottom bucket. Top may still have water in it when people need to get some water from the bottom bucket. This way you would have 2 reservoirs and always a stable secure place to put top bucket..

[@FreddyFootlock]

I did this exact thing, but just used a jigsaw to cut 3”up from bottom of a 3rd bucket to use as a “spacer” so I could put the upper portion on the ground/flat surface whilst extracting from bottom bucket (Eg I did not use a spigot)

[@evelbill1439]

@@FreddyFootlock, I will do this too. If it’s tall enough I can keep it back fro the edge of the counter for lower likely hood of accidents that could damage any part of the filter. Tall enough to fill my Nalgene bottles, water glasses, and pots and pans.

[@evelbill1439]

No need to waste wood on this now. I just cut 8 inches off the top of an old work bucket, put a lid on it, and voila it’s a stand custom fit to my bottom bucket. It holds the spigot 9.5 inches above the counter. Plenty of room and no round bucket/square stand problems.

[@beckyshell4649]

I would want one with a higher quality spigot.You could always just have a spare bucket of the exact same kind to use if your spigot failed plus an extra bucket would come in handy to prefilter gunky water.

[@daphneraven6745]

Flashzonephoto: that’s a good idea, and I have done that. It works well. The bucket that I use has a good, sturdy bail handle. It hangs up nicely for the few minutes that I need to empty out the bucket, so the bottom never touches the ground and no part of anything that goes in the reservoir touches the ground, which could pick up contaminants that would end up in the reservoir from which I drink. As soon as the bottom bucket is empty, the filter bucket goes back into place, and is ready to refill. The time that mine gets refilled is usually at night. In the morning, I usually empty the bucket into the container that I used throughout the day for drinking and cooking. If I think I’ll need more water, then there’s an opportunity to refill it at that point and let it do its thing throughout the morning. The reason that I do this is not only because there’s not much demand for water at night, but also because it eliminates the problem of knowing how much water is in the bucket, and then possibly filling the top when the bottom is not empty, and causing flooding. There’s a spigot that a person can get now, that Berkey actually sells, that has an attachment at the top of it, which reflects the amount of water in the actual lower bucket. That’s kind of a nice thing if you’re a person who likes to use the reservoir in the bottom bucket as the working supply throughout the day. Otherwise, a person is sort of stuck using a flashlight to shine thru the bucket to see the water level, or open it up to see it. And if you use a dark -coloured bucket, the flashlight idea doesn’t work at all.

[@debbiedavid3259]

Thanks for this video. I personally have the Big Berkey and gave my 4 sons one, a couple of years ago. This less expensive filtration model is more reasonable than another video I watched recently. Thanks again !!!

[@PracticalPreparedness]

I’ve started looking at other filters too. Still sold on Berkey atm though. Thank you for watching!

[@Pooch1953]

I built a stainless version of this with a stainless spigot, two black Berkey filters and two 12 quart stainless stock pots from Dollar General, total cost was around $140.00 in 2020. I cut a circle out of the lid on the bottom pot, and used a step drill to make the hole for the spigot and the two holes in the bottom of the top pot. Cost a little more than yours, but still less than the small one, and it has two filters and is stainless including the spigot.

[@adrieneanders0n998]

Thank you.

[@ΝΙΚΗΦΡΑΓΚΟΥ]

Purified water is one of the most important preps!Thank you very much for your advices😊

[@quidproquo3933]

it’s thee most important.

[@LITTLEEXPERIMENTCHANNEL1]

I posted your channel on all my feeds. It seems you have nailed the KZbin algorithm remarkably. You shape so many lives!

[@Jamster22101]

If you are using contaminated water as your source, this filter will take most of the impurities and some bacteria out, but not all. Make sure to boil the clean water after it's filtered. I've built these systems using pvc also. Take a 5 foot by 1 inch pvc pipe, put screen mesh on the bottom and secure with a zip tie. Fill the bottom 2 feet of the pipe from the screen up with cotton balls (not too tightly compact). Then the next 2 feet with crushed charcoal (make a fine powder). Then the top foot with a mixture of course and fine sand. Pour in dirty water at the top with a funnel. This setup will mostly purify drinking water (just boil after) and will last about 25-50 gallons before needing to be replaced. If done correctly, you can get enough materials to build this 1 time for less than $10. So for $50 you can purify up to 250 gallons of water. Thats enough for a single adult male to drink 64oz/day for 500 days.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Thank you very much for taking the time to add this. Very helpful and great idea

[@AaaA-on1jq]

Wanted to say thank you for posting this. I bought 4 berkey black filters for 150.00, 2 3 1/2 gallon buckets w/ lids and a 6 pack of taps. Total spent was 170.00. I use one filter and have 3 spares. Love it.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Food grade buckets I hope

[@AaaA-on1jq]

Definitely

[@hightopcrocs]

Might be good to add a drawstring cotton carrying sack to keep everything together when not in use. It would also serve as a means to safely suspend the system if you had the spigot installed and you wanted to elevate it while camping. An old pillowcase stored inside would make a great pre filter for large sediment and would be easy to hand wash as needed. I think the spigot is very usable in emergencies as long as it's removed during storage and transport and only installed when in use

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Great adds! The pillow case is brilliant

[@ScientistPrepper]

Really great job with this video. Helped me a lot so I subscribed. Very smart to emphasize no spigot too. Biggest problem now for family members is not getting ecoli into the bottom bucket. You know it but regular people don't realize in a true survival situation how clean their hands have to be whenever they touch that bottom bucket to avoid bacteria contamination of the clean berkey water.

[@sharistafne4632]

So cool that I just came across your channel! My son and I are building this with stainless steel buckets for Science class project! Next project emergency garden. Subscribed 😎👍

[@PracticalPreparedness]

That is awesome! Great way to share that idea with folks!

[@Sylvan_dB]

If you have your heart set on stainless steel, go to your favorite discount retailer of kitchen goods and pick up a couple of cheap stainless steel stock pots. Same process, except being harder to drill you will probably want a good "step bit" for your drill. Instead of a $3 bucket you are probably talking $15 to $30 per pot depending on size.

[@kellyname5733]

You can also pick up stainless pots for cheap at second hand stores or garage sales.

[@christinedescant8504]

Hi, where do i get these filters and what r they called ?

[@francoloma2971]

Great video, thanks! Note, you should NOT pour too much dirty water in, should be 1 inch below the top of the filter. If you watch the demo, you have dirty water flowing into the hole at the top of the filter, which is dripping into the clean bucket.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Yes! Have to be careful when putting the dirty water in, great input

[@semolinasemolina8327]

"The things that can easily break" - I really love this new consideration, I hadn't thought about that before in Prepping really. "What can break, what will need thinking about and fixing"

[@lindacondray7918]

I’m concerned about sediment clogging the Berkey filter if having to use muddy or heavy sediment water.. ANSWER: 3 buckets. Allow dirty water to sit pre-filtering to allow large sediment to settle to bottom. Then pour gently from the top into the Baby Berkey to begin filtration.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

One of the simplest methods to separate sediment. Great add!

[@RazzyComics]

Then pour it through a t-shirt before putting into the bucket with filter.

[@dont.ripfuller6587]

Pea gravel and coarse sand in bucket one that has an overflow at the top linked to your next bucket, bucket 3 percolates on top of and into bucket one, gravity and the rocks trap particles in bucket one as it fills the water ends up in bucket 2, 1st pass clean and ready for micro filtering. Iron out details as needed for your situation

[@genkiferal7178]

a spigot 4 to 6 inches up would mean not having to hold a heavy bucket to pour it and the sediment shouldn't move as much. Lived through a broken well, so experienced water issues.

[@AutomationDnD]

Xcellent demo-project. That's as _SIMPLE_ as it could ever be.

[@dodgy8393]

I bought a Big Berkey 3 years ago. I finally took it out of the box 6 months ago. I love it. I make about five gallons a day. I use it for my humidifier. I was tired of replacing the $20 humidifier filter every two weeks because of hard water. I've had the same humidifier filter for five months now. I've already saved $200 in humidifier filters. I use the Berkey for that and for the dog and cat water bowls. The animals know the difference. They won't drink tap water any longer.

[@johnosman8971]

Ok, but hard water generally consists of lime deposits, right? Why not put a weak vinegar solution into the water from your tap, then let the vinegar evaporate by leaving the lid off, with maybe a screen type lid, to keep bugs, & trash, out of the water, …?

[@dodgy8393]

@@johnosman8971 I tried vinegar last year. Even tried fabric softener.

[@enzoh7763]

@@johnosman8971 , , , didn'tknow of using vinegar to eliminate the deposit in hard water . and just curious, when eaving the lid off for the vinegar smell to evaporate, the water would still be vinegary ?

[@jamespowell3056]

i leave a small bucket out side over the winter and my dog homes in on it for a drink. so the berkey for the rest of the month's.

[@Clynn57]

@@dodgy8393 fabric softener is EXTREMELY toxic.

[@Jill4Today]

BRAVO!! We own the same Berkey as you. We've had it for years and cannot speak highly enough. Very, very clever.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Think it’s the perfect size! Thank you for watching

[@flaxjimdiaz9989]

Nice job explaining everything. This would be good for filtering campground water.

[@livvydays8545]

I finally made one today just like this. Thanks for teaching me! God Bless!

[@Az_N.S.O.L.]

I did this with a sawyer mini. Works great and is only $20 for the filter. I have a 5 gal (dirty)bucket with the sawer threaded onto the outside bottom, setup to drip into a 5 gal water jug. Cleaning is easy, just turn the bucket over and use the supplied cleaning syringe after every 5 gallons to keep it in peak condition.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

That’s an excellent idea.. how did you get the sawyer to thread? A fitting you sealed at the bottom of the bucket?

[@Az_N.S.O.L.]

@@PracticalPreparedness yes. The threads on a sawyer are designed to fit most plastic bottles. I cut the threads from a 2 litre past the part that is flared out. You know where that little plastic piece left over from opening the cap? Just below there. It almost looks like a plastic washer. I drilled a slightly smaller hole in the bucket so the threads have a tiny grip on the bucket. Put an appropriate size o ring on, then thread the 2 litre piece from inside the bucket so the threads stick out the bottom. The "washer" on the plastic bottle makes a nice seal against the bucket with the o ring. Put on another o ring outside and screw on the filter. No silicone or other sealant needed. It's set on a small "table", 2×2 frame 18"×18"with an osb top and 4 2×2 legs about 24" long. There is a 3 inch hole in the middle of the osb to allow the filter to poke through with plenty of space and the 5gal. water jug just sits underneath. Done! Well actually on my setup I also put on a standard hose spigot on the side as well for an emergency drain, but that's just my preference. It has no effect on the filtering process. Hope this info helps people in need.

[@OvGraphics]

HI Az. Norm from Al. here. I'm in fair luck as my emergency water source is an ever flowing ancient spring. Little doubt the water is healthy right out of the earf. But I'm planning on doing the bucket thing anyway. (Got a couple of Berkey type cheaper 1 micron filters coming in tomorrow my time as a matter of fact.) So, being that the Sawyer is designed for squeezing...what kind of gravity flow do you get? That 0.01 micron is hard and *expensive* to beat. I'd surely love to know the flow. How long you looking at dripping out the 3 or 4 gallons of water? BTW, (never saw one of the things)....so just viewing their video now I get your solution with the bottle threads. Brilliant!

[@Az_N.S.O.L.]

@@OvGraphics the sawyer squeeze is designed for squeezing. The sawyer mini is a gravity feed system, so if you are trying to use the sawyer squeeze, I don't know if that will work with this setup and I have no experience using the squeeze. To answer your question, the flow rate depends on your water source. The cleaner it is, the better it is for the filter. I'm not exactly sure of the flow rate because I've never timed it. If I know I'll be needing water I fill it as part of my nightly rounds and let it work overnight. If I had to guess I would say give it 2 hours or so per gallon. So 10-12 hours for a 5gal. jug. Good luck building yours Norm.

[@OvGraphics]

@@Az_N.S.O.L. I think you answered my question. As designed looks like the thing gets squeezed. Squeeze bag, etc. So for gravity feed it still drips, and that answers the question. (The water pressure in the bucket is enough to make it drip.) They say the Berkey type filter (two of em) takes about 7 hours or so to work. 12 hours for the Sawyer is still acceptable. Well, that being the case tomorrow my two Berkey types go back and I'll order out a couple of Sawyers. I love it that you can backflow to clean, as you said. Can't thank you enough! Ya done great all the way around...and super thanks for the quick response! Norm

[@maralenestrom9222]

Thanks so much for your calm informative information without causing fear etc. Your practical info is so valuable. Thanks for teaching us how to make the bucket berkie! My son is an engineer, so his favorite Mom will cajole him w needing to do this for me. I live on shore of small lake fed by underground springs. Having grown up in northern WI next to Lake Superior, we were well versed in keeping warm. Water pipes wrapped in crawl spaces. Lake winds could creep into crawl spaces so hay/straw bales stacked against foundation as insulation and hay/straw over water pipe lines as the frost line could go 4ft or so. So hay/straw over lines added insulation protection.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Awesome! If you decide to make it, there are other filters too! Just remember to use food-grade buckets

[@rtoguidver3651]

Make sure they are food safe buckets... The bakery at your local store throws away the buckets that icing comes in, if you ask, they will usually give them to you.

[@Brineytoes]

WM is selling them from the bakery now!

[@evelbill1439]

Be sure to get three buckets for each filter set-up. Use the top 3-10 inches of the third bucket to make a base to lift the spigot high enough to allow you to get your pitcher or measuring cup safely under the spigot w/o setting the filter system on the edge of the counter. You can even use the cut off piece to be the container to receive the water from the bottom bucket.

[@alsaunders7805]

Firehouse Subs sells their empty pickle buckets pretty cheap. Anything you put in them smells/tastes like pickles for awhile though. 🤓🍻

[@joyanderson8646]

good tip Sams club also

[@glenda0406]

Firehouse subs pickle bucket!

[@JesusSaves86AB]

Excellent job. I've seen these made and contemplated making one but now I plan on making one with mostly organic materials (rocks, sand, grass) for filtering so I never run out of filter media.

[@JesusSaves86AB]

@@PracticalPreparedness Unfortunately we won't have weather well enough for grass, or much digging for that matter, until at least March. But I'm definitely looking forward to your upcoming video on it. God bless.

[@chriscraftsman3898]

Can't go wrong with charcoal and natural filter media.. Practice makes perfect. Perfect makes safe. Safe makes good.

[@Veetribe.]

We built a Berkeley from 2 stainless pots from Walmart..and a spicket..then we bought just the burckly filters..works great

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Nice!

[@elizabethtaylor4440]

I have a Berkey I've used a couple years. This is a great idea for someone who hasn't got much money

[@gaylewaltersdorf7940]

This really works! someone below used stainless steel pots. great idea. One Alexapure Pro filter produces 5000 gallons. still cheaper brands deliver 3000 gals. not bad. do it. you will sleep better at night. .you can take your waterpure system anywhere you go, too! lovely! good luck everybody! LOL

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Great backup in case you ever needed it!

[@yukonsmomma3562]

Thanks for another video. I appreciate the time that goes into putting them together.

[@Heavensdaughter7661]

Just bought a Berke a month ago. I’m sharing this with family.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Please do! Food-grade only though!

[@bigfreddie4854]

Love the DIY video Justin. Top notch . Keep up the good work!

[@billiemitchell73]

Thank you so much for your instructions. You saved me a lot of money and it was easy to assemble. Bless your heart.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Glad it helped! I hope you saw the description and notes on Food Grade buckets, folks have been really helpful saying you can even get them cheap at FireHouse Subs and bakeries.

[@billiemitchell73]

@@PracticalPreparedness Yes, I definitely used food grade buckets. Got them relatively cheap at both Home Depot and Lowes. I will check out Firehouse Subs, as well. Appreciate you. 💖

[@whateverthedaybrings2268]

I did this exact same thing about 7 years ago. I saw another off grid channel that uses a terra cotta pot for the filter; claims it is just as good as a berkey but way less in cost and no special filter to buy.

[@Clynn57]

With all the nasty dangers in our water, I’d not trust someone who CLAIMS it’s just as good. BUT, as a pre filter, I’d totally be on board. Stretch that Berkey filter life! Lol ever dollar saved is a win.

[@barb8452]

I tried the terracotta pots.. it didn't work and the water smelled bad from the terracotta..

[@frankortiz_HeroDad]

This was the water filter video I was looking for. Excellent job👍👍 God bless!!!

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Genesis.1-1]

Big Berkey with two filters = $387. You could build two of these for @$175, or four for $350. That's a great investment in clean water for preppers. $350 for 12,000 of clean water, less than 3 cents per gallon. You can also make an efficient filter for water using food grade activated charcoal @$13/lb at Amazon, sand and small stones. It's more involved and less portable but effective, especially given that the Berkey filters work best/last longer when filtering "clear" water.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Thanks a bunch for bringing up those numbers. Really helps it hit home! Great advice on the activated charoal!

[@SnowMcCall1]

And totally portable!❤

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Yep. Super slick idea, I can’t take credit for it though!

[@OvGraphics]

Hello Practical P. Much appreciate your great video. My Berkey type (cheaper version BB9-2 Water Filter Replacement Elements from Amazon) 1 micron filters will be here tomorrow my time. I asked my wife who I have been driving bats with the prepping stuff for the last month (catch up) which she would prefer....a nice shiny Berkey or buckets. She basically replied "Are you nuts?!" So bucket it shall be. Ha! Appreciate your effort and advice!

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Good for you. I appreciate that, and thank you back for supporting and watching!

[@carrieporter3401]

Could someone tell me how long a berkey filter lasts?

[@fookingsog]

Honesty Absolutely Appreciated!!! 😁👍🏻

[@QCDoggies]

I love your instruction style. Great job, thanks!!!

[@PracticalPreparedness]

You are so welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@bluecat1233]

This is such a great idea! Anyone that has a drill can make this.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

A step-bit makes things much cleaner too

[@jeebak]

Instead of spending $30 on the berkey primer, use a condiment squeeze bottle. They work great. EDIT: re: cleaning the internals of the filters, there was another YT video where they soaked the filters in a diluted white vinegar solution (something like 1 cup to a gallon of water.) I havne't tried this yet, but I saved my old "clogged" filters to do this with.

[@brianlanders5306]

Thank goodness for the Wal-Mart mustard squeeze bottles, right. You get good mustard for a dollar and a 24 oz. bottle as a prize. LOL

[@irenecrandall9417]

What are you using inside the condiment bottle to filter?

[@jeebak]

​@@irenecrandall9417 You'd use the same thing you'd use for the $30 berkey primer, filtered water. You can search "how to prime berkey filters" on YT if you're not familiar w/ the process. IMHO the methods prescribed by berkey is more awkward than w/ the squeeze bottle.

[@kellyname5733]

@@brianlanders5306 Or...you can buy them new with no contents at Walmart.

[@kellyname5733]

@@jeebak I just checked the prices for a Berkey primer and they are only $14-$39 as off 4/22. Im very frugal so I wont be buying the Berkey primer kit. Plus the squirt bottle method is way easier.

[@patsyettleman6998]

YOU ARE A ROCK STAR.... thank you , thank you , thank you,.....!

[@demitaylor6266]

Having gone through major flooding with a sewer pond nearby and a river as well, I would be most likely to get at least 3 of these buckets to use at a time. 1st with charcoal,sand and small rocks to pour first. Then second one would have a small amount of bleach THEN only the third bucket to be a drinkable bucket. Trust me in this because of flooding you will contend with sewer issues. I DON'T WANT TO DRINK THAT..

[@PracticalPreparedness]

You know from experience how nasty it can get then.. talk about incentive to make sure you have what you need.. thanks for sharing!

[@loves2spin2]

Pure genius!

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Thanks Yolanda! I'm not the inventor but wanted to apply it to emergency preparedness :)

[@torchofkck4989]

I haven't read through the comments yet... But personally, I'd get a little more hardware. If you use 1/2" tubing, NPT to hose barb adapter, a cutoff valve (with barb.. 2pc if necessary)... You can hang up & reduce footprint. Yes, There's so many ways to personalize your own setup.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Nice adds Torch, thanks for sharing. Getting in air would def save some space

[@torchofkck4989]

@@PracticalPreparedness , Thanks I tend to look & think a bit differently, more like production / mainstream utility... (1/2 my life) can see the simplicity of using 5 buckets tapped together for pre-filter & feeding 3 buckets filtering tapped together fill a decommissioned water heater (horizontally). Done correctly, Has footprint of 37" Wide × 132" Tall ×20" Deep & can be funnel fed, If inside with a floor above or Manage a platform system... Including a rope & tackle into a tree. Whatever your mind can design. (Individual situations) Everyone needs to stop thinking inside the box. lol

[@daphneraven6745]

@@torchofkck4989 : You are of course correct about this. Everybody should be willing to do a little bit of creative thinking. That being said, it would be super nice to see how close my concept of what you’ve described is to what you actually have set up. But alas, I’m not finding that video on your channel. Do you have a blog?

[@torchofkck4989]

@@daphneraven6745 Thanks

[@nazdak691]

Just spent $400 on the 3 filter Berkey. I wish i came up with this great idea. Thank you

[@PracticalPreparedness]

I don't think you'll regret the purchase, personally, at least I hope not. You could use steel pots too. Berkey is tough as nails and has the ability to nest, will last a lifetime.

[@charliewade1057]

"Pre-treat" your dirty water and avoid paying the Berkey filter premium. A large automotive funnel lined with a double layer of coffee filters and partially filled with white sand (and activated charcoal, if available) serves as a decent prefilter. Adding an adequate and sensible amount of bleach or water purification tablets makes your dirty water even less dirty. Also, consider fashioning cheesecloth sleeves for your main filter of choice.

[@ApocGuy]

zeolite+activated charcoal work fantastic as pre-filter.

[@davesanders9203]

For me it was very simple as I have no shortage of tools, I just ordered 2 Stainless Steel pots and the filters off Amazon a few years back. Plus a SS spigot later

[@picadilly3184]

Thank you and bless you. I have always wanted one of those water cleaners but thought I could never afford one. This is huge.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Glad I could help!

[@melissa2982]

I love the Berky water filter and this is a great alternative. The only thing about the filter it doesn't remove Nitrates.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Very true, had to look it up back when I thought it filtered everything :(

[@DMAneoth]

This is amazingly well Timed for me. I was planning to order a Berkey system this week. Now I just need to order the black filters. Still expensive but far more affordable. Plus the spigots which are cheap. And I already have several food grade buckets.

[@alysiachristensen5475]

Where do you order the filters from? Thanks in advance!!!

[@janp7660]

Alaska Prepper has a link to a similar filter which is quite a lot cheaper than the Berkey. I would research its effectiveness before purchasing. It is linked in a video that he did on a homemade system.

[@alysiachristensen5475]

@@janp7660 thanks so much!!!

[@alysiachristensen5475]

@@PracticalPreparedness thanks

[@zenzibell]

Made this today, and it was the easiest thing ever. This is a perfect solution, as I'm not ready to invest in a Berkey (though I will at some point), and it's gonna be way more portable when I camp this summer. Thank you for such a great idea. SIDE NOTE: The ones I found on Amazon were ridiculously expensive.

[@zenzibell]

@@PracticalPreparedness I got them at Lowe's, which was the only place I could find food grade buckets. Home Depot has the same size, and supposedly the same brand, but they weren't listed as food grade. The buckets were under $5 each and the lids were under $3. Definitely a steal, compared to the real thing.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

@@zenzibell $16 total not bad. I'll do a stainless steel version too coming up here. Will be the first time I've attempted, we'll see how it goes. Thanks for sharing. I ran into the same issue at HD

[@letsgetitright35]

A 5 gal bucket filled with. 1/3 of sand covered with another 1/3 of pea gravel topped with a layer of crush gravel will pre-filter out most non liquid contaminents and greatly extend the life of your filter elements if you must use dirty water source! Just punch a hloe or holes in the lower part of the bucket and have a catch basin to transfer prefiltered water to your Berkey.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Awesome idea!

[@karenolson5556]

Thank you... I'm getting on it asap!!! I appreciate you for showing us...it's very important to know these things for Survival purposes!!!!

[@jeffh156]

Liked the video. Well done. One suggestion to extend filter life. Use a wrap around foam air pre cleaner to cover the filter.. It will catch 70 to 80 percent of the solids before dirty water hits the main filter.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

I like this idea, thanks for sharing. Versatile stuff

[@aCountryVegan]

When I worked in hydroponics we had bags for the filters that resembled a paint strainer bag to keep the larger particulate matter out.

[@thomasg3677]

Ģreat idea. Thanks for taking the time

[@PracticalPreparedness]

My pleasure! Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment!

[@djiceyfan]

If this wasn’t going to be given to someone, a great test would be to use creek or river water in it and see how clean it turned out to be 😊

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Great suggestion!

[@cassandralehman5274]

AMAZING!!! I just purchased the Berkey Light (BL), which is just a plastic container!!! This is even better than the BL, and much stronger.

[@HeartFeltGesture]

Unsealed terracotta pots work great and are much simpler. You just plug the bung hole and the water will drip through the porous terracotta.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

I may show a vid on this :) Great add!

[@daphneraven6745]

Acidobay: This is a good point. Do you know the pore size of a terra-cotta filter? Comparison of the different types of filters might be interested in that way, because the poor size determines what kind of particles can get through. Which might be important, depending on what the contaminant is that’s in question.

[@goofsaddggkle7351]

Yea watched a vid yesterday of a guy demonstrating a terracotta pot as water filter. Lots of questions in my mind though. Does it filter out microbes? Bacteria?

[@daphneraven6745]

@@goofsaddggkle7351 if I were considering doing that myself, I’d go online and figure out what the pore size is for the type of pot that I was thinking of using. I’d also do the same thing for any plug I was planning to use for any holes in the pot. Then, I’d compare that to the size of the microbe or other particle that I wanted to filter out of water. Pore size matters. You have to think about what you want to remove from the water. If you only want to get chlorine out of water, you have to do nothing but let it sit overnight uncovered, or boil it, And chlorine evaporates out. For improved flavor, many people swear by the Inexpensive charcoal type filters such as a Brita. But other people are worried about microbial contaminants, and certain chemical issues. You can get a multistage filtertration unit, some of which will also purify, like the MSR, some of which will filter to.02 µm. Those will filter everything but certain viruses, which are .01 µm, as well as nuclear particles. But then again, if you’re up to using a combination system, you could overcome that very cheaply as well. A drop of iodine in the water that’s about to be treated, might kill the organisms that are too small to get caught by the filter, and then the filter would eliminate the iodine before it gets to the drinkable stage. Likewise, a few drops of chlorine. It’s been a long time since I’ve even looked at Berkey, but my understanding is that they filter to about the same range. But it’s not just about filtration. Like you say, there are a lot of questions to answer before you make a decision. For instance, do you want a system set up that just does the filtering while you do something else, or are you partial to a system where you have to hand pump the water through the system? Do you need your system to be lightweight and portable? Do you need your filters to be completely refurbishable and reusable? How fast do you need it to be able to filter the water that you need? And, does your system only filter, or does it purify? Not everybody knows that, and a lot of people get really terribly sick every year for lack of knowledge about that.

[@kellyname5733]

Yes terra cotta pot are great filters "if" the media used to make the pots is pure and has no lead or other contaminants

[@Sourpusscandy]

Dude, that’s a genius idea!! Will store that in the back of my mind!

[@FreddyFootlock]

I would’ve loved to have seen how some rather rank/dirty water faired in this video, but well done mate. Simple instructions, brilliant. TA for this.

[@chataboxload8607]

great video thanks i just priced up the stuff to make one of these with two filters around 50-60 pounds so next project commences soon

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Glad I could help

[@heatseekerbus]

I've been working on my emergency preparedness. I'm at this stage for water filtration. Price is a factor. Thanks for sharing your video.

[@quinton1433]

That was very informative! Thank you, I was intending to use pool water as emergency reserve, this makes that water safe!

[@bradlafferty]

Never realized it was this easy. I say we call it the Practical Perky! Thanks. Good vid.

[@bradlafferty]

As in “percolator!”

[@Znobyrd]

Great! I believe the Berkey is a copy of the original Doulton, designed in England to mitigate disease from drinking the river Thames water. Both excellent filters.

[@davidhyche2869]

May I make a suggestion… I tend to overkill everything 🥸…. Once the filter has been installed, test to make sure the seal will hold the dirty water from bypassing it otherwise you get contamination into your clean…..nice looking setup 😊

[@christinedescant8504]

Ok. Tks. I had food poisoning once. 😫almost died. So im afraid of messing this up. Very 😱afraid. But i have to do something. My husband Isnot interested in preparing . Praying for the whole world . Waiting for the rapture.

[@notmeee8294]

I think Berkey suggests putting a little (food grade--by the baking section in market) red food dye into your original "dirty" sample water and you can see that it's taking all the contaminants.

[@dlighted8861]

Thanks,there are a few videos like this out there. Including one on the S.O.S. Step One Security channel. Rainfresh a water filtration company makes a heavy duty,five gallon plastic pail based filter that they give away in the third world. Never mind the "awesome" Yuppie stainless steel container. "Chrome don't get you home." 😉

[@theresam567]

Best one out there...need for animals, plus. Easy for me, no ability to do.. Thanks so much.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Thank you for watching!

[@installtekzdotcom9777]

I would make this with homemade activated charcoal filters

[@marias.5682]

I do have such a filter too. I have a terracotta plant pot above and a 9,5 l drink cooling pot made of stainless steel underneath. The inside of the terracotta pot I painted with silver nitrate. And I put some silver rings, 2 handfull of zeolith stones, 1 handfull of magnetite stones in it. After filtering the water in the lower bucket I have put 20 little EM pipes. Et voilà, very tasty fresh water.

[@evelbill1439]

What is the largest size particle to pass thru the berkey style filters? What percentage of viruses and bacteria does it filter out? Are the filters cleanable? If it helps anyone Firehouse Subs sells its 5 gallon pickle buckets for a $2 donation each, to a fund that buys safety gear for small fire departments. The pickle smell washes right out. The buckets generally are red with white lids, are definitely food safe and have a food safe rubber-like seal in the lids. If you don’t have a Firehouse Subs, try other restaurants or fast food places, many have a surplus of food safe buckets.

[@brianlanders5306]

I'd be willing to donate two dollars a bucket, that's a great idea. Most of the comments I've read are great idea's, I must have hit the engineering jackpot. LOL

[@evelbill1439]

Thanks. Glad to help.

[@anpanek]

I do love my Berkey!!

[@realityimaging8385]

I use, British berkerfeld porcelain filters, do the, same job and cheaper and they're older company than berky prob get 6 filters for price of 1 berkey filter and they do about 10,000 liters

[@Hutzjohn]

make another bucket that uses coffee filter to "prefilter" before you pour into the top bucket. I believe this could REALLY help with really dirty water and extend the life of the Berkey filter element.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Love it, I WILL!

[@kevinoneill41]

Thanks when I'm out at the property we usually use boiled rainwater it's good but still a bit of a pain. This is much more functional. Now shower water and drinking water can come from the same reservoir 😊

[@barrykelly2722]

I have concerns about the bucket curve compromising the seal effectiveness. But that is a jam up good idea. Except label them so you dont mistake it for the bucket-loo.

[@PracticalPreparedness]

That's a good call out!

[@daphneraven6745]

Barry Kelly: might not be a terrible idea to have a different colour bucket for the loo, Complete with seat and lid. That way there’s no mistaking it.

[@MIZZdarkerPerspective]

Now, that's a worthy video💯

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Glad you think so! Thank you!

[@scottc7376]

Love it and thank you for this creation. Thinking about doing this myself and will use your links. The only thing that was a little unclear after researching Berkey equipment is do you need to buy something to prime the filter, and do you need extra washers (not included in the 2 Black Berkey Filter pack) to make this work?

[@kellyname5733]

I am definitely going to prime the Berkey filter with a squirt bottle from Walmart. I want the filter to last as long as possible and I want maximum flow thru the filter.

[@yakamoose]

My boss invested in the big Berkey after Hurricane Laura left Lake Charles a total wreck in 2020. The city water system was compromised and there was a boil advisory for a few weeks. I wanted to do the same for myself but the price tag was a deal breaker. This is much more affordable for me. Thanks!

[@brianlanders5306]

@@PracticalPreparedness : Maybe they seem expensive, but did you price the little Brita filters? And I doubt they filter as good as the one expensive one. I'm just saying.

[@blittlefishing9468]

I’d name it “Frankey”, like a Franken-Berkey! I may build one after seeing this. I’ll definitely be naming mine Frankey!!!

[@krightcarr4785]

Great video, practical, sound, and immediate. Fantastic job. Thanks!

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@terrisprogismcguire8660]

I just discovered your channel. Great video! I recently bought a bunch of 2 gallon buckets, too. QUESTION: What are your thoughts about perhaps doing a 2nd filter (through a 2nd bucket) with the white filter that gets rid of fluoride/arsenic?

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Absolutely. Berkey has thread-on flouride filters, OR you could use another bucket. I would be thinking of stabilizing the buckets by some means if you plan to use more than 2 buckets high personally

[@esemmanuel6603]

@@PracticalPreparedness Just to let you know, I researched Berkeley’s main manufacturer’s site and those flouride filters will only work within a specific PH range ….. something I found which I haven’t seen one company add this note when selling it. Wouldn’t it be alright to add maybe, a 3rd bucket with a coffee filter (the round circular-like plastic ones) ……

[@sweetwolf30]

Thank you! I have a brita but you are right, the filters don't last long and I have been hearing nothing but good about the berkeys but I can't afford one so this idea is awesome in an emergency situation! Thank you!

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Glad I could help! I've got my list of alternatives. Hoping for the video within the month

[@sweetwolf30]

Awesome! Can't wait to watch it =)

[@allentremper8243]

Right off the bat, I see many ways to improve, basically you should at least have 3 buckets, one with enough space and 1/8th inch holes to drain into your first bucket, the rope bucket only really needs activated charcoal, everything else I'm sure you can find in the wild(sand, course sand, small non rounded rocks and a bit of cotton or even good tree moss. Too much can go wrong with any system, it's best to have at least 2 totally different stages of purification, and since most should know how to make charcoal and activated charcoal, this should be a no brainer, (LMAO) No disrespect, it's just it's a great idea, but in a survival situation, you really only need a couple lifestraws, a way to boil water, (and cook game), and 3 two point 5 gallon buckets, this won't increase your weight nor space, at the same time providing a much longer lasting "water purification system ", though I always boil all water sources, unless I know it is coming directly from a spring, or in rapid fresh water that is supe oxygen saturated, but if you can, always boil that water source, because I tell you honestly that the filter you are using starts to grow mold and other crap you are trying to avoid. Always boil your water if you're not positive .

[@PracticalPreparedness]

Love the feedback, no disrespect taken. Thanks for sharing this. I need to pull the bandaid off and do the charcoal filter!

[@BorntobeWild.]

Thank you so much. The berkey now is about $530-$579. Great vid.

[@mostthoughtprovoking1494]

Thank you for the video Justin. The cost of the filer (singular) is $88 now. Also there are other filters on the market though I have not been able to verify that they are able to remove the bacteria that supposedly is able to be removed with the Berkey filter. I also see there is another added filter for removing fluoride and arsenic. Do you suggest also using one of those?

[@PracticalPreparedness]

There are definitely alternatives. Check out alexapure pro in the meantime

[@elizabethgaribaldi7702]

Alexa pure filter get the fluorides out.

[@leewaddell8561]

I sure do like the look and quality of the Berkey but the bucket style works just as well and lower cost. I'm going to make one thank you.