Clearance: Big Berkey Purifier System, Standard
Out of stock ETA is unknown. We aren't accepting preorders at this time. (more info)
Clearance: Big Berkey Purifier System, Standard
This is a scratch/dent/blemish clearance item. Please check the table below to see how we rate our clearance items.
Note: The product images on this page are of a new item, with the exception of any images marked “Clearance item”.
The world's most powerful and economical water purification systems, Berkey® purifiers provide incredibly clean, pure water whether the source is a wild stream, stagnant pond, private well, or substandard municipal supply. Available in sizes large enough for the sustained needs of up to 325 people per system, Berkey purifiers rely on no moving parts and use no electricity.
Easy to use
Just fill the upper chamber with water. Gravity carries water through the Black Berkey purifying elements and incredibly pure water rains down into the Berkey's lower chamber where it's ready for you to use.
Contaminated Drinking Water
A recent national study found 316 different contaminants in U.S. drinking water. Berkey purifiers remove pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites while extracting chemicals including herbicides, pesticides, organic solvents, VOCs, detergents, cloudiness, silt, sediment, foul tastes and odors. They reduce heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, aluminum as well as nitrites, without removing the beneficial minerals your body needs.
Proprietary Micro-Pore Technology
Berkey purifiers use proprietary micro-pore technology to achieve contaminant reduction of 99.99999%. This extreme level of purification, called “7-log” reduction, means that no more than one part per ten million of the original contaminant remains. This standard is 1000 times more stringent than what's required to label a system as a simple “water filter.” Systems achieving 7-log reduction provide ultra-pure water not only in normal conditions, but also in circumstances of extreme and highly dangerous contamination. And unlike many purifiers, Black Berkey elements are cleanable: A Scotchbrite™ pad is all you need to remove exterior buildup and extend element life. Each element can clean up to 3000 gallons of water.
Black Berkey Media
The media within Black Berkey® elements removes contaminants by a surface phenomenon called adsorption, the molecular attraction of substances to the surface of the media. The exclusive purification elements are also impregnated with proprietary media that promote ionic absorption of pollutants within the micro-porous elements. A key reason Berkey systems are so effective in removing contaminants from water is their long contact period. Most systems blast water through their filters at high pressure, which limits contact with their filter media to only a fraction of a second. Water molecules passing through the revolutionary micro-porous structure of the Black Berkey purification elements are drawn gently by gravity and remain in contact with the trapping media for several minutes. This multiplies the Black Berkey filter media's ability to capture contaminants.
Reducing Bacteria
Berkey purifiers using the Black Berkey purification elements are proven to reduce pathogenic bacteria (including E. Coli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas Aeruginosa, Giardia and Cryptosporidium) by 99.99999%. Berkey systems have been tested with the highest pathogenic contamination levels that can be produced in a laboratory. When contamination levels exceed a billion pathogens per liter of water (10,000 times the density of contamination used in the standard test protocol for bacteriological removal) they're classified as TNTC (too numerous to count.) Under normal testing protocol, one pathogenic organism is tested at a time, each with a fresh purifying element. For this test, however, the laboratory was directed to combine three separate pathogenic TNTC cultures. Tested under this extreme contamination level, absolutely no pathogens were able to make it through the purification elements. The laboratory then incubated the water, and nothing grew. When the purified water was viewed under an electron microscope not even inviable microbes were detectable—nothing was present but pure water. Furthermore, contaminants including trihalomethanes, radon 222, and volatile organic compounds including benzene, 2,4-D, Heptachlor, MTBE, styrene, tetrachloroethylene and toulene, among many others, were reduced to below detectable limits.
Reducing Viruses
Far smaller than bacteria, viruses typically range upward in size from about 30 nanometers (nm). Black Berkey purification elements have been proven in to reduce the MS2 and Fr Coliphage viruses, which are among the smallest viruses at about 25nm, to Log 5 (99.999%). No other gravity fed water filtration system even comes close to this performance.
The striking superiority of Berkey water purifiers can be demonstrated with food coloring. When bacteria are viewed under a powerful microscope, food coloring is often used as a contrast enhancer to make the bacteria easier to see. Food coloring consists of particles so small that even under magnification strong enough to show fine details in a single bacterium, the food coloring still appears only as uniform coloration. Yet Berkey purifiers effectively remove food coloring from water. Berkey systems are the only purifiers in the world that can do this.
Soft water
The Black Berkey® purification elements are designed to remove heavy metals, but will not remove mineral salts, which are added by a water softener. The salt used to soften water will not be extracted by the Black Berkey® element. We recommend that you use softened water directly from the source rather than running it through the Black Berkey® elements.
Configurations
Berkey purifiers are available in several configurations. All Berkey Systems using Black Berkey purifying elements meet or exceed the EPA's stringent "7 Log" (99.99999%) contaminant reduction specification. Systems using Black Berkey elements within transparent Copolyester housings are known as Berkey Light Purifiers. Systems using Black Berkey elements within 304-grade stainless steel housings have the same purifying performance, and are known as Berkey Stainless Purifiers.
Bundle Discounts
Save on Berkey purifiers and accessories! The table below shows the special pricing that's available for Berkey products.
Berkey Bundle Discounts |
Berkey Items | Discount |
Up to $750 | 5% |
$750-$2500 | 7.5% |
$2500+ | 10% |
Order must include a stainless Berkey purifier from this page, or a Berkey Light purifier, plus a second Berkey item to be eligible for a bundle discount. Some replacement parts aren't eligible for bundle discount pricing. Discount will appear in cart. |
Note: Berkey purifiers aren't yet available for shipment to Iowa, and some systems cannot be shipped to California. Unlike any other state in the union, Iowa doesn't accept the results of any labs but their own, and their recurring annual lab fees are prohibitively inflated. The State of California, uniquely, says we can ship the stainless Travel Berkey into the state, but not the larger stainless systems. Californians also may order the Berkey Light system. Of course, any Berkey system may actually be usedanywhere. More details of these regulatory novelties can be seen here.
Berkey Water Purifier Stainless Systems |
Elements
Capacity
|
Storage
Capacity
|
Flow Rate
w/2 elements
|
Flow Rate
w/4 elements
|
Daily
Maximum Flow
|
Dimensions
in use
|
Dimensions
Nested
|
|
Crown Berkey |
2-8 |
6 gal |
6.5 gph |
13 gph |
650 gal |
11 x 30.5" |
11 x 20" |
Imperial Berkey |
2-6 |
4.5 gal |
5.5 gph |
11 gph |
400 gal |
10 x 26.25" |
10 x 17" |
Royal Berkey |
2-4 |
3.25 gal |
4 gph |
8 gph |
190 gal |
9.5 x 23.5" |
9.5 x 15.25" |
Big Berkey |
2-4 |
2.25 gal |
4 gph |
8 gph |
190 gal |
8.5 x 20" |
8.5 x 13" |
Travel Berkey |
2 |
1.5 gal |
2.75 gph |
n/a |
66 gal |
7.5 x 19" |
7.5 x 12" |
Flow rate is calculated based on a full upper chamber

Total Virus Control
Black Berkey® filtration systems are an integral part of the ideal solution for treating virus-contaminated water supplies. The accepted standard for using chlorine to kill waterborne viruses is 2 PPM (2 parts of chlorine per 1 million parts of water.) 2 PPM is achieved by adding 8 drops of straight chlorine (common chlorine bleach) to 1 gallon of water. For "good measure" the recommendation is often made to use up to 16 drops per gallon. But who wants to consume all of that chlorine? Berkey® Purifiers solve this dilemma. Black Berkey® elements remove the chlorine from the treated water after the chlorine has completely killed any viruses present. You're left with only what you want... ultra pure, ultra safe, great tasting water!
The Black Berkey filter formulation has been tested by state & EPA accredited laboratories. Click to see some of those test results, from
Warranted by manufacturer
Read warranty
Additional options
Other Berkey systems include the transparent Berkey Light purifier, the small stainless Go Berkeyand the Berkey Sport personal bottle. Also available: Berkey systems with white ceramic elements.
Pleasant Hill Grain has been among the largest distributors of Berkey water purification systems for many years. In business for over three decades, we're here to help you with any questions now, and we'll be here later to meet your future needs. Please email or call us if you'd like to discuss Berkey systems. We'd appreciate your business, and we look forward to serving you!
Descriptions of Ratings for Clearance Store Items |
Rating |
Description
|
Minimum Discount |
Mechanically Perfect |
Standard Return Policy |
Full
|
R1 |
Returned. Non-working surfaces have new or nearly new appearance. Working surfaces may have slight wear marks. Very close scrutiny is required to tell that the item isn’t brand new. Packaging may not be perfect. |
10% |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
R2 |
Returned, nearly-new appearance. Slight to moderate flaws on non-working surfaces, such as a mixer cabinet or lid. |
Varies by Item |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
FR |
Factory refurbished. Mostly returned items which have been brought fully up to new-equipment performance specs at the factory. |
Varies by Item |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
D |
Demonstration items have been operated briefly at Pleasant Hill Grain. |
Varies by Item |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
SDB |
From new stock; has moderate damage such as a scratch, dent, or paint blemish. |
Varies by Item |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
NOS |
New old-stock. A brand new item that isn't the newest model. |
Varies by Item |
Yes |
Yes |
Varies by Item |
Additional notes:
Bottom Line: If you’re a highly detail-oriented person, we recommend sticking to “R1.” But after a week’s use, the only real difference between one of these items and a brand new one will be the money you saved. |
Clearance ID:
Specs
Shipping
Please note: Berkey water purifier systems are not yet available for shipment to Iowa (though they certainly may be used in Iowa.) The Big Berkey cannot currently be shipped to California, but other systems, including some Berkey Light systems, can be shipped to California. There are no restrictions on actual use of any Berkey system in any state.
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