Berkey® Why does the water look cloudy?
A small number of customers have reported that their water (which was clear before filtering) appears cloudy after filtering it through Berkey® systems equipped with Black Berkey® Elements, and in conjunction, some are experiencing very slow flow.
NMCL sells a large number of replacement Berkey® Systems and Black Berkey® Elements worldwide each year, but isolated reports of water turbidity have come in from a small handful of cities in North America. The largest number of cases came from the Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada area.
Regarding issues reported by customers:
Cloudy Water: In an effort to investigate these claims, NMCL conducted simple performance tests in three different states across the United States (from 3 different water sources) using some of the customers' filters in question that were producing cloudy water for them. NMCL was unable to reproduce customer claims regarding cloudy water.
Associated slow flow: Many filters associated with reports of cloudy water also had slow flow (or in some cases the flow stopped completely). In several filter sets reporting both issues in the Vancouver area, an unidentified film of particles was observed on the outside of the filters that accumulated during brief customer use. We installed the filters in a system and verified that they were flowing slowly. However, after scrubbing the film with a Scotch-Brite® pad, repriming the filters, and reinstalling them in a Berkey® system, the filters performed as expected, providing clear water with an acceptable flow rate.
NMCL has not conducted tests to identify what may have coated the filters or contributed to the cloudy water or slow system flow.
Potential causes
Black Berkey® elements are designed to purify water by reducing or removing contaminants without introducing harmful contaminants into the water. A very small amount of media processing dust is expelled during the initial priming process. As a result, the quality, appearance and taste of water improves as it passes through Black Berkey® elements after they have been sufficiently primed. Reported cases of cloudiness can be caused by a number of reasons, such as insufficient priming. Alternatively, some water sources may be very acidic and have high levels of dissolved minerals, including salts or other substances (which may be unknown to us). Black Berkey® elements typically increase the pH of filtered water, which can cause "good minerals" to precipitate and become suspended in a natural process called flocculation, making them visible to the naked eye. Additionally, temperature and microscopic air bubbles in the water can give it a milky appearance that dissipates over time. Finally, there may be a new or unknown substance or contaminant in the water that affects the water chemistry during the filtration process which produces the cloudy water effect. Again, these are just possibilities - we don't know for sure. What makes sense is that the water is cleaner after being filtered through the Black Berkey® elements despite the water appearing cloudy.
Conclusion
Cloudy water coming out of Black Berkey® Elements is very rare. The reported rate of Black Berkey® elements producing turbidity in their water is extremely low, at approximately 0.0001% (well less than 1%). Since NMCL has not been able to replicate the reported issues, which occurred in an extremely limited number of geographic areas, we can only conclude that the issues are related to something found in the individual water supplies serving those areas. Berkey® systems equipped with Black Berkey® Elements are powerful and reliable. They have been tested by several independent third-party laboratories to treat over 200 typical contaminants in fresh water sources. These are just a few of the many reasons why families facing natural disasters, mission organizations working in unforgiving parts of the world, relief agencies battling the elements, and everyday families rely on Berkey® systems to do what they say they can do and continue to choose them again and again.
Yet, as powerful and reliable as our systems are, we recognize that a Berkey® system may not be the best solution for a very small number of customers due to the nature of their specific local water supply.
In the unlikely event that you experience the problems listed above, more frequent cleaning and priming of Black Berkey® components and systems will likely restore any reduced system performance. Another solution may be to filter the cloudy water through your system again by sucking the cloudy water from the lower chamber and pouring it back into the upper chamber. Your Berkey® system will likely remove any precipitated or flocculated minerals during the second filtering process. Cloudy water or slower flow is not necessarily an indication of a problem with your Black Berkey® Elements or Berkey® system.
Simple test to see if local water is the cause
Purchase 2 to 3 gallons (or the amount of water your Berkey® system is designed to hold) of natural spring water, making sure to use a brand that is not from your area. If necessary, disassemble your system and flush the interior of its stainless steel chambers. Scrub your Black Berkey® elements with a Scotch-Brite® pad (do not use soap). Reprime and rinse the filters. Reinstall the filters, then fill the upper chamber with natural spring water. Wait for the water to drain completely into the lower chamber. To assess the condition of the water treated by the filters, pour tap water into a clean, transparent glass. If the water comes out clear, you can know for sure that the problem is caused by something in your local water supply and that your Berkey® system is working as designed. In the unlikely event that the water still appears cloudy, please contact the Berkey® Water Systems customer support team.
Black Berkey® components are covered by a prorated limited warranty; Warranty conditions and exclusions are listed at https://support.berkeywater.com/support/warranty-info/. If you have further questions about the performance of your system, please visit https://support.berkeywater.com/ for troubleshooting tips and more information.