You guys did it right....and by it i mean going off grid. Trade the rest of your money for ammo and seeds. We will never ever get any illusion of freedom we once had back.
I don't need to buy seeds this year, got plenty from China... Interesting that you use 1-micron filter x 2, I've been using a 10 micron followed by a 1 micron? Thanks for the info!
Hi Doug I’m a new subscriber. I used to design water systems for homes and I see a small problem with your filters. Your first filters should be the sediment (threaded) filters and your carbon filter should be the very last filter that your water passes through. You don’t want to contaminate your carbon filter with dirt and debris that’s why the sediment filters should be located first. God Bless.
Great thanks so much for that information. Do you know how that works in the Burkey System by any chance? Because the water is going through at once? I have a cymomis system, I can't remember how to spell it, but I only discovered this year that I hadn't got the one that puts minerals back in, so got the extra one. But I was thinking of the Burkey for my Caravan.
My brother lives in Ghana, where you absolutely can not drink the water without getting sick; but, he has a Berkey and it works great for him and his family. It is a great system.
We’ve been using the same Burkey that you have for many years. Two clear results for us are: 1. Our cats used to have blood in their urine -probably from salt crystals-with the Burkey, no issues. 2. My yeast and sourdough starter is twice as active since using the filter. My thoughts…if yeast and cats do alot better, we humans do as well.
The berkey takes out 99.5% of heavy metals and chlorine,but not flouride as its too small a particles to filter.The chlorine would definatley affect your yeast in a sourdough,because it acts like a bleach.The berkey filters have silver rods in the charcoal filter....so its expensive,but helps with anti viral,anti fungal,and anti septic properties....and stops anything growing in your water filter,and is safe to drink at low to medium levels.
@@lisabishop5216 they are making claims that can't be backed by science. carbon filters will filter chlorine only and some bacteria. chlorine can degrade carbon quickly depending on levels of chlorine. R/O is your best bet desalination tech. it will strip everything including minerals which you will need to add back to the water or your diet. I worked water treatment 27.5 years everybody has a gimmick. there are great filters out there do your research. check if they are actually certified by the companies, they claim they are certified by. you will be surprised if you check. most people take tap water and are only removing the chlorine but not the chloramine's. with a good R/O you can add the water directly to your fish tank. I do not filter my water I trust my city's system it is the best treated water in Tx and second in the nation. you would be so surprised if you checked what city has the best water in the nation. the city is the same name as the state I was born in, but I will let you check with the EPA and see for yourself. have a great day
When I was working in the city I sacrificed many modern comforts trying to save money in order to leave the suburban pit. I nearly lost my mind by all of the environmental setbacks. Me and my hubby called it "the trap". And there were many times we would lose hope and had sat one another down and gave encouragement that it's not permanent. That we will find a way out. And we never gave up. Currently I am sitting in the living room of my little home on 2 acers out in the country. What I remember most about living in the city was the media. In densely populated areas it is misleading since there's so much. It's hard to sort the truth from the lies. Also everyone is irritable from sensory overload. Yet if your children starts to display such things, they just shove pills down their throats. Such places rarely raise success stories and more often raise zombies.
I've heard about Berkey and I checked out their prices and figured well that's the end of that! Until my hubby and I went to Goodwill to find tripod camp cooking frame. I just happened to look behind me and low and behold there the Berkey was on the top shelf, $20 later it was ours! A total score! But that wasnt all, right next to it was a Presto Dehydro dehydrator with 4 trays, $10 later it too was ours. Another total score! I was so excited and I've been busy dehydrating fruits and veggies left and right since. I truly believe that God wanted us to have these items. Tfs. Please stay safe and sending hugs to you both. 💜🙏😎
I was a plumber for 12 years. A little petroleum jelly on the O-ring (located in the threaded part of the retaining cup) will prevent damage to the O-ring seal. You can also apply a very small amount to the threads to prevent "Dry Binding" of the retaining cups. If the sit for a year some sediment can penetrate into the threads making it difficult to remove. NEVER use more than your paws to tighten the cups. Great advice in this video.
Build your own Berkey system. Buy 2 food grade 5 gallon buckets with lids. Purchase 2 Berkey filter cartridges and a spigot to mount on bottom bucket. Mount cartridges in bottom of top bucket and matching holes to cover in bottom bucket. Fill top bucket with water and after some time your bottom bucket will be filled with Berkey filtered water. Makes gallons of water a day.
Very awesome that you were gifted one of these! Everyone should use them to avoid plastics from bottled water. Been using Berkey for a decade. We have the largest model. We have city water, so we have the fluoride filters too. The higher number of filters give you faster water filtration. My husband will drink 2 gallons a day including for tea and coffee. I drink about a half gallon per day. When we first got it we had 6 kids at home! We give our dogs filtered water and use it for cooking about half the time. Very awesome channel you have. I wanted to go off grid but we started too late in life so only got as far as raising and processing meat birds, food storage like buckets and canning, and off grid appliances like the All American Sun Oven and camp stove. I also make most of our food from scratch Agree the food grade plastic buckets will work but there is a chance of mildew developing due to the slightly porous material. Honestly, it’s worth the investment for the stainless steel model of you can save for it. And remember you have to change out the filters every year or so (based on your usage). We still have a school age child at home for 2 more years. Looking forward to downsizing and using these skills to live more simply going forward.
@@awakenedblackheterosexual5609 Berkey filter cartridges are rated by gallons, so figure what you'd use in a week, then extrapolate how long your filter will last before you need to change them.
Awakened Black Heterosexual you can also scrub them with a scotch brite pad and reuse them. I got one pair 4 years ago and am still using them, and have added in another pair so it filters faster
Doug, I remember the floods and bobcat days. Scary times. Learning and adapting, you definitely taught us that. The only way to develop a working system is a lot of thought and work. You folks are inspiring. On another note, I got my Berkey traveler while it was on sale about three years ago. I think it's the best water system. Quality materials and dependability. Hope your Berkey serves you as well as mine has served me. I have been enjoying your adventures since I caught your early shows many years ago. At my age (old), my dreams of an old farm home of my own has become a memory of a dream. When I turned 18 (late 1960s), I found a beautiful old 80 acre Amish farm. Farmhouse, barn, spring, fields... and two thirds of the acerage in old trees. I would probably be still using the deadfall for my firewood. I loved that place. It would have been less cost than a town or suburb home. But the local banks thought this hippie kid was a foolish dreamer. I still think I was ahead of my time... the back-to-the-land movement. I still dream of that place. Sweet dreams are the inspiration to eventual happiness. To anyone wanting this blessed, hard work life, don't give up.
Love to hear this. I am a few years older, and grew up in Northern Ohio in a county with one of the highest Amish populations in the country. We befriended many in our area in my youth, and I remain grateful to this day. It directly influenced how I live on this fragile planet.
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
@@treefellonya The YT videos you mentioned are not from Berkey. And I wrote my comment quite awhile back. Since then, I think the white fluoride filters are now made by other companies. I can't say what quality these filters are at this point in time. I know the original filters from Berkey, did an excellent job of removing metal and biological contaminates. The new filters may have changed due to manufacture changes over the past few years.
The problem was with introduction of aluminum. This was verified using an independent lab. Additionally, Berkey's claims of removal of impurities is overstated - also verified by independent labs. These are all recent reports.
Hi Doug, We LOVE our big berkey!! We’ve been using it for over 10 years. One thing we did to to add to the use of our berkey was to get a food grade bucket and put a spigot on it. It sets beside our berkey and holds the “overflow”. As the berkey fills we pour it over into the extra bucket. For us it helps keep track of our water supply and not run out as fast
Turns out Berkey filters are not NSF certified. The company claims it is too expensive to lab test for every contaminant - which is required to be NSF certified. The "3000 gal" filter claim is arbitrary.
@@THXx1138 Even so, we should be able to tell when any water filter we use needs to be changed. If we don't go by the calendar, the taste will definitely let us know.. Ty
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
Those black filters are actually called “fast flow filters“. The capacity is probably 1.25 gallons. I’ve had a Berkey system for several years and I just love it! I would not drink the munni water if my life depended on it. Get in the habit of a glass in for every glass poured. When I fill up my coffee pot I fill it up at the sink, pour in the top dispenser at the bottom. When I fill up ice cube trays I know that it’s 2 cups. I put 2 cups in the top and just fill up my ice cube trays. This way you always have a full Berkey and you don’t get angry when you’re thirsty and somebody forgot to fill it up for you. Enjoy the clean waterHi
Just a recommendation, Always, I mean always use some silicone lubricant on those threads on the head of the filter canister before you screw the canister back on to make sure that you will be able to get the filter canister to unscrew the next time that you change the filter. Also they make a special wrench to help you to unscrew the filter. The charcoal filter is for taste and odor and the string wound filter is for sediment. For the bacteria, you would need an ultraviolet system. We used to own a plumbing and electrical store for 40 years and did service calls also and water filtration was one of our specialties. I love your videos. Love Stacy's cooking and fermenting videos.
Claudette would you be able to recommend a whole house filter for Iron. I moved to a house that has a well and terrible iron problem. I use string filters because that is what the previous owner did. It does help but the water still has enough iron in it that it stains the white shower stall and my hair is getting a slight orange tinge to it. Thank you for any help.
@@flowergirl8887 My husband is the real expert on that subject. You can take a sample of your water to probably Home Depot or call your local county to see if they can give you the name of a lab that they might use to test water and have them test it for how many ppm (parts per million) of iron is in the water. You may have other minerals in your well water for instance, sulfur or hardness. Even Home Depot would be able to sell you a system that would take care of the iron. For instance, one of the filtration systems for iron would be a greensand filter system. There are a few other ways. Look at TH-cam videos under "iron filtration system for well water" and it will show you what they look like and what to do. I don't know how knowledgeable someone at Home Depot would be as opposed to someone that specializes in water conditioning and filtrations. Beware of those companies that want to sell you more of what you might need. I'd watch quite a few videos and write down some questions that you can ask whomever you talk to. Hope this gives you some help.
@@flowergirl8887 check the iSpring company from Georgia, great product and the phone service advice is honest. I don't find big box stores to fully understand all problems. For instance, my well has a sulfur smell. It took a long time to find out my iron would not be filtered unless I put in a hydrogen sulfide filter first. It took a lot of research and finally found the answer in an Amazon comment.
Ive been a plumber for 19 yrs. And I'd like to offer some advice. The plbg / filtration system looks good! But you shouldve used copper pipe before or after the filters. The reason being is copper pipe sanitizizes water. It's copper property's kills viruses and bacteria. Word to the wise. Love the video and all your intuitivness!
@@heidi22209 I THOUGHT IT WAS SILVER THAT KILLED VIRUSES AND BACTERIA / COPPER IS A NEW ONE ON ME / WELL WE LEARN SOME THING NEW EVERY DAY DON'T WE / THANKS
Copper pipes can erode and leach into the water. Also make certain if you do have them that they are not connected together with led.Osmosis filters are the best for cleaning the water for drinking.
@@qicksilver8949 erode? No Mr. Silver copper pipes don't just waste away. It would take some really hard water and about 100 yrs for water to erode copper. Especially if said copper pipes are installed properly avoiding bi-metal contact , insulated and a filter installed before the plbg system. Also lead connections would be almost any public connection pre 1980, so always check that before any improvements are made regardless. Copper out performs any other water distribution system out there in terms of water quality and longevity by far. Further more R. O FILTRATION will remove pretty much everything healthy and unhealthy in water. Making it useless or rather harmful for human consumption. The best filter to use would be a simple homemade filter utilizing gravel sand and activated charcoal, which can also be done from home at little to no cost. Mr. Silver here is obviously not a plumber nor is he a very good googler. So before you start dishing out potentially harmful advice about drinking water push a few buttons on that nifty lil device you got in your hands and check yoself
Thanks so much Doug and Stacy for all your great videos teaching us a better fulfilling healthy life style! My husband and I are very worried about what’s going on in this country right now. We all need to be healthy to survive thanks again!
I am making my second system that these filters fit in. The first was 2 food safe buckets, installed a spigot and drilled holes to fit the filters. It rocked! I am using stainless steel this time with 2 old stainless steel pots
I would like to thank you for another great video, and to comment on something you mentioned at the end of the video. You have dedicated your lives to living simple, and shared your entire journey with anyone who wanted to watch. and learn. If you take the time to try a product, and you share your honest opinion of it with us, then there is absolutely no shame in getting a royalty from the company that you shared with your watchers. People should be thankful instead of complaining, especially when there is a bonus discount associated with the link that you attach in the description box. There will always be a hater that is totally miserable with life, and their priority is to try to ruin anyone else’s life that they come into contact with. Rebuke them, and continue as you are!! Thanks again for sharing your experiences with everyone, and I pray that God will continue to bless and protect you and your homestead immensely! 🤗💕
We are in the Missouri Ozarks and in the first year of our off grid homestead. We have our big chicken coop and raised bed garden area fenced with 12 4x8 beds we were able to get filled and use this year. I see the progress and beauty of it all and I'm so grateful!! You guys are, and were, our inspiration to do this. You are our Homestead Heroes! Thank you both for your inspiration and informative videos!! It's been such a blessing!
I have a house I am rebuilding 60 miles South of St. Louis, Bismarck. It is a small town. I want to start making all the stuff instead of using the electric and water from town. I am putting in a swim pond and want to put in a water wheel to generate electric. Dig down to water source and add a pump. Hopefully by next year it will all be done. I am not taking any vaccines so I won't be able to buy sell or trade for electric or water. I hope to have the house rebuilt by fall this year.
How much is the land i live in st louis tired of dealing with ppl i grew up in Northern Arkansas wood stove heating no ac canned our garden food processed our own beef (live cow) in our back yard used the waste for fish bait on bull shoals lmao simple life hard work less stress
Thank you Doug! We get our water from a beautiful, clear creek and still filter our drinking water through a Berkey just for peace of mind. We’ve had the Berkey for a couple of years now and recently did the red food coloring test to check the filters. Even after two years the filters are still working great! Well worth the money!!
I have been using a Berkey for 3 years and the same filter. It is now time to replace the filter. I have heard they will go for 5 years but not on my well laden with rust
God bless the folks that blessed you with that Berkey! You and Stacy bless so many of us, you are in line for blessings. I pray that you get back 100 fold for all that you give out. Our goal is to meet you guys at your next big fair. FYI, when we had our farm, we used shade cloth canopies over top of any open garden boxes to protect them from the harsh sun. Then in the winter we folded them up and stored them for next season. I love how you always interject helpful information in the middle of doing something totally unrelated. You're always thinking about sharing your wisdom, I love that and so thankful for who you are. May God our Jehovah Jireh, Provider, bless you and your beautiful wife and precious family in fathomless measure.
My wife and I have a hunting cabin in VT. We have well water and use the Berkey to filter the water making it drinkable. We added 2 filters for a total of 4. It speeds up the filtering process. We love the filter. Our water is safe and tastes great.
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
I have had my Travel Berkey for a couple of months now and love it! I have very limited space, and this smaller model fits perfectly on the counter in my RV. I would recommend that if you have the space, to get the largest one that you can accommodate and can afford, you would be surprised at how much water you go through each day when you use it for drinking, cooking, and your pets!
Someone may have noticed this already but, you want to wait until most of the filtered water has been used and that lower container emptied before you fill it up. It's important for the filters to be completely immersed in water for them to work optimally. If you are just adding a pitcher to the top when you see the bottom is low it's not going to work as well. If you fill the top to the tops of the filters you are going to get a flood. But my kitchen floor got a good rinse and rub down so there's that! ;)
I've used a Berkey for 3 years and love it, It's the 1.5 gallon one. For some reason California won't let us get the larger ones. That being said, the 1.5 gallon size is perfect for my husband and I. I even purchased one for my daughter and son-in-law. I use two filters in the top along with two Fluoride filters. I really like having the glass tube to see the water level. I also find it very easy to clean and maintain. I'm enjoying your videos!
I’m on city water. I’ve been using my Berkey with the additional white filters for about 7 years. We absolutely love it. Keep some extra of those filters on hand as well!
@Will Swift not the op, but I to am on city water, first years we lived here we bought bottled spring water. The berky beats that as far as taste, which in my mind pays for itself, hope this helps.
@Will Swift take it or leave it, you don't need to be a smartass or maybe you do. I couldn't care less if you buy one or not. Just trying to be helpful.
I think you may have misunderstood that guy. I believe he was actually thankful that you let him know there is an improvement in the taste of the water. That means a lot. I hate bad tasting water. Take care and God bless.
Hey Doug! Right now I use the Zero water filter and I love it. It is a smaller container and is quiet, water taste great. I bought a 2 pak filter to go with it. Does not take long to release filtered water into reservoir. But guess what. I have heard of Burkee since a few years well now. I am also sold on it. Not until I'm in my tiny house will I have one of those. And I'll still have my zero water filtration system. I'm not getting rid of that. Listen, thank you so much for the demonstration of that Burkee. It is just as simple as the zero water filter. God is good, all the time, confirming and reaffirming. Shalom!
@@patriciadavis7444 Hi! Actually a Burkee would be the next step UP from the Zero. The Burkee is more powerful in cleansing water. That's why my next purchase will be a Burkee. Thank you and have a good one.
We have a Berkey and a Zero water pitcher. The Zero water came with a testing device. We were curious to test the Berkey. We had two regular filters and a fluoride filter, and all were correctly primed. We were so disappointed in the Berkey water! It tested as bad as the tap! (We have hard water in the Phoenix area.) It surely did not taste as clean and pure as the Zero. I researched Berkey for a while before we purchased it, and read many rave reviews. Maybe we just got bad filters. 🤷♀️
Bravo!! 👏👏 I am a visual learner in this video provided me with such useful information! I’m ashamed to say that I have put off the purchase of a Berkey water system simply because I didn’t wanna have to read all of the directions on how to set it up. Well praise to God for you folks! You graciously share all your knowledge and I love the added, “get off the couch!!” I actually joined the gym this year because I know when I retire in a few years I wanna be able to get around and work in my yard. I noticed how bad my knees were getting and I couldn’t even bend over to pick up my shoes. I feel great! So you my friend are correct. Get off the couch! Thank you, thank you for such valuable information! You truly have found your calling!
7:36 My father put two metal cans in the wall of our foundation instead of PVC. Whenever you're ready to put a water pipe through, just pop the top and bottom off the can and you have a nice hole to route your pipe through. After that, mortar your pipe in and you're good to go. We did this with the pipe from our spring up the hill.
Modern faucets are difficult to use for priming. Berkey sells a priming kit. Just used it last weekend when I cleaned my filters and it worked just fine.
I'm glad you guys got a system, and thankful for our talk at Mother Earth News Fest. Don't forget about the Berkey Bottle we gave you for on the go. Stay Safe and God Bless.
I LOVE my Berkey filter, I’ve had it for 7 years. You don’t need to replace those filters, you can scrub them clean. I live in the city (lots of chlorine in the water, yucky) so I use the city water for doing the dishes but I use my Berkey water for everything else. I have a shower filter too. You can also get an arsenic filter too
We have a lot of activity in the sky in Australia too, have never seen so much rain in the past 12 months. Purchased my first water filtration system today👌
Using a Berkey for 5 years. Great product! They/it even take Roundup out of the water. Which is in the rain now. A tip I have if it doesn’t process the water fast add a small clip to the joint of the top & bottom of the container. They sell them clips but anything will help. The other holes are for fluoride filters. But you could use 4 filters...
the fluoride filters screw on the end of the carbon filters, it would do no good to put the in the extra holes. the berkey can handle 4 carbon filters and 4 fluoride
As I'm watching your video I was thinking I would put that charcoal filter as the last in line, to kinda polish the water of impurities.. and have your sediment filters first. Don't you think the large sediment filter should go first? Protecting the charcoal filter from clogging with larger junk? Just a thought.
You make it look so effortless. Watched two suburban gals struggle to put it together with mixed results! I’m with you on the chem’-trail issue and been worried about our water for sometime now and this is top of my list. Almost everyday planes can be seen relentlessly messing up our skies here in the UK🇬🇧 They say it’s for rain which is crazy when this is a country world renowned for being rainy! 😮
This is the very first OFF GRID video I ran across, as I researched water filters. I fell in love with Doug as he bends over backwards to teach us. Then I found Stacy, and I have been hooked, listening to them EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!
Love ya Doug! You have encouraged me and hubby to move out of the city grind. We won't start off fully off grid but will do our best to live sustainably! We are a young couple with jobs and kiddo in school thus we need a little grid but I have been so inspired by you and Stacy! We have learned so much and applied so much so far. We are currently in process of moving states away in our new homestead with so many dreams to fulfill! Thank you for the inspo!
Hey Doug, you are right about being limber. I own a landscaping company so I know all about staying in shape. Core strength is key. And my wife works with me so frisky is mandatory. Just not in front of customers. PS she will be 60 in a few months.
I've been using my Berkey for years. LOVE Berkey! We are on public water, but the utility uses chloramines. Awful stuff. And fluoride too, of course. The Berkey is one of the few reasonably priced methods that will handle chloramines. We use the carbon filters plus the fluoride filters. Our water tastes SO much better! I plan to add a whole house filter too.
They don’t use chloramines, chloramine is a byproduct of chlorine disinfectant process. Although Berkley’s claims to remove contaminants, it is only certified by WQA to remove chlorine. To be certified to NSF standards, the systems are tested at 100% capacity for NSF 42 aesthetic affects and 200% capacity per NSF 53 for health effects. Berkley tests their filter by Independant labs using from 50 gallons to as low as 0.5 liters, for a filter rated at 3000 gallons, 11,000 liters.
I have a friend who ran a pipe right from their rin water system to their stainless steel water filter system because they have a big family...you just have to have the hole drilled..but I know you have lots of tools and could do it. Thanks, Doug! Many blessings to you and Stacy!
I came across the Berkey system a couple of months ago. It seems to work very well and lots of folks swear by it. Will be looking into getting or making one myself (I like to putter around with things like this) that's compatible with their filters. Given all the 'stuff' that's being found in processed (read: city) water these days I would say everyone should be filtering water!
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
Feeling frisky. Lol love it...glad to see you’re using the BERKEY water filter system....I’ve been using mine for years now, love it. Use mine mainly to take out the fluoride and chlorine that they add to the tap water, and if i ever have to use the rain water it’s here and ready to go...and i never have to worry about a boil water order if something goes wrong with the water lines. I never cook without it and the flavor of the food is much better, especially teas and coffee. Never trust city water, not even in the garden, unless you have an extra filter on it. So happy you are using it, much better than having to lift those jugs of water, no more cut fingers.
I can't even tell all the many times we have been "enlightened" with the multitude of "nuggets" you share! We will see you in a couple of days!!! We're so excited!!! 💗💓
What a beautiful setup. First time watching and I think I’ll stay and learn a few things. My dream would be to have my family together living the way you and yours do. We’re still in the suburbs being bombarded by chemicals but I have faith when the time is right we’ll make it to our dream spot on earth. Edit: I don’t see how people can still ignore the chem trails. I guess they have too much faith in their kings and queens to not poison them.
Spain just openly admitted to this! I’ve seen them spraying where I live in central nc however, funny thing.,, I recorded a 5 minute video that captured the plane that was doing it… a little while later that video was GONE! I didn’t delete it, I would have never deleted it as I was going to post it on a diff platform. Wonder just how much they do that we don’t know about. I know a lot by my own heavy research & seeking proof. What I already know is WAY too much for them to be doing. It’s so illegal! This new green deal is killing us for one. All the organizations should be shut down. And we need a new govt asap. It’s worse than I can say, yt don’t like too many trigger words. But it’s so bad all around, shockingly a lot of people don’t even have a clue
@@jillellis62 All True. They took my fb post down yrs ago about an article emergency water crisis in China mentioning us sending water there. I went back to retrieve and it wasn’t even online anymore. I kept posting truths I found. Old article of scientist who quit popular company yrs ago talking about estrogen being in everything. I kept posting chemtrails and awful stuff that people we don’t know do. I was targeted through the pc. My nerves in my arm were twitchy and jumpy. I’m checking myself and knew it wasn’t naturally me. People pay me little attention when I tell them why I’m not on fb anymore. I had those house filters for the same 4 yrs and not used yet. I’m in the Triad.
We've had the Berky water filter for 2 years now and are on the same filters we installed on day one. We take the filters out and clean them and use them again. Good for a few years. We LOVE our Berky. Our water is in holding tank and comes from a spring in a cave on our property. It's pumped up to our house. We just use a single thread filter and and run the water into the house then run everything we drink through the Berky. Best water ever!
I know this video is a year old so maybe you already thought of this. I would suggest to replace your Filter canisters with Clear ones instead of Blue ones you can't see the filters without taking it appart. This will save you time & energy to put towards other things. 😉👍🏼
I always love seeing the front of your cabin. All the pretty flowers:)) And when you were getting down in to the crawlspace, Doug, I noticed the wind chime with the keys. Very very cute!
May I suggest that you put your carbon filter on the other end let the string filters do most of the work. This way the string takes all the poo poo out first . The string filters are a lot cheaper and you'll got more life out of your carbon filter
Doug: Am new to your channel, and just wanted to say thanks so much for sharing the Berkey water filtering system with us. I've just recently started looking for info on the Berkey and there was a lot I didn't know - until you shared it. Awesome product, and am getting ready to order one now! I feel so much better about my choice. Thanks again. People like you make the world a better place!
Since you all are off-grid, I was wondering how often you all get colds, flu, sinus issues, ect.? I would think it would be rare but, I was just curious.
Your homestead is looking 👌 mighty fine. I cannot imagine how many people are looking intently at your lifestyle in 2020. Every video 📹 is inspiring and educational! Thank you both for sharing.
We’ve had our Berkey for almost a year. Beside refilling it during the day as needed, it’s my last chore before bed every night so we start the day with a full container of clean water!
I just love the channel. I would like you to know that you are the only channel that makes me feel relaxed and in focus to all that is going on today. I no longer will live in fear and focus on the way I want to live. Like you.
Coincidentally, my family owns a plumbing company. Good job, very impressive! We have been playing with the idea of homesteading, moving rural, etc. Very good videos. Keep it up.
Love my Berkey! I've used one for close to 20 years. Moved from the city, built a log home on 25 acres of heavy woods. I do have city water and still use my Berkey. I have a creek that we have hauled water up from the ravine to use in the Berkey. Love my remote/rural life.
Thanks Doug for the encouragement! A lot of us need that! God is good ALL the time! I will not abandony Bible, my faith nor my God during these difficult times!
I think your channel, lifestyle and personality are all quite wonderful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and lessons with us. Appreciate your positive attitude.
I've been telling y'all this back in 2017 & 2018 in a couple of my comments and way before the plandemic. Drinking and consuming rain water without a good water filter is not only counterproductive but it's absolutely toxic and dangerous due to all the chemtrails in the sky. So glad y'all finally realized this! Stay safe and healthy guys. 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
Thank you, I use rain water on my vegetables and I often wondered should I be filtering the water for the polytunnel? We can't do anything about the rainwater on the outside but it's lying in my Water Butt for a long time would that be a problem do you think?
So glad you mentioned G€0€NGlN€€RlNG... Aka chem-trails. The heavy metal particulates are nano sized. For better info than I can share: "The DlMMlNG" on yt Dane Wigington channel. Remember, they are NANO sized. Cross the blood/brain barrier.
There are no “chemtrails” in the sky. There are contrails. con·trail /ˈkäntrāl/ Learn to pronounce nounNORTH AMERICAN plural noun: contrails a trail of condensed water from an aircraft or rocket at high altitude, seen as a white streak against the sky.
Hi Doug and Stacy, I enjoy watching your channel and getting tips. Im from the suburbs of Dublin City but moved to a rural part Ireland 25 years ago to be closer to nature. I don't live completely off grid but one day I will. I have a rain water system and it was recommended to me by the guy in the store to position the carbon filter after the sediment filter. You're both doing a great job on sharing the knowledge, keep it up. Regards "Irish Tom" as I was once known as
I've had a big Berkey since 2005 and love it! It even makes city water taste good. If you do use it in the city, Berkey makes fluoride filters to screw onto the bottom of the charcoal filters... God bless y'all.
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
You can get fluoride filters for the Berkey too. 2 additional Holes are for Fluoride filters. I love mine! The filters last a long time. I’ve had mine for like 10 years!… probably time to change it. Water tastes AMAZING! You’ll never go back to tap. Good for emergencies or camping.
Why I love this channel?!! Because everytime I come here I learn something new, for me....whether from Stacy or like now, from you Doug, you both are inspirational and proof that it is very possible to go it alone, off grid! Thanks for sharing Doug, 👍and greetings 👋for you both from Mexico! 😊
Hi Doug and Stacy! Love my Berkey Filter. I got sick and tired of the computerized getup I had and went with a simple, no nonsense Berkey! Hope you continue to enjoy yours.
That's so much easier with the Burky to be sinkside & have a flexible hose-type faucet end. How fast you fill it really depends on how fast you're using it. I love your whole water system.
I have a Berkey, and a Clearly Filtered Pitcher. I have not Setup the Berkey, yet. I am on City water, and have been content with filtering it. Now, I am ready to unbox the Berkey and put it to work! Thank you for the Tutorial, Doug! Water is Very Important!
I just set up my Berkey! I have been enlightened. I feel healthier already. I also bought a chlorine filter for my shower and I feel a difference in my skin already. Thanks for the video to help me set up my Berkey. Love you guys
We don't have a Berkey Filter System, but have been thinking of getting one, because our other filter is wearing out. I didn't know exactly how it works and am very glad you showed how it does. I've seen bits and pieces of how it works before, but you did a great job and very complete.
I appreciate you guys, Doug n Stacy! Thanks for all your TH-cam videos! Enjoy listing to your humor in "what you're layin' down for us" and the "non-water tips", Doug.. great video!
Thank you for taking the time to show and tell us about your homestead, your successes and the difficulties. It is best of all to know how and where others had been able to make things work, when they decided to change course. Very neighborly of you to do this. Thank you. 👍
It's been since molly was a puppy that I was tuned in, life had me by the ears. Great to see how well you guys are doing and the place looks like Paradise. I've missed our talks Doug. Thanks for still being here and being such a roll model, both of y'all.
Love love love your channel!! I was an organic gardner in my youth passed down from my father....he encouraged me to fix things and be self sufficient. I have an ear to the news and am getting ready for whatever comes my way. God bless you for taking the time to pass on what you have learned. So many are are going to benefit as I am .
I can vouch for the Berkey. I have used one for years on water coming from a shallow well with rust and odor in the water. We plan to use it next for our off grids homestead. Thanks Doug
Perfect timing! This morning my hubby and I were discussing plans for rain water filtration. We have been browsing through your old videos looking at your system. Thank you for your videos and any time you want to talk more about this particular subject we will be listening!
Thanks Doug, We got two, one for my Son. We’re in our 70’s. Have always wanted to get out of the crowded place here on the coast. Our Daughter has Retts syndrome. She needs medications and air conditioning for her lungs. Drs predicted a life expectancy of 30 years. She just turned 52. We homestead as best we can here in the suburbs. We have chickens, a pretty nice garden and compost. Wish we knew older folks like us who’ve made the leap.
I truly love my berkey,,,i had mine for over a year now and i can't even drink bottle water anymore... Thank you for all the wonderful videos. Keep them coming.
We just ordered a Berkey - type gravity fed stainless steel dealio too! So your "how to" was perfect timing to learn, etc. Also, I'm really impressed with your home water rig! Freakin rocks! (Needless to say, I'm a new sub 🤩 )
We bought our water filtration system, and found that we needed a second one, just to ensure a continuous flow of water. Food preparation (for canning, fermentation, home-cooking, etc.) takes a LOT of water - clean water. We love our system, too! 💗
Thank you for all of your knowledge, and willingness to share. This video was right on time. We are getting ready to setup our rain catchment system. You and Stacy are awesome.
Water filter removal tip: I have a reverse osmosis filter which has the same blue plastic filter holders you have in the crawl space. I keep a loop style oil filter wrench under my sink to help open the canister. Works great. They also make dedicated wrenches for them. Also, I’ve seen some canisters made out of clear plastic, which might make filter inspection possible without needing to crack open the canister.
@Will Swift - RO water isn't much different than rainwater in that respect, so there's a large component of FUD there. That being said, mineralized water tastes better (probably because it is, indeed, healthier). And i do add minerals to my RO drinking water; typically about four drops of Trace Minerals Mega-Mag 400. Sometimes i also add powdered potassium gluconate. I suppose a pinch of baking soda could be added too, but it hasn't been my wont to do so. Some of the newer RO systems offer a mineralization stage, which supposedly adds minerals back into the water, but i'm leery of those. The purpose of RO systems is to remove contaminants; how do i know the mineralization stage doesn't introduce contaminants? Perhaps not by design, but unintentionally. Knowing the way things are sourced today, i think that's a very real possibility.
@Will Swift - As i understand the theory, RO water is "bad" because it's too pure. Rainwater is similar to RO water in purity. Drinking pure water has two implications: A) it isn't a source of minerals, and B) pure water is slightly acidic. But water from various sources varies widely in mineral content, so relying on water as a primary source of minerals is probably unwise as a general rule, as it varies by region. For example, water servicing Portland, Oregon comes primarily from the Bull Run reservoir. It is primarily rainwater and snow melt, which has spent a little time in a lake. It has minimal mineral content, compared to hard water sources like most well water. The minerals it does contain are mostly undesirable contaminants and byproducts from the pipes and water treatment systems. Supposedly, it is the slightly acidic nature of pure water which makes RO water "bad." If one has adequate minerals in one's blood plasma, drinking pure water won't be leaching minerals from teeth and bones. And it's easy enough to raise the pH by adding baking soda, or other alkaline minerals. Different kinds of filters filter out different kinds of things. If your water contains lead, fluoride, or other contaminants, you're probably going to need something like a RO system to remove the bad stuff. Unfortuantely, that means removing some good stuff too. The argument that RO water is innately "bad" is spurious, and therefore FUD, in my opinion. It is an argument often put forth by many non-RO filter manufacturers who want one to buy their product instead of a competitor's RO system. Problem is, their systems are probably incapable of removing heavy metals, etc. Such systems may be good for many applications, but certainly not suitable for every situation nor source of water.
It's so hard to watch a friend suffer, animal or human! I feel your pain, and pray for your comfort knowing you give your friends their best life ,even up to the end. I can see how much you care about your food ,your animals , your way of life, well done!
We’ve used a berkey for 10 years. We keep a gal pitcher of tap water beside it to dump into the Berkey, and another beside a separate clear dispenser to move the filtered water, so we have easy access to a greater volume of ready to use water. We drain the filtered tank to keep in the clear 2.5 gal dispenser every time we fill the top reservoir so it doesn’t overflow, but we keep an inverted lid under the unit just in case. We use filtered water for all drinking, cooking, bean soaking, pets, etc.
We love your character Doug you're so funny, keep the inner child. We have learned so much from you and Stacey and are so grateful to have found you. Great informative video as always, we're ording our Berkey now ❤ from 🇸🇪🏴
I couldn't agree more, I plan to be on my homestead in a couple of months, God willing, and I have watched I think all of their videos, plan to copy quite a few of their ideas. Thanks Doug and Stacy, for sharing your journey with us all. Tammy Whitten (this is my business acct)
We met them at the homesteaders conference (which I can't recommend enuff!!) And lemme tell ya, Doug and Stacy are just the sweetest people!! They are the real deal!!❤
Everyone has problems with the ceramic berkey filters leaking. Put red food coloring in the top, and see if it gets to the bottom. Buy aquarium sealant, and run a bead across the base of the filter where the ceramic nests into thw plastic cup. That seems to be the weak spot. Aquarium sealant is safe; if it's safe for fishies, it's safe for us.
Love the rain system, could you show the other end of it ? Also, we have a Berkey and I have noticed recently that after cleaning and priming our filters, after they're in a few days, I see mold where I have touched the filters... might need to wear gloves when handling...
Love y’all’s ‘outdoor’ kitchen. Where I grew up out on the Big Empty the well water had such a high content of gyp it was awful, so for drinking water we relied on rain water collection using gutters that fed into a cistern. Drawing up water was a daily chore. I can’t recall what cistern ‘treatment’ Dad used to eliminate bacteria back then (I’m a senior now)? After I was grown and gone, Dad plumbed the water to the kitchen sink to make it easier for Mom, and praise the Lord, she is still using it.
Here is the complete install playlist of the gravity fed water
system----->th-cam.com/video/6147qOOFBLc/w-d-xo.html
You guys did it right....and by it i mean going off grid. Trade the rest of your money for ammo and seeds. We will never ever get any illusion of freedom we once had back.
I don't need to buy seeds this year, got plenty from China... Interesting that you use 1-micron filter x 2, I've been using a 10 micron followed by a 1 micron? Thanks for the info!
I was just thinking about this. Do you make your own charcoal?
Doug did y'all get some high winds. Go to the 33:03 m ark n pause. Look at the cabins roof....
May just be me but ya might wanna take a look at it.
@@michellebeebelewisfrith1544 Thats a deflector so the rain water will run over to the flatter roof and not right down on the steps
Hi Doug I’m a new subscriber. I used to design water systems for homes and I see a small problem with your filters. Your first filters should be the sediment (threaded) filters and your carbon filter should be the very last filter that your water passes through. You don’t want to contaminate your carbon filter with dirt and debris that’s why the sediment filters should be located first. God Bless.
Well done.. the collaboration of great minds! Thank you all!
👍🏼 thanks for the heads up.
Great thanks so much for that information. Do you know how that works in the Burkey System by any chance? Because the water is going through at once? I have a cymomis system, I can't remember how to spell it, but I only discovered this year that I hadn't got the one that puts minerals back in, so got the extra one. But I was thinking of the Burkey for my Caravan.
Reverse Osmosis is the system I have in my house, I get the filters changed every year. 👍😉🇮🇪🍀
I was wondering about that. I was thinking he at least needed a pre-filter before the carbon filter or something
My brother lives in Ghana, where you absolutely can not drink the water without getting sick; but, he has a Berkey and it works great for him and his family. It is a great system.
We live in N Ghana as well We love the Berkeley as well and love it.
Biosand filter works great for biological contaminants and lasts up to 10 years..
has anybody tried multi-pure solid carbon block?
@@aywitb911 where do you get it from? 🙏
Do you mean the municipal water in Ghana is constantly contaminated?
We’ve been using the same Burkey that you have for many years. Two clear results for us are: 1. Our cats used to have blood in their urine -probably from salt crystals-with the Burkey, no issues. 2. My yeast and sourdough starter is twice as active since using the filter. My thoughts…if yeast and cats do alot better, we humans do as well.
Thanks. I was searching for Burkey but found out that it actually spelled Berkey
The berkey takes out 99.5% of heavy metals and chlorine,but not flouride as its too small a particles to filter.The chlorine would definatley affect your yeast in a sourdough,because it acts like a bleach.The berkey filters have silver rods in the charcoal filter....so its expensive,but helps with anti viral,anti fungal,and anti septic properties....and stops anything growing in your water filter,and is safe to drink at low to medium levels.
@@erikmilburn51 I purchased the Berkey floride filters so we now have a total of 4 filters.
@@lisabishop5216 they are making claims that can't be backed by science. carbon filters will filter chlorine only and some bacteria. chlorine can degrade carbon quickly depending on levels of chlorine. R/O is your best bet desalination tech. it will strip everything including minerals which you will need to add back to the water or your diet. I worked water treatment 27.5 years everybody has a gimmick. there are great filters out there do your research. check if they are actually certified by the companies, they claim they are certified by. you will be surprised if you check. most people take tap water and are only removing the chlorine but not the chloramine's. with a good R/O you can add the water directly to your fish tank. I do not filter my water I trust my city's system it is the best treated water in Tx and second in the nation. you would be so surprised if you checked what city has the best water in the nation. the city is the same name as the state I was born in, but I will let you check with the EPA and see for yourself. have a great day
So THAT’s how you prime the filter. Thank you Doug for explaining the process. I have a home built system setup for emergencies.
When I was working in the city I sacrificed many modern comforts trying to save money in order to leave the suburban pit. I nearly lost my mind by all of the environmental setbacks. Me and my hubby called it "the trap". And there were many times we would lose hope and had sat one another down and gave encouragement that it's not permanent. That we will find a way out. And we never gave up. Currently I am sitting in the living room of my little home on 2 acers out in the country. What I remember most about living in the city was the media. In densely populated areas it is misleading since there's so much. It's hard to sort the truth from the lies. Also everyone is irritable from sensory overload. Yet if your children starts to display such things, they just shove pills down their throats. Such places rarely raise success stories and more often raise zombies.
I've heard about Berkey and I checked out their prices and figured well that's the end of that! Until my hubby and I went to Goodwill to find tripod camp cooking frame. I just happened to look behind me and low and behold there the Berkey was on the top shelf, $20 later it was ours! A total score! But that wasnt all, right next to it was a Presto Dehydro dehydrator with 4 trays, $10 later it too was ours. Another total score! I was so excited and I've been busy dehydrating fruits and veggies left and right since. I truly believe that God wanted us to have these items. Tfs. Please stay safe and sending hugs to you both. 💜🙏😎
I was a plumber for 12 years. A little petroleum jelly on the O-ring (located in the threaded part of the retaining cup) will prevent damage to the O-ring seal. You can also apply a very small amount to the threads to prevent "Dry Binding" of the retaining cups. If the sit for a year some sediment can penetrate into the threads making it difficult to remove. NEVER use more than your paws to tighten the cups. Great advice in this video.
.
If the O ring is rubber, won't petroleum jelly cause it to break down?
😁
I did plumbing for many years. I always use a product called plumbers grease. It helps as well to tighten fittings.
Food grade silicone grease. Yes it's a thing
Build your own Berkey system. Buy 2 food grade 5 gallon buckets with lids. Purchase 2 Berkey filter cartridges and a spigot to mount on bottom bucket. Mount cartridges in bottom of top bucket and matching holes to cover in bottom bucket. Fill top bucket with water and after some time your bottom bucket will be filled with Berkey filtered water. Makes gallons of water a day.
We actually have 2 of these , getting our daugters ready for her..
Very awesome that you were gifted one of these! Everyone should use them to avoid plastics from bottled water. Been using Berkey for a decade. We have the largest model. We have city water, so we have the fluoride filters too. The higher number of filters give you faster water filtration. My husband will drink 2 gallons a day including for tea and coffee. I drink about a half gallon per day. When we first got it we had 6 kids at home!
We give our dogs filtered water and use it for cooking about half the time.
Very awesome channel you have. I wanted to go off grid but we started too late in life so only got as far as raising and processing meat birds, food storage like buckets and canning, and off grid appliances like the All American Sun Oven and camp stove. I also make most of our food from scratch
Agree the food grade plastic buckets will work but there is a chance of mildew developing due to the slightly porous material. Honestly, it’s worth the investment for the stainless steel model of you can save for it. And remember you have to change out the filters every year or so (based on your usage).
We still have a school age child at home for 2 more years. Looking forward to downsizing and using these skills to live more simply going forward.
How long are the filters good for do they give you instruction on longevity.
@@awakenedblackheterosexual5609 Berkey filter cartridges are rated by gallons, so figure what you'd use in a week, then extrapolate how long your filter will last before you need to change them.
Awakened Black Heterosexual you can also scrub them with a scotch brite pad and reuse them. I got one pair 4 years ago and am still using them, and have added in another pair so it filters faster
The thing my wife and i like the most of your channel is your happy, humble attitude!
Doug, I remember the floods and bobcat days. Scary times. Learning and adapting, you definitely taught us that. The only way to develop a working system is a lot of thought and work. You folks are inspiring.
On another note, I got my Berkey traveler while it was on sale about three years ago. I think it's the best water system. Quality materials and dependability. Hope your Berkey serves you as well as mine has served me.
I have been enjoying your adventures since I caught your early shows many years ago. At my age (old), my dreams of an old farm home of my own has become a memory of a dream. When I turned 18 (late 1960s), I found a beautiful old 80 acre Amish farm. Farmhouse, barn, spring, fields... and two thirds of the acerage in old trees. I would probably be still using the deadfall for my firewood. I loved that place. It would have been less cost than a town or suburb home. But the local banks thought this hippie kid was a foolish dreamer. I still think I was ahead of my time... the back-to-the-land movement. I still dream of that place. Sweet dreams are the inspiration to eventual happiness. To anyone wanting this blessed, hard work life, don't give up.
So many other ppl like your situational dream....like myself....smile when you think of the good memories...that's what I do...God bless!
Love to hear this. I am a few years older, and grew up in Northern Ohio in a county with one of the highest Amish populations in the country. We befriended many in our area in my youth, and I remain grateful to this day. It directly influenced how I live on this fragile planet.
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
@@treefellonya The YT videos you mentioned are not from Berkey. And I wrote my comment quite awhile back. Since then, I think the white fluoride filters are now made by other companies. I can't say what quality these filters are at this point in time. I know the original filters from Berkey, did an excellent job of removing metal and biological contaminates. The new filters may have changed due to manufacture changes over the past few years.
The problem was with introduction of aluminum. This was verified using an independent lab. Additionally, Berkey's claims of removal of impurities is overstated - also verified by independent labs. These are all recent reports.
Hi Doug,
We LOVE our big berkey!! We’ve been using it for over 10 years. One thing we did to to add to the use of our berkey was to get a food grade bucket and put a spigot on it. It sets beside our berkey and holds the “overflow”. As the berkey fills we pour it over into the extra bucket. For us it helps keep track of our water supply and not run out as fast
Turns out Berkey filters are not NSF certified. The company claims it is too expensive to lab test for every contaminant - which is required to be NSF certified. The "3000 gal" filter claim is arbitrary.
@@THXx1138
Even so, we should be able to tell when any water filter we use needs to be changed. If we don't go by the calendar, the taste will definitely let us know.. Ty
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
@@THXx1138 true!! true!!! just watch Robert Beaty & thats why Berky is in a class action lawsuit in Texas right now!👍🏻✌🏻
Those black filters are actually called “fast flow filters“. The capacity is probably 1.25 gallons. I’ve had a Berkey system for several years and I just love it! I would not drink the munni water if my life depended on it. Get in the habit of a glass in for every glass poured. When I fill up my coffee pot I fill it up at the sink, pour in the top dispenser at the bottom. When I fill up ice cube trays I know that it’s 2 cups. I put 2 cups in the top and just fill up my ice cube trays. This way you always have a full Berkey and you don’t get angry when you’re thirsty and somebody forgot to fill it up for you. Enjoy the clean waterHi
Just a recommendation, Always, I mean always use some silicone lubricant on those threads on the head of the filter canister before you screw the canister back on to make sure that you will be able to get the filter canister to unscrew the next time that you change the filter. Also they make a special wrench to help you to unscrew the filter. The charcoal filter is for taste and odor and the string wound filter is for sediment. For the bacteria, you would need an ultraviolet system. We used to own a plumbing and electrical store for 40 years and did service calls also and water filtration was one of our specialties. I love your videos. Love Stacy's cooking and fermenting videos.
You can get food grade silicone lubricant too. Companies that make it are CRC, Spray On LU210, Cabela's, Jet Lube, Super Lube, 3M etc.
That's right! Culligan makes two sizes of wrenches. I think I remember the bigger one cost about $15 at a farm supply store.
Claudette would you be able to recommend a whole house filter for Iron. I moved to a house that has a well and terrible iron problem. I use string filters because that is what the previous owner did. It does help but the water still has enough iron in it that it stains the white shower stall and my hair is getting a slight orange tinge to it. Thank you for any help.
@@flowergirl8887 My husband is the real expert on that subject. You can take a sample of your water to probably Home Depot or call your local county to see if they can give you the name of a lab that they might use to test water and have them test it for how many ppm (parts per million) of iron is in the water. You may have other minerals in your well water for instance, sulfur or hardness. Even Home Depot would be able to sell you a system that would take care of the iron. For instance, one of the filtration systems for iron would be a greensand filter system. There are a few other ways. Look at TH-cam videos under "iron filtration system for well water" and it will show you what they look like and what to do. I don't know how knowledgeable someone at Home Depot would be as opposed to someone that specializes in water conditioning and filtrations. Beware of those companies that want to sell you more of what you might need. I'd watch quite a few videos and write down some questions that you can ask whomever you talk to. Hope this gives you some help.
@@flowergirl8887 check the iSpring company from Georgia, great product and the phone service advice is honest. I don't find big box stores to fully understand all problems. For instance, my well has a sulfur smell. It took a long time to find out my iron would not be filtered unless I put in a hydrogen sulfide filter first. It took a lot of research and finally found the answer in an Amazon comment.
Ive been a plumber for 19 yrs. And I'd like to offer some advice. The plbg / filtration system looks good! But you shouldve used copper pipe before or after the filters. The reason being is copper pipe sanitizizes water. It's copper property's kills viruses and bacteria. Word to the wise. Love the video and all your intuitivness!
Ya don't say? Huh. I know plumbers...wtf? They are in trouble!!!! I never knew that.
Thanks!
@@heidi22209 I THOUGHT IT WAS SILVER THAT KILLED VIRUSES AND BACTERIA / COPPER IS A NEW ONE ON ME / WELL WE LEARN SOME THING NEW EVERY DAY DON'T WE / THANKS
Copper pipes can erode and leach into the water. Also make certain if you do have them that they are not connected together with led.Osmosis filters are the best for cleaning the water for drinking.
@@qicksilver8949 erode? No Mr. Silver copper pipes don't just waste away. It would take some really hard water and about 100 yrs for water to erode copper. Especially if said copper pipes are installed properly avoiding bi-metal contact , insulated and a filter installed before the plbg system. Also lead connections would be almost any public connection pre 1980, so always check that before any improvements are made regardless. Copper out performs any other water distribution system out there in terms of water quality and longevity by far.
Further more R. O FILTRATION will remove pretty much everything healthy and unhealthy in water. Making it useless or rather harmful for human consumption.
The best filter to use would be a simple homemade filter utilizing gravel sand and activated charcoal, which can also be done from home at little to no cost.
Mr. Silver here is obviously not a plumber nor is he a very good googler. So before you start dishing out potentially harmful advice about drinking water push a few buttons on that nifty lil device you got in your hands and check yoself
@@joshakers1 Copper pipes are a known cause of copper-toxicity.
Thanks so much Doug and Stacy for all your great videos teaching us a better fulfilling healthy life style! My husband and I are very worried about what’s going on in this country right now. We all need to be healthy to survive thanks again!
I am making my second system that these filters fit in. The first was 2 food safe buckets, installed a spigot and drilled holes to fit the filters. It rocked! I am using stainless steel this time with 2 old stainless steel pots
I would like to thank you for another great video, and to comment on something you mentioned at the end of the video. You have dedicated your lives to living simple, and shared your entire journey with anyone who wanted to watch. and learn. If you take the time to try a product, and you share your honest opinion of it with us, then there is absolutely no shame in getting a royalty from the company that you shared with your watchers. People should be thankful instead of complaining, especially when there is a bonus discount associated with the link that you attach in the description box.
There will always be a hater that is totally miserable with life, and their priority is to try to ruin anyone else’s life that they come into contact with. Rebuke them, and continue as you are!! Thanks again for sharing your experiences with everyone, and I pray that God will continue to bless and protect you and your homestead immensely! 🤗💕
We are in the Missouri Ozarks and in the first year of our off grid homestead. We have our big chicken coop and raised bed garden area fenced with 12 4x8 beds we were able to get filled and use this year. I see the progress and beauty of it all and I'm so grateful!! You guys are, and were, our inspiration to do this. You are our Homestead Heroes! Thank you both for your inspiration and informative videos!! It's been such a blessing!
I have a house I am rebuilding 60 miles South of St. Louis, Bismarck. It is a small town. I want to start making all the stuff instead of using the electric and water from town. I am putting in a swim pond and want to put in a water wheel to generate electric. Dig down to water source and add a pump. Hopefully by next year it will all be done. I am not taking any vaccines so I won't be able to buy sell or trade for electric or water. I hope to have the house rebuilt by fall this year.
@@inspire734 I recently saw a couple yt vids of diy water generators made from old washing machines. You oughta check that out, may be what cha need.
Your right ,
Very inspirational ,
Thanks for the information.
How much is the land i live in st louis tired of dealing with ppl i grew up in Northern Arkansas wood stove heating no ac canned our garden food processed our own beef (live cow) in our back yard used the waste for fish bait on bull shoals lmao simple life hard work less stress
Thank you Doug! We get our water from a beautiful, clear creek and still filter our drinking water through a Berkey just for peace of mind. We’ve had the Berkey for a couple of years now and recently did the red food coloring test to check the filters. Even after two years the filters are still working great! Well worth the money!!
Great news. 2022
Make sure to do red food dye.
Berkey had gone downhill recently in past two years with their filters.
I am curious if the chemicals in some water sources may be breaking the Berkey down. Just a thought.
I watched a man on TH-cam who made a simple two step filter like a berky using two large steel pots! It looked easy and was very cost effective!
I have been using a Berkey for 3 years and the same filter. It is now time to replace the filter. I have heard they will go for 5 years but not on my well laden with rust
God bless the folks that blessed you with that Berkey! You and Stacy bless so many of us, you are in line for blessings. I pray that you get back 100 fold for all that you give out. Our goal is to meet you guys at your next big fair. FYI, when we had our farm, we used shade cloth canopies over top of any open garden boxes to protect them from the harsh sun. Then in the winter we folded them up and stored them for next season. I love how you always interject helpful information in the middle of doing something totally unrelated. You're always thinking about sharing your wisdom, I love that and so thankful for who you are. May God our Jehovah Jireh, Provider, bless you and your beautiful wife and precious family in fathomless measure.
My wife and I have a hunting cabin in VT. We have well water and use the Berkey to filter the water making it drinkable. We added 2 filters for a total of 4. It speeds up the filtering process. We love the filter. Our water is safe and tastes great.
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
I agree with Anthony. Sediment filters first, carbon for the final clean.
I have had my Travel Berkey for a couple of months now and love it! I have very limited space, and this smaller model fits perfectly on the counter in my RV. I would recommend that if you have the space, to get the largest one that you can accommodate and can afford, you would be surprised at how much water you go through each day when you use it for drinking, cooking, and your pets!
Doug, You should run your carbon filter after the sediment filters, that way the carbon will last longer.
Agree I run my carbon last. Sediment>softener>carbon.
We have found that filtering through carbon last is more efficient.
Good idea.
Thank you for the tip for us newbies.
I was about to post that.. prefilters before carbon filters..
That is what I was thinking.
Someone may have noticed this already but, you want to wait until most of the filtered water has been used and that lower container emptied before you fill it up. It's important for the filters to be completely immersed in water for them to work optimally. If you are just adding a pitcher to the top when you see the bottom is low it's not going to work as well. If you fill the top to the tops of the filters you are going to get a flood.
But my kitchen floor got a good rinse and rub down so there's that! ;)
Such valuable information you share! As a grandchild of a Mennonite family who taught the "old ways" I truly appreciate what you and Stacy share.
❤❤❤
I've used a Berkey for 3 years and love it, It's the 1.5 gallon one. For some reason California won't let us get the larger ones. That being said, the 1.5 gallon size is perfect for my husband and I. I even purchased one for my daughter and son-in-law. I use two filters in the top along with two Fluoride filters. I really like having the glass tube to see the water level. I also find it very easy to clean and maintain. I'm enjoying your videos!
I’m on city water. I’ve been using my Berkey with the additional white filters for about 7 years. We absolutely love it. Keep some extra of those filters on hand as well!
@Will Swift not the op, but I to am on city water, first years we lived here we bought bottled spring water. The berky beats that as far as taste, which in my mind pays for itself, hope this helps.
@Will Swift take it or leave it, you don't need to be a smartass or maybe you do. I couldn't care less if you buy one or not. Just trying to be helpful.
I think you may have misunderstood that guy. I believe he was actually thankful that you let him know there is an improvement in the taste of the water. That means a lot. I hate bad tasting water. Take care and God bless.
@@jofipps376 I may have and I am sorry if I did misunderstand, I also sometimes come off like an ass and don't mean too.
Hey Doug! Right now I use the Zero water filter and I love it. It is a smaller container and is quiet, water taste great. I bought a 2 pak filter to go with it. Does not take long to release filtered water into reservoir. But guess what. I have heard of Burkee since a few years well now. I am also sold on it. Not until I'm in my tiny house will I have one of those. And I'll still have my zero water filtration system. I'm not getting rid of that. Listen, thank you so much for the demonstration of that Burkee. It is just as simple as the zero water filter. God is good, all the time, confirming and reaffirming. Shalom!
I switched from a Brita and a Pur and a faucet mounted Culligan filter to the 2-gallon Berkey. It's way easier, faster, better, and cheaper.
HEY MY DEAR YOUR ZERO WATER FILTER IS THE BEST ,,, BETTER THEN BURKEE ... MANY BLESSINGS 😌
@@patriciadavis7444
Hi! Actually a Burkee would be the next step UP from the Zero. The Burkee is more powerful in cleansing water. That's why my next purchase will be a Burkee. Thank you and have a good one.
@@rc2639
Hi! Yes, that's the way to go. Enjoy!
We have a Berkey and a Zero water pitcher. The Zero water came with a testing device. We were curious to test the Berkey. We had two regular filters and a fluoride filter, and all were correctly primed. We were so disappointed in the Berkey water! It tested as bad as the tap! (We have hard water in the Phoenix area.) It surely did not taste as clean and pure as the Zero. I researched Berkey for a while before we purchased it, and read many rave reviews. Maybe we just got bad filters. 🤷♀️
Bravo!! 👏👏 I am a visual learner in this video provided me with such useful information! I’m ashamed to say that I have put off the purchase of a Berkey water system simply because I didn’t wanna have to read all of the directions on how to set it up. Well praise to God for you folks! You graciously share all your knowledge and I love the added, “get off the couch!!”
I actually joined the gym this year because I know when I retire in a few years I wanna be able to get around and work in my yard. I noticed how bad my knees were getting and I couldn’t even bend over to pick up my shoes. I feel great! So you my friend are correct. Get off the couch!
Thank you, thank you for such valuable information! You truly have found your calling!
7:36
My father put two metal cans in the wall of our foundation instead of PVC. Whenever you're ready to put a water pipe through, just pop the top and bottom off the can and you have a nice hole to route your pipe through. After that, mortar your pipe in and you're good to go. We did this with the pipe from our spring up the hill.
We are off-grid in Australia and just found you two! We think you’re awesome!❤️
Thanks mate!
OFF GRID with DOUG & STACY cheers to taking our God-given Sovereignty back and living as intended by our Great Creator. ❤️❤️👏👏💪💪💪💪🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️
We just introduced a Berkey to our home, next the sun oven. The hardest part of the Berkey is the priming...it’s a great system.
@Tony thompson What line?
Modern faucets are difficult to use for priming. Berkey sells a priming kit. Just used it last weekend when I cleaned my filters and it worked just fine.
Karen Richardson yes I saw it and after I buy the fluoride filters and glass measuring tube I may consider this. Thank you😀
It was a bugger for me as well
@Opy Brook I notice that now Berkey includes a "Pro Kit" with purchase. Includes a different type of primer.
I'm glad you guys got a system, and thankful for our talk at Mother Earth News Fest. Don't forget about the Berkey Bottle we gave you for on the go. Stay Safe and God Bless.
I LOVE my Berkey filter, I’ve had it for 7 years. You don’t need to replace those filters, you can scrub them clean. I live in the city (lots of chlorine in the water, yucky) so I use the city water for doing the dishes but I use my Berkey water for everything else. I have a shower filter too. You can also get an arsenic filter too
We have a lot of activity in the sky in Australia too, have never seen so much rain in the past 12 months. Purchased my first water filtration system today👌
Using a Berkey for 5 years. Great product! They/it even take Roundup out of the water. Which is in the rain now. A tip I have if it doesn’t process the water fast add a small clip to the joint of the top & bottom of the container. They sell them clips but anything will help. The other holes are for fluoride filters. But you could use 4 filters...
the fluoride filters screw on the end of the carbon filters, it would do no good to put the in the extra holes. the berkey can handle 4 carbon filters and 4 fluoride
You and Stacy work very hard. I love your off grid homestead. ❤️
As I'm watching your video I was thinking I would put that charcoal filter as the last in line, to kinda polish the water of impurities.. and have your sediment filters first. Don't you think the large sediment filter should go first? Protecting the charcoal filter from clogging with larger junk? Just a thought.
You make it look so effortless. Watched two suburban gals struggle to put it together with mixed results! I’m with you on the chem’-trail issue and been worried about our water for sometime now and this is top of my list. Almost everyday planes can be seen relentlessly messing up our skies here in the UK🇬🇧 They say it’s for rain which is crazy when this is a country world renowned for being rainy! 😮
The narrative will not change. Geothermal engineering was never about improving, only destructive practices.
We are the target...the "eaters"😢
This is the very first OFF GRID video I ran across, as I researched water filters. I fell in love with Doug as he bends over backwards to teach us. Then I found Stacy, and I have been hooked, listening to them EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!
Love ya Doug! You have encouraged me and hubby to move out of the city grind. We won't start off fully off grid but will do our best to live sustainably! We are a young couple with jobs and kiddo in school thus we need a little grid but I have been so inspired by you and Stacy! We have learned so much and applied so much so far. We are currently in process of moving states away in our new homestead with so many dreams to fulfill! Thank you for the inspo!
Hey Doug, you are right about being limber. I own a landscaping company so I know all about staying in shape. Core strength is key. And my wife works with me so frisky is mandatory. Just not in front of customers.
PS she will be 60 in a few months.
I've been using my Berkey for years. LOVE Berkey! We are on public water, but the utility uses chloramines. Awful stuff. And fluoride too, of course. The Berkey is one of the few reasonably priced methods that will handle chloramines. We use the carbon filters plus the fluoride filters. Our water tastes SO much better! I plan to add a whole house filter too.
They don’t use chloramines, chloramine is a byproduct of chlorine disinfectant process.
Although Berkley’s claims to remove contaminants, it is only certified by WQA to remove chlorine.
To be certified to NSF standards, the systems are tested at 100% capacity for NSF 42 aesthetic affects and 200% capacity per NSF 53 for health effects. Berkley tests their filter by Independant labs using from 50 gallons to as low as 0.5 liters, for a filter rated at 3000 gallons, 11,000 liters.
I have a friend who ran a pipe right from their rin water system to their stainless steel water filter system because they have a big family...you just have to have the hole drilled..but I know you have lots of tools and could do it. Thanks, Doug! Many blessings to you and Stacy!
I came across the Berkey system a couple of months ago. It seems to work very well and lots of folks swear by it. Will be looking into getting or making one myself (I like to putter around with things like this) that's compatible with their filters. Given all the 'stuff' that's being found in processed (read: city) water these days I would say everyone should be filtering water!
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
Feeling frisky. Lol love it...glad to see you’re using the BERKEY water filter system....I’ve been using mine for years now, love it. Use mine mainly to take out the fluoride and chlorine that they add to the tap water, and if i ever have to use the rain water it’s here and ready to go...and i never have to worry about a boil water order if something goes wrong with the water lines. I never cook without it and the flavor of the food is much better, especially teas and coffee. Never trust city water, not even in the garden, unless you have an extra filter on it. So happy you are using it, much better than having to lift those jugs of water, no more cut fingers.
I can't even tell all the many times we have been "enlightened" with the multitude of "nuggets" you share! We will see you in a couple of days!!! We're so excited!!! 💗💓
What a beautiful setup. First time watching and I think I’ll stay and learn a few things. My dream would be to have my family together living the way you and yours do. We’re still in the suburbs being bombarded by chemicals but I have faith when the time is right we’ll make it to our dream spot on earth.
Edit: I don’t see how people can still ignore the chem trails. I guess they have too much faith in their kings and queens to not poison them.
lol Right!
The words of the prophet are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls.
Spain just openly admitted to this! I’ve seen them spraying where I live in central nc however, funny thing.,, I recorded a 5 minute video that captured the plane that was doing it… a little while later that video was GONE! I didn’t delete it, I would have never deleted it as I was going to post it on a diff platform. Wonder just how much they do that we don’t know about. I know a lot by my own heavy research & seeking proof. What I already know is WAY too much for them to be doing. It’s so illegal! This new green deal is killing us for one. All the organizations should be shut down. And we need a new govt asap. It’s worse than I can say, yt don’t like too many trigger words. But it’s so bad all around, shockingly a lot of people don’t even have a clue
@@jillellis62 All True. They took my fb post down yrs ago about an article emergency water crisis in China mentioning us sending water there. I went back to retrieve and it wasn’t even online anymore. I kept posting truths I found. Old article of scientist who quit popular company yrs ago talking about estrogen being in everything. I kept posting chemtrails and awful stuff that people we don’t know do. I was targeted through the pc. My nerves in my arm were twitchy and jumpy. I’m checking myself and knew it wasn’t naturally me. People pay me little attention when I tell them why I’m not on fb anymore. I had those house filters for the same 4 yrs and not used yet. I’m in the Triad.
You can always get a Burkfield filter for drinking, food washing, cooking, tooth brushing. And when you move, it goes with you!
We've used our Berkey for years because we have E Coli and coliform bacteria in our well water.
Great filter system!
We've had the Berky water filter for 2 years now and are on the same filters we installed on day one. We take the filters out and clean them and use them again. Good for a few years. We LOVE our Berky. Our water is in holding tank and comes from a spring in a cave on our property. It's pumped up to our house. We just use a single thread filter and and run the water into the house then run everything we drink through the Berky. Best water ever!
I know this video is a year old so maybe you already thought of this. I would suggest to replace your Filter canisters with Clear ones instead of Blue ones you can't see the filters without taking it appart. This will save you time & energy to put towards other things. 😉👍🏼
I always love seeing the front of your cabin. All the pretty flowers:)) And when you were getting down in to the crawlspace, Doug, I noticed the wind chime with the keys. Very very cute!
I did too! Lol
May I suggest that you put your carbon filter on the other end let the string filters do most of the work. This way the string takes all the poo poo out first .
The string filters are a lot cheaper and you'll got more life out of your carbon filter
Doug: Am new to your channel, and just wanted to say thanks so much for sharing the Berkey water filtering system with us. I've just recently started looking for info on the Berkey and there was a lot I didn't know - until you shared it. Awesome product, and am getting ready to order one now! I feel so much better about my choice. Thanks again. People like you make the world a better place!
Dandelion tincture is great for removing heavy metals out of the liver, and body system in general. Great information! Thank you!
Since you all are off-grid, I was wondering how often you all get colds, flu, sinus issues, ect.? I would think it would be rare but, I was just curious.
Your homestead is looking 👌 mighty fine. I cannot imagine how many people are looking intently at your lifestyle in 2020. Every video 📹 is inspiring and educational! Thank you both for sharing.
We’ve had our Berkey for almost a year. Beside refilling it during the day as needed, it’s my last chore before bed every night so we start the day with a full container of clean water!
Where did you buy it
I learned the HARD WAY, don’t over fill. About a gallon at a time. Don’t use hot water
@@sallyjowoods2428 they received it as a gift from a homestead homie several years ago
We’re much more of an urban “ homestead “ but love getting ideas that would make an shift easier to take. Thank you both.
I just love the channel. I would like you to know that you are the only channel that makes me feel relaxed and in focus to all that is going on today. I no longer will live in fear and focus on the way I want to live. Like you.
Coincidentally, my family owns a plumbing company. Good job, very impressive! We have been playing with the idea of homesteading, moving rural, etc. Very good videos. Keep it up.
Love my Berkey! I've used one for close to 20 years. Moved from the city, built a log home on 25 acres of heavy woods. I do have city water and still use my Berkey. I have a creek that we have hauled water up from the ravine to use in the Berkey. Love my remote/rural life.
I find my Berkey water gets cloudy every 2 weeks- not happy and no customer service…
@@mjmccarthylloyd9299 Turns out Berkey filters are not NSF certified. Their claims of "3000 gal" filters is arbitrary.
Such a neat and tidy home. Great stuff Doug and Stacy.
Thanks Doug for the encouragement! A lot of us need that! God is good ALL the time! I will not abandony Bible, my faith nor my God during these difficult times!
I think your channel, lifestyle and personality are all quite wonderful. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and lessons with us. Appreciate your positive attitude.
Just bought a big berkey. Your tips will make our set up much easier and fearless. Thank you so much for the work you do to help others!
I've been telling y'all this back in 2017 & 2018 in a couple of my comments and way before the plandemic. Drinking and consuming rain water without a good water filter is not only counterproductive but it's absolutely toxic and dangerous due to all the chemtrails in the sky. So glad y'all finally realized this! Stay safe and healthy guys. 🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
Thank you, I use rain water on my vegetables and I often wondered should I be filtering the water for the polytunnel? We can't do anything about the rainwater on the outside but it's lying in my Water Butt for a long time would that be a problem do you think?
Chemtrails are illegal dumping of coal ash.
So glad you mentioned
G€0€NGlN€€RlNG... Aka chem-trails.
The heavy metal particulates are nano sized.
For better info than I can share:
"The DlMMlNG" on yt Dane Wigington channel.
Remember, they are NANO sized. Cross the blood/brain barrier.
There are no “chemtrails” in the sky. There are contrails.
con·trail
/ˈkäntrāl/
Learn to pronounce
nounNORTH AMERICAN
plural noun: contrails
a trail of condensed water from an aircraft or rocket at high altitude, seen as a white streak against the sky.
Yes chemtrails. Ugh.
Hi Doug and Stacy, I enjoy watching your channel and getting tips. Im from the suburbs of Dublin City but moved to a rural part Ireland 25 years ago to be closer to nature. I don't live completely off grid but one day I will. I have a rain water system and it was recommended to me by the guy in the store to position the carbon filter after the sediment filter. You're both doing a great job on sharing the knowledge, keep it up. Regards "Irish Tom" as I was once known as
I've had a big Berkey since 2005 and love it! It even makes city water taste good.
If you do use it in the city, Berkey makes fluoride filters to screw onto the bottom of the charcoal filters...
God bless y'all.
Berkey has several in depth YT videos that demonstrate that it is not very good. You need to update/do better research - have a peak at this 10 min video about the Berkery - and it is just one of others coming to light. : th-cam.com/video/AVZmZwTxnMc/w-d-xo.html
You can get fluoride filters for the Berkey too. 2 additional Holes are for Fluoride filters. I love mine! The filters last a long time. I’ve had mine for like 10 years!… probably time to change it. Water tastes AMAZING! You’ll never go back to tap. Good for emergencies or camping.
Why I love this channel?!! Because everytime I come here I learn something new, for me....whether from Stacy or like now, from you Doug, you both are inspirational and proof that it is very possible to go it alone, off grid! Thanks for sharing Doug, 👍and greetings 👋for you both from Mexico! 😊
Hi Doug and Stacy!
Love my Berkey Filter. I got sick and tired of the computerized getup I had and went with a simple, no nonsense Berkey! Hope you continue to enjoy yours.
Since I’m on city water, I also attached the chlorine and fluoride filters that go below the charcoal filters.
That's so much easier with the Burky to be sinkside & have a flexible hose-type faucet end. How fast you fill it really depends on how fast you're using it. I love your whole water system.
I have a Berkey, and a Clearly Filtered Pitcher. I have not Setup the Berkey, yet. I am on City water, and have been content with filtering it. Now, I am ready to unbox the Berkey and put it to work! Thank you for the Tutorial, Doug! Water is Very Important!
I just set up my Berkey! I have been enlightened. I feel healthier already. I also bought a chlorine filter for my shower and I feel a difference in my skin already. Thanks for the video to help me set up my Berkey. Love you guys
Great video Doug & Stacey! I have used a Berkey for the past 10 years and I’m sure you will be happy with it. Love the Homestead!
You guys have one of the cutest and well made cabins ever
We don't have a Berkey Filter System, but have been thinking of getting one, because our other filter is wearing out. I didn't know exactly how it works and am very glad you showed how it does. I've seen bits and pieces of how it works before, but you did a great job and very complete.
Thank you Doug and Stacy.
God's Blessings
I appreciate you guys, Doug n Stacy! Thanks for all your TH-cam videos! Enjoy listing to your humor in "what you're layin' down for us" and the "non-water tips", Doug.. great video!
Thank you for taking the time to show and tell us about your homestead, your successes and the difficulties.
It is best of all to know how and where others had been able to make things work, when they decided to change course.
Very neighborly of you to do this.
Thank you. 👍
It's been since molly was a puppy that I was tuned in, life had me by the ears. Great to see how well you guys are doing and the place looks like Paradise. I've missed our talks Doug. Thanks for still being here and being such a roll model, both of y'all.
Thank you Doug, good to know.
Love love love your channel!! I was an organic gardner in my youth passed down from my father....he encouraged me to fix things and be self sufficient. I have an ear to the news and am getting ready for whatever comes my way. God bless you for taking the time to pass on what you have learned. So many are are going to benefit as I am .
I can vouch for the Berkey. I have used one for years on water coming from a shallow well with rust and odor in the water. We plan to use it next for our off grids homestead. Thanks Doug
Perfect timing! This morning my hubby and I were discussing plans for rain water filtration. We have been browsing through your old videos looking at your system. Thank you for your videos and any time you want to talk more about this particular subject we will be listening!
Thanks Doug, We got two, one for my Son. We’re in our 70’s. Have always wanted to get out of the crowded place here on the coast. Our Daughter has Retts syndrome. She needs medications and air conditioning for her lungs. Drs predicted a life expectancy of 30 years. She just turned 52. We homestead as best we can here in the suburbs. We have chickens, a pretty nice garden and compost. Wish we knew older folks like us who’ve made the leap.
I truly love my berkey,,,i had mine for over a year now and i can't even drink bottle water anymore...
Thank you for all the wonderful videos. Keep them coming.
We just ordered a Berkey - type gravity fed stainless steel dealio too! So your "how to" was perfect timing to learn, etc. Also, I'm really impressed with your home water rig! Freakin rocks! (Needless to say, I'm a new sub 🤩 )
I’ve been wanting a system like this for years ….I think we are finally going to decide to get one this year. 👍😃
We bought our water filtration system, and found that we needed a second one, just to ensure a continuous flow of water. Food preparation (for canning, fermentation, home-cooking, etc.) takes a LOT of water - clean water. We love our system, too! 💗
Thank you for all of your knowledge, and willingness to share. This video was right on time. We are getting ready to setup our rain catchment system. You and Stacy are awesome.
Water filter removal tip: I have a reverse osmosis filter which has the same blue plastic filter holders you have in the crawl space. I keep a loop style oil filter wrench under my sink to help open the canister. Works great. They also make dedicated wrenches for them.
Also, I’ve seen some canisters made out of clear plastic, which might make filter inspection possible without needing to crack open the canister.
@Will Swift - RO water isn't much different than rainwater in that respect, so there's a large component of FUD there. That being said, mineralized water tastes better (probably because it is, indeed, healthier). And i do add minerals to my RO drinking water; typically about four drops of Trace Minerals Mega-Mag 400. Sometimes i also add powdered potassium gluconate. I suppose a pinch of baking soda could be added too, but it hasn't been my wont to do so.
Some of the newer RO systems offer a mineralization stage, which supposedly adds minerals back into the water, but i'm leery of those. The purpose of RO systems is to remove contaminants; how do i know the mineralization stage doesn't introduce contaminants? Perhaps not by design, but unintentionally. Knowing the way things are sourced today, i think that's a very real possibility.
@Will Swift - As i understand the theory, RO water is "bad" because it's too pure. Rainwater is similar to RO water in purity.
Drinking pure water has two implications: A) it isn't a source of minerals, and B) pure water is slightly acidic. But water from various sources varies widely in mineral content, so relying on water as a primary source of minerals is probably unwise as a general rule, as it varies by region.
For example, water servicing Portland, Oregon comes primarily from the Bull Run reservoir. It is primarily rainwater and snow melt, which has spent a little time in a lake. It has minimal mineral content, compared to hard water sources like most well water. The minerals it does contain are mostly undesirable contaminants and byproducts from the pipes and water treatment systems.
Supposedly, it is the slightly acidic nature of pure water which makes RO water "bad." If one has adequate minerals in one's blood plasma, drinking pure water won't be leaching minerals from teeth and bones. And it's easy enough to raise the pH by adding baking soda, or other alkaline minerals.
Different kinds of filters filter out different kinds of things. If your water contains lead, fluoride, or other contaminants, you're probably going to need something like a RO system to remove the bad stuff. Unfortuantely, that means removing some good stuff too.
The argument that RO water is innately "bad" is spurious, and therefore FUD, in my opinion. It is an argument often put forth by many non-RO filter manufacturers who want one to buy their product instead of a competitor's RO system. Problem is, their systems are probably incapable of removing heavy metals, etc. Such systems may be good for many applications, but certainly not suitable for every situation nor source of water.
It's so hard to watch a friend suffer, animal or human! I feel your pain, and pray for your comfort knowing you give your friends their best life ,even up to the end. I can see how much you care about your food ,your animals , your way of life, well done!
We’ve used a berkey for 10 years. We keep a gal pitcher of tap water beside it to dump into the Berkey, and another beside a separate clear dispenser to move the filtered water, so we have easy access to a greater volume of ready to use water. We drain the filtered tank to keep in the clear 2.5 gal dispenser every time we fill the top reservoir so it doesn’t overflow, but we keep an inverted lid under the unit just in case. We use filtered water for all drinking, cooking, bean soaking, pets, etc.
We love your character Doug you're so funny, keep the inner child.
We have learned so much from you and Stacey and are so grateful to have found you. Great informative video as always, we're ording our Berkey now ❤ from 🇸🇪🏴
I couldn't agree more, I plan to be on my homestead in a couple of months, God willing, and I have watched I think all of their videos, plan to copy quite a few of their ideas. Thanks Doug and Stacy, for sharing your journey with us all.
Tammy Whitten (this is my business acct)
We met them at the homesteaders conference (which I can't recommend enuff!!) And lemme tell ya, Doug and Stacy are just the sweetest people!! They are the real deal!!❤
Everyone has problems with the ceramic berkey filters leaking. Put red food coloring in the top, and see if it gets to the bottom.
Buy aquarium sealant, and run a bead across the base of the filter where the ceramic nests into thw plastic cup. That seems to be the weak spot. Aquarium sealant is safe; if it's safe for fishies, it's safe for us.
Love the rain system, could you show the other end of it ? Also, we have a Berkey and I have noticed recently that after cleaning and priming our filters, after they're in a few days, I see mold where I have touched the filters... might need to wear gloves when handling...
Love y’all’s ‘outdoor’ kitchen. Where I grew up out on the Big Empty the well water had such a high content of gyp it was awful, so for drinking water we relied on rain water collection using gutters that fed into a cistern. Drawing up water was a daily chore. I can’t recall what cistern ‘treatment’ Dad used to eliminate bacteria back then (I’m a senior now)? After I was grown and gone, Dad plumbed the water to the kitchen sink to make it easier for Mom, and praise the Lord, she is still using it.