How To Build Your Own Berkey Water Filter At Home

Drinking contaminated water can be harmful to our health. Health experts insist that you should boil water from wells, groundwater, and river water because they may contain toxic chemicals and organic materials that cause precarious diseases such as cholera.

Buying a water purifier can be expensive. However, you can simply make one at home with a few tools. The DIY Berkey filter is an example of a good homemade water purifier.
This filter can be used to remove any chemical compounds, volatile organic compounds, and any other contaminants found in water.

Items needed:

• A faucet

• 2 plastic buckets

• 1 bucket lid

• 2 Berkey filters

• Drilling equipment such as a wood bit

Procedure

1. Cover one of the buckets with the bucket lid. Place the uncovered bucket on top of it. You will put water in the upper bucket. The purifier will filter clean water into the second bucket.

2. Turn the upper bucket upside down and drill holes at the bottom. Also, drill some holes in the lid. Ensure that the holes lie adjacent to each other so that water does not leak as it flows from the top bucket. Use the 1/2” wood bit to drill the holes. However, you can use an electric drill if you like. You are not limited.

3. After drilling the holes, you can fix the filters through the two holes on the lid and the bucket. Make sure that the washer goes to the inside part of the lid to ensure all the filtered water goes through to the second bucket.

4. Take the second bucket and drill a hole on its lower side using a 3’’ wood bit. Fix the faucet after drilling the hole. Ensure that it fits tightly to prevent any loss of water from the hole.

5. Fit the buckets together on top of each other.

And you are done!

Extra tips:

1. Use containers that are food safe. Using containers that previously had chemicals can be harmful since the residue chemicals can dissolve into the purified water, hence not safe. You can get used containers such as margarine containers that Steve Spence uses in the video.

2. You can drill as many holes as possible depending on the number of filters you have. If you have two, just drill two. The more the holes, the faster the amount of water that goes through to the second bucket.

3. This Berkey filter is easy to use and does not need electricity to function.

4. Read the filter’s instruction menu to know which chemicals the filters destroys. Also, ensure that you prime the filters before use. You can also leave them uncovered to give them room to dry.