Berkey PF-4™Fluoride and Arsenic Reduction Elements for the Berkey Earth® Filters or Super Sterasyl™ Ceramic Filter Element
$70.00
*This is for the Berkey Earth Filters or White Ceramic Filters(Super Sterasy) only.
*If you have Black Berkey Element Filters(regular filters come with the unit), then you need to get PF-2 instead.
- PF-4 Fluoride and Arsenic Reduction Filters adsorb the following unwanted elements found in drinking water:
- Fluoride
- Arsenic
- Lead
- Heavy Metal Ions
- MTBE (Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether)
- Trihalomethanes (THM)
- DBCP (Dibromo-chloro-propane)
- Herbicides and Pesticides
- Made from safe, non-leaching Polypropylene #5 that is BPA-free
- Sold in a set of 2
- PF-4 Fluoride and Arsenic Reduction Filters are designed to be used in conjunction with the Berkey Earth Elements or the Super Sterasyl Ceramic Filter Elements
- Attach to the bottom of the Berkey Earth Elements or the Super Sterasyl Ceramic Filter Elements and sit in the lower chamber of the Berkey unit
- Number of PF-4s in the bottom chamber must match the number of Berkey Earth Elements or Super Sterasyl Ceramic Filter Elements in the top chamber.
- PF-4 Filters need replacement after six months
| Filter | PF-4 |
|---|
16 reviews for Berkey PF-4™Fluoride and Arsenic Reduction Elements for the Berkey Earth® Filters or Super Sterasyl™ Ceramic Filter Element
Questions and answers of the customers
- A The PF-2s are intended to remove fluorine and arsenic. However, I do suspect that they will trap some of the pollutants that get pass the black filters. The PF-2s just have a 1000 gallon lifespan, while the blacks have a 3000 gallon lifespan, so don't rely on them for any thing but fluorine/arsenic removal. Can you dig it? The Black Filters remove a very high rate of chlorine, pesticides and pharmaceuticals.
- Q We have been seeing kind of opaque things in water in glass teapot.Do we need new fluorie filters?A I would say yes, but you can always call Berkey. They have always been helpful.
- A If you've not primed them, there as good as new. If so I'd check with the manufacturer. Good luck ! Let us know what happens please. From: Another owner of this product..
- Q I was able to prime the first filter but it's taking forever (+30min) on the 2nd filter. All this white sandy soot keeps coming out. Is that normal.A I think it's faulty should only have some dark water coming out for a minute or two
- A This is just an estimate, but looking at my filters, I think you might lose about half a gallon, or a third of its capacity. The speed at which water is cleaner will be a LOT slower, but it's well worth it. Also, make sure you follow ALL of the instructions that come with the PF-2 filters while installing. The "seasoning" process is a bit more complicated than with the black filters. Finally, make sure you do not put hot water into the top, as the PF-2 filters tend to heat the water as it passes through.
- A Up to 1000 gallons
- A Partial recycling is possible but not so easy. The white shells are polypropylene which can be recycled. The filters inside are not recyclable. So would need to disassemble the filter to be able recycle the shell.
- A The filters I bought here are exactly the same as the ones that came from Berkey when I bought the unit. As to where they are produced, I cannot answer the question as there is no indication of where either of them were produced.
- A Yes, you need to prime them really well. It will take a few weeks of use to completely run off the filters sediment particles. A bit of inconvenience in the beginning.
- A Yes it is. I typically run a full five minutes through each filter just to make sure. Make sure you are priming both ends
- Q Do i need to put floride filters on each black filter for my berkey? or will 2 fluoride filters and 4 black filters be sufficient?A It is recommended to put them on all 4.
- Q Why do you need a 3 or 4 year Protection Plan for filters that are replaced every year on average?A I don't know because we don't have the service plan
- A I'm not really sure aside from having it tested, possible by the taste.
- A Try repriming the white filters. It depends on how much water you filter through them, and what size Berkeley you have.
- A Please make sure they are only on 8 rotations. Also, contact the dealer you bought it from.
- A I don't remember having that issue. I think if you follow the directions for priming, you shouldn't have any problems with cloudiness.
- Q How can I flush or prime the filters if I am in the field and have no water pressure? Do I need to?A You will need to have something that creates water pressure in order to prime the PF2s. It doesn't have to be a faucet, but it has to create pressure.
- A Yes on both questions
- A Do you mean after the filters are installed? The filters make the water essentially tasteless. They work great.
- A We replaced ours after one year after noticing a difference on the taste of the water
- Q I've primed these filters three times now, each time they make about 1 container of water before filtering grinds to a stop. Are they faulty?A They might not be faulty.,,,what I have noticed is that air get trapped in the filters, in particular the black filters...prime the black filters and it should clear up the problem
- A Never had that problem...try flushing them again....maybe that will work.
- A I bought my first filters from Berkey with my Berkey. I just bought new filters from LPC-Berkey Guy and they came with everthing that is needed. How ever these filters has left a bitter taste to my water and I will be returning them for replacements or my money back. They came with a 6 mo. warreanty
- A No. Simply rinse them until the water runs clear, indicating they are ready to install.
- Q At first no white residue then started after 3 months. Is this because they needed to be replaced? I fill 1-2x/day. I dont think its a priming issuA is the white residue a very fine "floaty" something or other on the surface of the water? I have new ones in and notice "something something" in the water.... I guess I'll buy new ones (I bought from another seller, but I'm worried about the residue being aluminum.... i know it's supposed to be harmless, but i've felt sicker lately and am feeling paranoid/don't want to risk it, I'm super sensitive to chemicals/metals and would hate to think I'm jacking myself up assuming it's fine then find out it wasn't)
- Q these are listed as replacement filters. Can they be connected as shipped onto my existing black Berkey filters?A Yes! You will need to run water through them first. There are instructions with the filters. They thread on to the bottom of the black charcoal filters. Be careful to not thread them too far. Again, they have instructions.
- A Only guessing, but I'd say that may be it. I seem to remember the directions were very specific about the number of turns when tightening the filters. Mine drip like they should. I figured if they were going to be that specific I should be too. Sorry for your troubles.
- A You should not have to. However, if you find you have to, we recommend performing the shake method outlined in your instruction booklet.
- A Seven turns, sounds like you punctured it to me?
- A Seven turns, sounds like you punctured it to me?
- Q Will these fit an older big berkey sscf-9 9-inch ceramic replacement filters? the ends look different. or do i need to buy the newer black filters?A When I bought my new PF-2 filters I did have a problem with them fitting onto my white ceramic top filters. I don't know why but they would not meet the threads. So I too a pairing knife and trimed them until they fit. Now all is well. I do not own the black filters so I don't know if they fit properly or not.
- A Hello , yes it does it indicates the direction of the flow of water...cheers.
- Q After cleaning my black filters my water flow, slows down quickly. does this mean i should get new floride filters? are they clogged?A The black filters should keep the PF-2's from clogging, proper priming of both types of filters is important and could show the symptoms of what your describing. You may want to revisit the way this is done. Because of the maintenance you have performed partial air binding is a good possibility.
- A My white fluoride filters say pf-2 on then and the black ones don't
- A They attach to the end of the black Berkey elements.
- A That's really odd because our water taste the same as before we installed the fluoride filters. I think the Berkey water taste great, we are very happy with our unit.
- Q Will these shower filters fit with your massaging shower head? Will they fit with any other massaging shower head?A I don't think these are for a shower filter - they are for the water purifier. see full description before you purchase them. I have no experience with their shower filters, sorry.
- A I had it too. No matter how long I flushed the white filters and I bought them directly from Burkey. Also, my kidneys hurt from it.
- A Black filter about 7 yrs. White filter should be changed once a year as they do the heavy lifting (chemicals).
Dot Forscht –
No five stars because I primed these much more thoroughly than required in the instructions, yet when I installed them the water was still cloudy and some grey residue was in the bottom of my Big Berkey. I had to refill and empty three more times on top of the first recommended time, and in addition to extra rinsing of the elements themselves. BUT once that was done, they’re working great and the water tastes great.
Aaron Kesseler –
After several weeks, I noticed white particles in the lower chamber of the Big Berkey, which I feared was the the PF-2 filters failing somehow and releasing aluminum oxide into the water. Because I am pregnant and drink this water, and I also give it to my toddler and husband, in a panic I ordered an aluminum test for the water (thank you, Amazon!) and found that the aluminum levels exceed EPA and WHO standards! For comparison, I tested our tap water and it had a reading of essentially zero. I should also note that I sufficiently primed the filters upon set-up. Shame on Berkey for selling a dangerous product! I have since contacted the company, which responded initially, and now has fallen silent. I’m not sure how far I can take the issue, but I will certainly try
Allan Springer –
I am on my second set of filters. These are great! If you are impatient and do not flush them long enough you will have an oily residue in the water and have to keep dumping batches until that clears, which is what I did the first time I got these. This last time I really took some time to flush the filters and I didn’t have that problem. No matter what, these give you the best tasting water in my opinion. I think they are a great value and highly recommend them.
KS Latham –
State Environmental Laboratory Results
A sample of the Berkey water was submitted to my State Env. Lab. The results showed a value or 0.40 MG/L Units. We use our City water to fill the Big Berkey.
Our City water’s fluoride level is 0.87 MG/L to 0.96 MG/L.
Hope this helps someone to evaluate their decision about choosing the best water system
Clara Calmelat –
I got my Berkey because my village adds fluoride to the water. Removing it myself seems to be the next best thing since I have not been successful in getting them to stop. I looked into several water filter options and this was the most affordable and realistic for me.
Kristy Archambault –
They are a b**** to prime, but I’m so glad to have them. Flouride and whatever other chemicals in the tap are no good for you or your kids! Anyway, just prepare to prime them under high-pressure water flow for a good long while. Like maybe even up to 20 min.
Carl Bishop –
I can not even smell tap water after using a Berkey for over a year now. I feel generally healthier and use Berkey water for drinking, making tea/coffee and filling the water bladder up before hikes. Please note, I incorrectly ordered the PF-4 size now knowing they come in different sizes so make sure you order the correct size (though I have to say, Amazon’s return process was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE with no hassles). There is one thing I’m curious about… both this order (and the incorrect order) had only ONE of the gray washers in the package. It seems like there should have been two since you are replacing both filters.
Denisa Goad –
For starters people have been complaining about the white film in the water, which is undeniably there when you first install them (even after priming). I have been using these for about two years and it doesn’t matter how much you prime them, this will always happen. I have a Royal Berkey and I have to run 4 full filters of water through these before it goes away. My town as high levels of fluoride in the water and so I use these filters to lower the level for my children’s drinking water so they don’t get discolored teeth from the drinking water. It occurred to me that maybe I should be changing them more frequently because of the high level of fluoride and the customer service person from Berkey told me that that was NOT the case and the level of fluoride did not matter. This didn’t make sense to me so I got the water tested: once from the tap, once from the filters that were 5 months old (the customer service person told me I should change them after 8 months BTW because of our level of usage) and lastly from a set of new filters that had been cleared of their white gunk. The results were that our tap water was 2.5 (it should be under 2 to prevent damage to children’s adult teeth as they are growing), the 5 month old filters had only reduced it to a 2.2, and the new filters reduced it to a 0.5. From these results it seems obvious that the level of fluoride in the water affects how long the filters will last.
Manju Kumar –
I’m going on 2nd year ordering these filters to deal with the filtration of my public water in my home. I’m happy with the water quality so far. My whole family loves drinking our purified water.
I personally add Pink Himalayan Salt to my filtered water as this raised the pH of the water and provides over 84 trace minerals our bodies need. I don’t need soda, coffee or sports drinks. This is perfection in simplicity.
I must say that I am pleased with the shipping, quality and durability of ALL my Berkey products that I’ve purchased. I’m a Berkey customer for life.
Mer Hess –
Love these filters! One thing that I will give a heads up on is that you need to prime them really really (really) well or else your water will have a slightly off taste for a while until all the loose powder is worked through. Once it is primed well, the filters do an excellent job of taking the fluoride out. I have not done any formal testing of our filtered water other than with my own taste buds but Im really sensitive to tastes and pick up on nothing in the filtered water now.
Shiaoting Jing –
We have been using our Berkey system for over a year now (it replaced the PUR). This is the BEST product out there. It is cost-effective and reduces chemicals better than any other. We recently added the fluoride filters and wish we had done this sooner. Ingested fluoride is a neuro-toxin and should not be in our water supply.
Nathan Yandle –
We’ve had our Berkey for over a year. The fluoride filters are the main reason we purchased a Berkey. They are only good for six months. I tested my water twice to verify this. Our water comes from a well and is naturally fluoridated at about .9 ppm (parts per million). I tested a filter by purchasing a kit through 3M (about $20) after seven months of use and the water tested at 0.79 ppm. I replaced the filter and tested after about a month and the water came back to 0.06 ppm. Hardly any fluoride! I am curious to test my water again at the five month mark but not sure I want to spend an additional $20. I think I will just stick to the manufacturer’s recommendation of changing out ever six months. Overall, this is the way to go if you want to remove fluoride from your drinking water.
After seeing multiple reviews state that their water tested so high for fluoride I would be curious to ask when they tested their water. They might have misunderstood the directions and be using their filters after six months. The black filters can be used indefinitely, but the fluoride filters lose effectiveness after six months of use. Another possibility is the ph of their tap water. I think the ph of your water can affect the effectiveness. I am not a scientist but have read that the filters work better with slightly acidic water (pH range of 5.5 – 6.5 and generally don’t work well if the water is neutral (pH = 7) or more alkaline (higher pH). So if you want to be sure that your filter will work to filter out fluoride you could test the ph of your tap water first.
Diane Wright –
This consumable will normally last about 1 year of regular use. Tells you how much flouride there is in our water to begin with
In Singapore where the flouride content is high, this is an absolute addition to the Berkey black filters we use. The water comes out tasting soft instead of hard (is there even such a term).
We don’t even need to boil our water everyday. The result, just good, quick and clean tasting water for the family everyday.
P.S. Also one of the filters was punctured inside. Amazon sent a replacement with minimum hassle, which arrived very quickly
Henri Augustus –
These filter quickly in our Imperial Berkey. We use 4 black filters and 4 PF2s. I think that there is a very noticeable taste difference with these over just using the black filters. Our water doesn’t taste hard or metallic. We fill the 4+ gallon Berkey at least 3 times daily so we’ll see how long they last…so far so good.
Diane Wright –
I am on my second set of filters. These are great! If you are impatient and do not flush them long enough you will have an oily residue in the water and have to keep dumping batches until that clears, which is what I did the first time I got these. This last time I really took some time to flush the filters and I didn’t have that problem. No matter what, these give you the best tasting water in my opinion. I think they are a great value and highly recommend them.
Grace Post –
Berkey “fluoride filters” for the black to go with the Black Berkey, work as advertised. They need priming before use to flush out the powder residue in the filter. I have found this takes many flushes before the water runs clear, so I leave them by the sink for a few days and flush them every time I wash something. And finally a word of warning don’t buy the PF-4 filters by mistake, they only work with the ceramic Berkey filters (yes I did this – but only once :-).