Consumers all around the world are becoming more concerned about the quality of their drinking water. Hazardous chemicals such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, chlorine and chloramine, heavy metals, microplastics, and a wide range of other contaminants are common in drinking water supplies. Which is why home drinking water filters like ZeroWater and the Berkey range of filters are becoming common everyday items used in households all over the world. The best water filter for your needs will largely depend on the quality of your water and the contaminants present. Let's compare the costs, top features, as well as the pros and cons of Berkey versus ZeroWater filters.
System Filtration Capabilities
The Black Berkey carbon filter cartridges are constructed from six different types of filter media that form a matrix of tiny pores. These microscopic pores allow water to pass through, but trap contaminants such as sediments, bacteria and parasites in a process known as micro-filtration. Since the filter media used in the Black Berkey cartridges have both adsorption and adsorption properties, the pores are able to trap pollutants that are even smaller than the pores themselves, for example microscopic viruses. Heavy minerals are removed from the water through the process of ion exchange after being attracted to and bonding with the filter media. However, while the Black Berkey's target harmful minerals in water, they will not remove minerals that are beneficial to your health.
ZeroWater filter systems utilize a 5-stage filtration system that consists of five compartments that each remove contaminants such as suspended solid particulates, chemicals and heavy metals. While 5-stage filtration may seem superior to Berkey's simple carbon filters, consumer reports suggest that the design is unnecessarily complex and can result in leaking and potentially encourage mold growth.
Both the Black Berkey and the ZeroWater 5-stage filter are able to remove heavy metals such as lead to >95%, but the Black Berkey's do so more efficiently as they have no moving parts and therefore are less likely to malfunction or break with use.
Slight Advantage: BerkeyStorage Capacity
Berkey offers a wide range of water filter systems that vary in size, offering small systems that are suitable catering for just one person to larger systems that cater for eight or more people. The Travel Berkey, the smallest filter in the range, has a capacity of 1.5 gallons, while the Crown Berkey, the largest filter in the range, has a capacity of 6 gallons. ZeroWater's filters range in size from 6-cup (0.375 gallon) capacity to 40-cup (2.5 gallon). For this comparison we will focus primarily on the Big Berkey (2.25 gallon capacity) and ZeroWater's 40-Cup Dispenser (2.5 gallon capacity), which is the largest water filter system in their range. In terms of storage capacity, Berkey has more to offer and can cater to more people, including delivering safe drinking water in emergency situations.
Advantage: Berkey
The Zero Water 40 Cup water filter
Water Output & Filtration Efficiency
Water quality reports and lab test results are usually available from your water utility or you may be able to find information regarding the quality of your tap water online on the Environmental Working Group's Tap Water Database. Having a clearer understanding of your water quality issues and which contaminants you are being exposed to in your drinking water can help you to choose the best water filter for your circumstances.
ZeroWater filters have been NSF certified for removing bacteria, chlorine, calcium, magnesium, iron, lead, sulfides and microplastics. ZeroWater filters come with a free water quality meter that will give you a TDS reading of your water before and after you have filtered it. However you need to bear in mind that a TDS detector will only indicate the level of total dissolved solids in your water. While TDS is often used as an general indication of water quality, it will not necessarily indicate the presence of some potentially harmful contaminants. TDS meters can be purchased separately online, however it is safer to refer to official laboratory test results for your water supply. Also, as mentioned earlier, because minerals in water are beneficial to our health, a low TDS reading is not necessarily a good thing.
Because the Berkey filters operate by gravity, the filtration process is relatively slow as the water must pass through the filters without any mechanical assistance. The upside of this is that the water is in contact with the filter media for longer, which means filtration is more effective at removing impurities than other methods. Berkey Water Filters are able to turn water obtained from just about any water source, whether it be municipal tap water or water from a stagnant pond, into water that is clean and safe to drink. Results from independent lab tests conducted on the Black Berkey filter cartridges show they exceed EPA and ANSI/NSF standards (42 & 53), and can remove 99.9999999% of pathogenic bacteria and 99.999% of viruses, and are also capable of removing more that 200 other common drinking water contaminants, including: cysts, chlorine, trihalomethanes, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, lead, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, sulfides, perfluorochemicals (PFOA's) and microplastics to name a few.
Advantage: Berkey
The Big Berkey Water Filter - 2.25 Gallon System
Design & Durability
All Berkey systems, except the Berkey Light, are manufactured from surgical grade stainless steel, and come with a 12 month manufacturers warranty (more on the warranty below). The ZeroWater range of filters, on the other hand, are manufactured from BPA-free plastic, the 40-Cup Dispenser which is made from glass being the only exception.
Advantage: BerkeyAffordability
The purchase price of the Berkey systems range from $249 for the Travel Berkey to $360 for the Crown Berkey, while the Zero Water Filters range from $19.99 for the 6-Cup Pitcher to $74.99 for the 40-Cup Glass Dispenser.
While the initial purchase cost of any of the Zero systems is relatively inexpensive compared to the Berkey, the cost per gallon increases rather quickly by comparison. Each pair of Black Berkey carbon filters that come fitted standard with a Berkey system will filter 6000 gallons of water before needing to be replaced. By contrast, ZeroWater's 40-Cup dispenser, for example, is capable of filtering 40 gallons before the filter needs to be replaced. For it to filter 6000 gallons of water, the filter will need to be changed 150 times!When purchasing ZeroWater's 2-set filter packs, the cost for the filters would be US$2249.25; the total cost to filter 6000 gallons of water would amount to US$2324.25 for the filter system and filters at the very minimum.
When taking this into account, the Big Berkey, for example, which is closest to the ZeroWater 40 Cup Dispenser, works out to US$0.05/gallon over the 6000 gallon lifespan of the filters, whereas the ZeroWater equivalent works out to US$0.39/gallon. Since the quality of tap water in the US varies, 40 gallons is a best-case scenario, with these filters typically needing to be replaced after 25-40 gallons of water has been filtered. Therefore the costs, which are already more than 10 times higher than the Big Berkey, could be even higher if the filter lasts less than 40 gallons.
Advantage: BerkeyWarranty
Both the Berkey and ZeroWater filters come with a warranty, however, the Berkey's is significantly better, offering a 100% guaranteed lifetime warranty on any manufacturing or workmanship defects of the stainless chamber or parts. This lifetime warranty excludes breakage arising from misuse or accidental damages or replacement/repair of filters, which in the case of the Black Berkey filter cartridges come with a 2-year prorated (6-month interval) warranty of their own. ZeroWater Filters by comparison only back up their product for 3 months, offering a 90-day warranty against manufacturing defects with a stipulation that the filter must have been used according to the recommendations outlined in the owner's user manual.
Advantage: BerkeyVerdict
A home drinking water filter can be a boon as it will provide your with clean, safe drinking water free from contaminants that can potentially harm your health. Berkey water filters are able to filter and store more water compared to their ZeroWater counterparts (pitcher filters). Berkey filters also utilize a much simpler filtration system than the more complicated 5-stage system employed by ZeroWater filters, which is more vulnerable to malfunctioning due to its complexity. Additionally, Berkey filtration systems are manufactured in the USA and offer a 100% manufacturers guarantee on parts and workmanship.
Berkey's simple design, which has not changed much in decades, continues to outperform its competitors and in terms of both cost and effectiveness, is hard to beat. When you consider the factors above and take into account the running costs over time, the Berkey stands out as the clear winner.
