How to choose a system

Which size Berkey is best?

Which size Berkey is best? With a large range of sizes available it can be confusing and hard to decide on a Berkey size that will suit you and your family. If you drink lots of water or plan to use the water for cooking and other uses we recommend going up a size. Keep in mind how often you will need to refill the upper chamber - larger Berkeys need to be refilled less often and filter faster even if they have the same number of filter elements (this is due to higher water pressure). If your Berkey doesn't utilize all the filter element holes available you can always add more filter elements for increased flow.

Please take a look at the table below for a general recommendation:

Berkey Size

No. of persons drinking only

No. of persons drinking and cooking

Max No. of Filter Elements

Sport Bottle

1

1 (Temporarily)

1 (Berkey Sport)

Go Kit

1

1 (Temporarily)

1 (Black Berkey Element)

Travel

1-2

1

2 (Black Berkey Elements)

Big 

2-3

1-2

Up to 4 (Black Berkey Elements)

Light

3-4

2-3

Up to 4 (Black Berkey Elements)

Royal

4-5

3-4

Up to 4 (Black Berkey Elements)

Imperial

5-6

4-5

Up to 6 (Black Berkey Elements)

Crown

6+

5+

Up To 8 (Black Berkey Elements)