Berkey-like water filter that works with water softener?

Grey Lady - April 4, 2021

AdviceGear

I just read the great water filter review, but I had one question that wasn’t addressed there. One thing that has kept me from pulling the trigger on a Berkey purchase is reading that you can’t put water that’s been through a water softener in it. Can anyone suggest something similar that will work for us hard water folks?

4  

Not familiar with a water filter that works with a water softener, but your water softener should have a bypass valve or a way to get water before it passes through your softener. So that may be a possibility, receive your drinking water through that way and fill your berkey with that water.

Another idea is to collect rain water and run that through your berkey for drinking water.

I looked a little into why you can’t use softened water with your berkey and they say that softened water contains some of the salts that are used to soften the water and that isn’t filtered through the berkey filters. So you will have build up over time of salt on the outside of your filters that could clog the pores and shorten it’s lifespan. Some things you might be able to do are to wipe down the outside of the filters every now and then to get off that extra salt. Or backflush your filters with distilled water to force the salts away from the filter. 

Sorry I’m not too familiar with water filters on the market and don’t have any specific recommendations.

 

Thanks for the research and thought, Jose.

I’ll have to check the water softener for a bypass, but I was hoping to use the Berkey regularly, not just in an emergency, so running down a level from the kitchen to the basement where the softener is to get water every time is just … not going to happen in the world in which I am caring for small children. 😉🤷‍♀️

But I really like your solution of simply doing more filter maintenance. That, I can do.

 

Don’t blame ya there, kids are a handful. 

Reverse osmosis or distillation are going to be your best solutions for clean water with softened water as they remove the salts, but both of those systems are very expensive and remove the minerals from your water that you might want. 

I’ll keep my eyes out for a better solution.

 

Thanks so much!