British Berkefeld® Gravity Water Filter with 4 Super Sterasyl™ Ceramic Elements for Clean Drinking Water at Home, Camping, and Emergency Preparedness

I purchased this system 7 months ago on the advice of neighbors who have used the British Berkefeld water filter system for well over a decade. In recent years, there has been a lot of fracking for natural gas in this area; for those of us on well water, there has been some worry that the water in the aquifers has been tainted by chemicals used in the fracking process.I purchased the Big Berkey with the four white ceramic filters because that's what my neighbors use. They advised me to clean the filters periodically with a Scotch Brite pad and told me the filters would last for years. That was the same impression I came away with from the bit of research I did online.Shipping was fast, the system was easy to set up (more so because my neighbors did it for me), and the water tastes very good. Caveat: I never had the water tested at a lab before or after I started using the Berkey filters so I can only judge it on taste and not on its actual effectiveness. The unforeseen costs of purchasing and maintaining this system might be more palatable with scientific--as opposed to anecdotal--proof that chemicals and generally undesirable cooties were being filtered out. For the moment, that will remain one of life's mysteries.By the end of six months, however, I began to notice that all the water wasn't filtering from the upper chamber, leaving about four inches of water. I had cleaned the filters with the Scotch Brite pads a few times--whenever the filters started to look less white--but I cleaned them again. It didn't help, so I got online to look for help on the FAQ page at berkeywater.com while I waited for the customer service people to arrive at 9 am.I read some confusing advice on the FAQ page about cleaning the ceramic filters with vinegar. I also read that the filters are only good for six months, or a certain numbers of gallons per filter. Whaaaaat? My neighbors have been using theirs for years and I am the only person using this system. NOT what I had been led to believe prior to my purchase. The customer service person concurred, telling me repeatedly that the filters only last for six months. (FYI, there's conflicting information about that online.) Beyond the price of the system itself, a consumer will be spending about $200 per annum on filters for this system. The black filters are more expensive but they are supposed to last longer. After reading questions o the FAQ page from other customers about the black filters and how to prime them properly and other complications they've experienced including longer filtering time and a fun test for how well your filter is working that involves a vial of red food color and a lot of time, I honestly don't want to deal with that.I have had another issue from the beginning with a vacuum in the lower chamber that prevents the filtered water from flowing through the spigot. This requires lifting up the upper chamber periodically to release the vacuum. The upper chamber is heavy when it's full and I have it on an elevated stand to allow for a container to be placed under the spigot, so it's an awkward procedure: Imagine lifting a slippery 20-pound baby out of its carseat from behind while it's sleeping. Though the vacuum is stronger as the water level in the lower chamber decreases, it is always an issue. The customer service person at berkeywater.com told me I could exchange it for a new one because there's a one-year warranty on the system. He advised me to go through customer service at Pro Therapy, (PT) the vendor from whom I purchased the system on Amazon, to initiate an exchange.PT tried to help, but it had to be cleared through New Millennium Concepts (NMC), whom I believe are the North American distributors. During a three-way call that lasted close to an hour, the sales rep for NMC made me regret ever purchasing the system. Probably half of that time was on hold while the sales rep ran out to the sales floor to yell at whomever had told me that I could exchange the system while the very nice customer service rep at PT and I listened to NMC's hold music, which was too loud to have a conversation. The rest of the time was spent listening to a long, rambling monologue by the NMC sales rep about the effects of altitude and something about viruses and the long history of British Berkefeld and other things which were not relevant to my situation. As the minutes and then what seemed like hours passed, my remaining years on the planet dwindling, it grew increasingly obvious that there's a good reason that she's in sales and not customer service as she explored at length the many ways in which my disintegrating relationship with my water filter system could be my fault.If I remember correctly, the NMC sales reps said the original ceramic filters made or distributed by British Berkefeld actually do last for years. The new filters, manufactured by someone for the American version of British Berkefeld are much more cheaply-made and now have to be replaced every six months. Nothing more gratifying for the bottom line than a repeat customer!! I don't know how much of this is purposeful disinformation to lure new customers who will have to buy more filters--ergo, some fraudulent bait-and-switch scam--and how much is general inefficiency or just a poor product. The NMC sales rep demanded to know where I had read about cleaning the filters with vinegar on her company's website (which the very nice PT customer rep looked up for her) so that she could yell at whomever was responsible for that bad advice. And there are multiple websites for this product and its distributors--britishberkfeld.com, getberkey.com, berkeywater.com--in addition to other vendors who sell the system. Good luck getting to the right website!I'm sorry I purchased this system. The NMC sales rep suggested I fix my issue with the vacuum by sticking a piece of cardboard between the two chambers. 1) Ugly and 2) Super-awkward unless you have a second person to help with this gymnastic maneuver. I would also have to pay for return shipping if I exchanged the system. For me, there's really no satisfactory solution to this situation. It's difficult to rationalize this cost for a single user.