6 Of The Best Gravity Fed Water Filters (2023 Reviews and Comparison Table)

Why Choose? You are willing to spend more on a filter that removes almost all types of contaminants

Specs:

• Can be used as: Gravity filter
• Size: 1.5 gallons
• Output: 0.18 liters per minute
• Bacteria/protozoa: Yes
• Viruses: Yes
• Chemicals/bad tastes: Yes
• Filter medium: 6 different media
• Lifespan: 24,000 liters

Review

As far as gravity water filters for home use go, Berkey is one of the most popular and trusted brands. Their gravity filters are simple: pour water into the top tank, wait for it to filter into the bottom tank, and use the spigot to get clean water. The Berkey filters even look nice since they are made from stainless steel.

The Travel Berkey comes with two black filter elements. It isn’t exactly portable, but it would work great for hunkering down. They also have a smaller “Berkey Go” filter, but I find it too bulky and ineffective to make it worth getting. The Travel Berkey works better and is still small enough to fit in your car.

Berkey doesn’t give much information about what these filters are made from other than it contains 6 different filter media. Based on what they claim on their website, it’s safe to assume that the filters are probably a combination of a small micron hollow filter (likely 0.02 microns to remove bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, and larger contaminants) and some kind of activated carbon brand (to absorb chemicals and bad tastes/smells).

If I had to hunker down at home through an emergency, I’d still prefer bottled water for drinking. But, if I ran through my water stockpile, I’d trust the Berkey to make water sources safe to drink. The caveat is that if the water were contaminated with chemicals, the black filter would need to be replaced long before the advertised 6,000-gallon lifespan.

Also, see Berkey vs Alexapure and Berkey alternatives

Treats:
Bacteria, protozoa, viruses, chemicals, bad tastes