The only countries in Europe that continue to fluoridate their water are Ireland & parts of England and Spain. Fluoride is naturally present in most drinking water in England and Wales. See the map for levels of fluoride in the UK or detailed maps of worldwide fluoridation, including the UK, Ireland and Spain. Ireland is the only country in Europe that mandates the addition of fluoride to drinking water. In all other European countries, fluoridation has been banned or was never implemented. See the following links for more information about the hazards of water fluoridation:
Berkey PF-2 reduction elements are especially designed for use in conjunction with the Black Berkey water filters to adsorb the following unwanted elements found in drinking water.
Fluoride
Arsenic V and pre-oxidised Arsenic III
Other residual heavy metal ions
The number of PF-2's must always correspond with the number of Black Berkey filters installed in the upper chamber. For example: 4 Black Berkeys (2 sets of 2) would require 4 PF-2s (2 sets of 2), and so on.
The PF-2 shell is made from safe, non-leaching Polypropylene #5, which is a BPA-Free plastic and is used for food containers such as ketchup bottles and yoghurt containers.
PF-2 filters reduce filtration flow rate by 15-20%.
Do not boil the PF-2 filters.
Replacement
Under normal conditions, we recommend that each set of two PF-2 filters be replaced after approx 3,785 litres. For instance, the Royal Berkey system is about 12.3 litres; therefore, the PF-2 filters should be replaced after (3,785/12.3) or 307 refills. If the system is refilled about one time per day, the PF-2s should be replaced after 10 months; if the system is refilled about twice per day, the PF-2s should be replaced about every five months. Actual capacity is dependent on the presence of other competing contaminants in the source water. High levels of fluoride, arsenic and heavy metals may reduce the capacity and efficiency of the elements.
Priming the PF-2 Water Filter
(Attention: PF-2 filters must be primed before use.)
With blue caps in place, wash the exterior of each PF-2 water filter with a mild dish soap.
With clean hands, remove both blue caps from each end of the PF-2 water filter.
Place the rubber-priming button (tan colored) onto one end of the PF-2 water filter and align the hole in the button with the hole in the PF-2 water filter.
Press the priming button up against a sink faucet so that the priming button creates a seal between the faucet and the PF-2 filter.
While holding the priming button against the faucet, turn on the cold water gently and allow the water to fill the cavity of the PF-2 water filter and discharge from the opposite end. Allow the water to discharge for at least 20 seconds or until the water runs clear, whichever is longer. Hint: Place your thumb on top of the faucet to apply pressure, creating a tighter seal.
Now repeat the process by turning the PF-2 water filter over and priming the filter from the opposite end in the same manner.
Prime each additional PF-2 filter, repeating steps 3-6.
How to Prime and Install the PF-2 Fluoride Filters
Remove the upper chamber from the filtration system and place it upside down on a counter so that the stems of the Black Berkey elements are facing upward.
With the water flow arrow pointing away from the upper chamber (the PF-2 water filters have threads on one end only), screw the PF-2 water filters onto the stems of each Black Berkey filter 8 revolutions. Attention: a) Do not screw the PF-2 filter on more than 8 revolutions, as this may damage the internal media screen. b) The flow arrow should point away from the upper chamber.
Replace the upper chamber onto the lower chamber (the PF-2 water filters should now be hanging in the lower chamber). Fill the upper reservoir with water and let it drain into the lower chamber. When the lower chamber is full, discard this 1st batch of water, which may contain some residual process dust. Your purification system is ready for use. Attention: On a rare occasion, it can take up to 5 full chamber flushes/batches before the dust subsides. If the dust does not subside after the 5th full batch of water, please contact us for potential replacement.
Technical Information and Testing
Testing for fluoride was based on 20-30ppm of the ion in the influent aqueous solution at a flow rate of no more than 3 gpm (11 lpm) per cubic foot of media. Results of < 1ppm of the fluoride ion in the effluent were typical for the media (>95% reduction). Under optimum conditions, effluent concentrations of less than 50 ppb were readily achieved (>99.75% reduction). This product uniquely targets the entire family of arsenic oxide anions as well as the arsenic cations.
Our original tests were done using gravity alone to purge the PF-2 filters. Since then, we have added a step by using purging buttons, which are much more efficient at removing any residual process dust from the PF-2 media. The test does not distinguish between activated alumina (Al2O3) and aluminium (Al). So we had to use the total count of aluminium and activated alumina in our tests.
PF-2 filters contain high-grade activated alumina (Al2O3), which currently is the most efficient media available for extracting fluoride from water. Activated alumina is inert. Below are the results we obtained when testing the PF-2 filters (the water was not pre-filtered through the Black Berkey filter elements). The reduction over time is due to additional residual process dust being washed free from the PF-2 filter as the system is used. To give a scale for comparison purposes, we include test results from a national brand toothpaste and water boiled in an aluminium pan.
National brand toothpaste 52.878 ppm aluminium oxide
Water boiled in an aluminium pan for five minutes: 2.791 ppm aluminium
PF2 after conditioning (5 cycles): .178 ppm aluminium oxide
PF2 after 10 Cycles: .037 ppm aluminum oxide
PF2 after 20 Cycles: .029 ppm aluminum oxide
While the above results indicate that the residual process dust adds a minute amount of activated alumina to the water, the Black Berkey water filters reduce aluminium from the water. We tested water that naturally contained .320ppm aluminium and filtered it through the combination of the Black Berkey and the post-conditioned PF-2 filtration elements (5 cycles). The results showed a net reduction in aluminium contamination (Raw influent: .320ppm - Effluent after passing through the Black Berkey and PF-2 elements: .232ppm). Again, the standard tests cannot distinguish between aluminium (Al) and activated alumina (Al2O3), which is inert. Nevertheless, the tests showed a net reduction by the Black Berkey filter element in the combination of naturally occurring aluminium plus any residual activated alumina (Al2O3) process dust from the PF-2 elements.
Do the PF-2 filters used in Berkey Water Filter Systems leach aluminum into your drinking water?
What is the best way to keep the PF-2 filters when away for more than a long weekend? There is some conflicting info on the internet. Do I have to put them in the fridge?
The active ingredient in the PF-2 filters is activated alumina. Isn’t that the same as aluminum and aren’t there then health concerns with exposure to aluminum?
Could you tell me exactly which types of fluoride the PF-2 fluoride filters are able to filter?
I am interested in buying one of your water filters. I really need a filter that removes fluoride and notice that the systems come with 2 Black Berkey filters. Is there any way that you can order it with 2 PF-2 fluoride filters instead as I would not use the Black Berkey filters if they do not remove fluoride?
I have installed the PF-2 filters into the Travel Berkey water filter and accidentally screwed it all the way in instead of just 8 full revolutions. The manual states this could damage the internal media screen. Is there any way how to test whether the filter is damaged or not?
