Welcome to our comprehensive Berkey Shower Filter review. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the Berkey before you buy and decide if your money is best spent elsewhere. This month is shower filter review month here at AWMS, and we’re overflowing with shower filtration knowledge.
We know how hard and confusing it can be to track down a shower filter that removes chloramine and fluoride. As part of our review, we’ll answer whether the Big Berkey Shower Filter removes these common water contaminants.
Both chloramine and fluoride removal is tricky for shower filters due to the elevated flow rate and hot temperature of the water. There are few shower filters on the market that get the job done.
Let’s start by exploring the core features of the Berkey.
Berkey Shower Filter Overview
| Model | Features & Highlights |
| Berkey Shower Filter (KDSF) |
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What to expect?
As part of our analysis for each product we review, we investigate current info to identify positive and negative trends. We’ve found that shower filters all come with their own sets of problems, however, the Berkey has significantly fewer than other competing shower filters on the market.
Here’s what we concluded after analyzing the Berkey shower filter:
- The Berkey is a great choice for people fighting iron bacteria in well water. An iron bacteria problem often leads to reddish stains in your tub and funky odors while showering. The Berkey is a top choice for reducing the funk and preventing those unsightly stains.
- Backwashing the filter is recommended. One of the greatest advantages of the Berkey filter is the included backflush attachment that makes backwashing easy. Backwashing extends the life of the filter, prevents clogging, and ensures you get the full 20,000-gallon life out of your filter.
- If you’re suffering from dry itchy skin due to chlorinated municipal water, the Berkey filter may be the answer to your problem.
- The Berkey is effective for preventing/reducing limescale.
- Occasional broken filter housings or leaking
- If you’re dealing with a noxious chlorine odor, the Berkey does a great job of removing it.
- Softer, more manageable hair after showering.
Does the Berkey shower filter remove chloramine?
The Berkey shower filter does not contain filter media for chloramine removal. To make a long story short, the Berkey shower filter does not remove chloramine.
We recommend our list of best Vitamin C shower filters and our Pelican Premium Shower Filter review for better options. Chloramine removal requires Vitamin C filtration or a special type of activated carbon to achieve significant reduction rates.
We also recommend reading how to test for chloramine.
Does the Berkey shower filter remove fluoride?
Fluoride removal with a shower filter is even trickier than chloramine removal. Fluoride removal typically requires an activated alumina filter, reverse osmosis membrane, or selective ion-exchange resin for adequate removal.
The only shower filter we’ve yet to see that removes fluoride is the Propur shower filter, which we’ll take a closer look at in the next section.
Propur Shower Filter vs Berkey
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| Model | Berkey (KDSF) | Propur ProMax |
| Filter Life | 20,000 gallons or 1 year | 6-9 Months |
| Filter Media | High-Purity Blend of Zinc, Calcium, and Copper | Multi-Stage Granular Activated Carbon |
| Chlorine Reduction % | 95% | 57.1% at .9 mg/l concentration |
| Removes Chloramines? | N/A | Yes (71% at .9 mg/l concentration) |
| Removes Fluoride? | N/A | Yes (48.2% at .9 mg/l concentration) |
| Warranty | Berkey Lifetime Warranty | 9-Month Warranty & 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee |
| Price | Check at Amazon #ad | Check at Amazon #ad |
Who Wins?
Here are several scenarios where one filter is the clear winner over the other:
- If you want a filter that removes over 90% of chlorine, the Berkey shower filter is the clear winner. According to the Propur lab test results, the Propur reduces chlorine by just 57.1% at a .9 mg/l concentration.
- The shower filters cost roughly the same, yet the Berkey shower filter has a longer filter life which equals lower annual replacement filter costs for the Berkey.
- If you want to purchase a shower filter that’s proven to remove chloramines and fluoride, then the Propur shower filter is the clear choice for you.
- The Propur shower filter was independently tested to meet NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 53, while Berkey does not provide lab test results for its filter.
Our Berkey Shower Filter Review
Now, it’s time for our two cents. We’ve reviewed a long list of shower filters, and we’re confident that the Berkey is one of the best currently on the market. However, no product is perfect, and we strive to make our reviews as fair as possible.
I broke our review into two parts:
Dislikes
- We would like to see Berkey post lab test results to prove a 95% chlorine reduction rate and to see what else the filter removes. We also prefer to buy water filters that are tested to meet or exceed NSF/ANSI Standards. If we didn’t already trust the Berkey brand, we would be more skeptical about this filter.
- The Berkey shower filter costs more than a Sprite shower filter and uses essentially the same type of filtration media. We also noticed that Tyent’s shower filter #ad uses Sprite’s Chlorgon filtration media. Sprite is one of the original shower filter manufacturers that came well before Berkey. The drawback is that Sprite’s feedback isn’t as positive as Berkey’s. We recommend our Sprite shower filter review to get a better perspective.
Likes
- People are experiencing the benefits of chlorine reduction, e.g, softer skin, shinier hair, dandruff relief, eczema relief, and more.
- We love the included backflush attachment. We believe all shower filters should include one because gunk will inevitably build at the filter’s entry point. Backwashing the filter pushes out all the gunk and ensures that the filter does its job for the life of the filter.
- The extra-long filter life – A lot of filters on the market need to be replaced every couple of months, and one of the major drawbacks of owning a Vitamin C shower filter is the constant filter changes.
- The redox media & calcium sulfite combination in the Berkey shower filter is a powerful blend and the chosen combination for shower water filtration and hot water. For this reason, we believe Berkey is in accordance with NSF/ANSI Standard 177 for chlorine reduction, despite not stating it.
- Lastly, Berkey is the only company we’ve seen that offers a lifetime warranty on its filter.
Final Score: 8.5/10
Bottom Line
After reading through the current Berkey shower filter info and expanding upon our own analysis for this filter, we’re confident that it’s one of the best currently on the market. It’s one of our top-rated shower filters for well water and has found its way onto several of our Top 5 lists.
Buy this filter with the confidence that you’re buying a top-notch shower filter from a trustworthy company.
