If you have not heard of this system then here is your chance.  You can filter stagnate water, it's that good.  Here is the video.  Hope you like.  This is on my must buy list.
Berkey Light Water Filter Quick Review UK

Great find Seawolf.  I have a couple of the Brita but agree for long term this would be a much better choice.  I caught that the filters on this last up to 10 years.  That alone is a major cost savings over the Brita. (Brita filter changed 4 times a year at $8 each (On sale) $32 a year for 10 years  $321)

On Amazon..
New Berkey Light Water Filter System With 2 Black Berkey Filters  by Berkey     
   

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Price: $231.00 [/t]

[/t][/t]   

In Stock. Ships from and sold by BigBerkeyWaterFiltersCom.

Only 15 left in stock--order soon.

10 new from $223.01

Not sure how I stumbled on this.  I think I was searching out survival preparedness and I saw the ad.  Went to it and was very impressed at it's ability to handle even tough water conditions.  We live near a creek that is fed by a swamp and this would be a great filter for just the sort of water conditions that we are near if it becomes necessary.

Quote from: Seawolf on September 04, 2011, 11:19:52 AM
Not sure how I stumbled on this.  I think I was searching out survival preparedness and I saw the ad.  Went to it and was very impressed at it's ability to handle even tough water conditions.  We live near a creek that is fed by a swamp and this would be a great filter for just the sort of water conditions that we are near if it becomes necessary.

Something to consider, is to boil stagnated water, if say it has Giardia or other pathogens, including possible viruses.
Giardia can propagate through many filters, it is a-sexual and splits into two after 30 minutes being attached to the surface, this continues throughout the filter until it either plugs it or passes all the way through.


The solution is simple, boil all water for 30 minutes, studies have shown Giardia to live 20 minutes + in boiling water.

4 microns or less is a good guide when selecting a filter, Giardia is 5 microns in size, I have a feeling this filter fits that criteria.
But again, to save the filter, boil the water and and use a coffee filter to remove large particulates that can clog the filter, in turn prolonging it's life.

If you wonder why I know this, it's because 30 years ago, I drank contaminated water with Giardia in it, I have never been so sick in my life, my belly was distended to the point, I looked 8 months pregnant.
Food went through me like water through a sieve and the cramps were unbelievable.
It won't kill ya, but it steals the nutrition your body should have gotten, it attaches to your stomach lining.

Quote from: Seawolf on September 03, 2011, 07:10:46 PM
If you have not heard of this system then here is your chance.  You can filter stagnate water, it's that good.  Here is the video.  Hope you like.  This is on my must buy list.
Berkey Light Water Filter Quick Review UK

Nice work CC. I want this! And not just for survival purposes. That must be some good H20!

A good source of info on water.
http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/water.shtml

Quote from: Solar on September 04, 2011, 11:38:36 AM
Something to consider, is to boil stagnated water, if say it has Giardia or other pathogens, including possible viruses.
Giardia can propagate through many filters, it is a-sexual and splits into two after 30 minutes being attached to the surface, this continues throughout the filter until it either plugs it or passes all the way through.


The solution is simple, boil all water for 30 minutes, studies have shown Giardia to live 20 minutes + in boiling water.

4 microns or less is a good guide when selecting a filter, Giardia is 5 microns in size, I have a feeling this filter fits that criteria.
But again, to save the filter, boil the water and and use a coffee filter to remove large particulates that can clog the filter, in turn prolonging it's life.

If you wonder why I know this, it's because 30 years ago, I drank contaminated water with Giardia in it, I have never been so sick in my life, my belly was distended to the point, I looked 8 months pregnant.
Food went through me like water through a sieve and the cramps were unbelievable.
It won't kill ya, but it steals the nutrition your body should have gotten, it attaches to your stomach lining.

Does water purification tablets have any effect on Giardia?

Quote from: Seawolf on September 05, 2011, 07:09:48 AM
Does water purification tablets have any effect on Giardia?

Yes, but iodine can be poisonous to some people, and in an emergency, the last thing people will think to ask, was the water treated with iodine.

Better just to boil it.
But, your filter just might remove iodine, I don't know.

Quote from: Solar on September 05, 2011, 07:24:28 AM
Yes, but iodine can be poisonous to some people, and in an emergency, the last thing people will think to ask, was the water treated with iodine.

Better just to boil it.
But, your filter just might remove iodine, I don't know.

Addendum to above post.

AbstractThe ability to control water-borne diseases is critical for soldiers, hikers, and others who may need to drink directly from an outdoor source. Water-borne protozoan parasites that are specifically of concern are Giardia and Cryptosporidium because of their resistance to halogen disinfection. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of iodine tablets against Giardia and Cryptosporidium under general- and worst-case water conditions that might be found in the field. Giardia cysts and Cryptosporidium oocysts were exposed to iodine according to manufacturer's instructions (two tablets/L = 13-18 mg/L for 20 minutes). This dose inactivated 3-log10 of Giardia in general-case water and pH 9. In worst-case water, however, only about 35% of cysts were inactivated at pH 5. Fifty minutes were required to achieve a 3-log10 reduction at pH 5. Cryptosporidium oocysts were more difficult to inactivate. Only 10% were inactivated after a 20-minute exposure to iodine according to manufacturer's instructions; even after 240 minutes of exposure to iodine only 66-81% oocysts were inactivated. These data strongly suggest that iodine disinfection is not effective in inactivating Cryptosporidium oocysts in water. Because this organism is common in all surface waters, it is recommended that another method of treatment be used before ingestion.http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11990150

Quote from: Solar on September 04, 2011, 11:38:36 AM
Giardia can propagate through many filters, it is a-sexual and splits into two after 30 minutes being attached to the surface, this continues throughout the filter until it either plugs it or passes all the way through.

Reminds me of a line from Ferris Bueller's day off when the teacher asks the class who came up with the idea of reproduction without sex and Ferris answers "Your wife".  :P

Just got my water filter system.

Quote from: Seawolf on October 09, 2011, 01:29:27 PM
Just got my water filter system.

Make sure and give us a review.  :)

SEAWOLF!
Could you please do a quick review on your water system? How has it worked for you?

Quote from: Eyesabide on January 12, 2012, 06:13:17 AM
SEAWOLF!
Could you please do a quick review on your water system? How has it worked for you?

Berkey makes a great water filter system, but it appears that the newer ones are having issues.
I bought a reverse osmosis system instead.
Here is a survival thread I found some time back discussing the filter system by Berkey.
It appears that the problems are isolated to the black filters, the white ones are fine.
They have an actual Berkey guy addressing it...

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=203110

I guess I need to upack mine and check them out.