Berkey Water Level Spigot Convenience and Overfill Prevention
I have a Royal Berkey Water Filter. It sits on a bar stool next to the kitchen counter. I did buy a Berkey water level spigot accessory for it, but not right away. It was after having used the system for awhile.
Do you want to know why I bought the sight glass water level spigot, and why you should too? (assuming you already have a Berkey, or are thinking about it…)
CONVENIENCE!
(Jump down the page to recommendation)
If you don’t have a see-though ‘sight glass’ as part of the water level spigot, there’s only one way to know how much is in there. You can’t see though stainless steel, so you would need to guess, or lift the upper portion to see inside.
You need to lift and raise the upper reservoir and look down inside of the bottom reservoir to check the water level.
It’s not a big deal to lift and peek. However it can be… especially if there’s water in the upper reservoir that’s still gravity-filtering through the elements. Water is heavy so it presents an awkward challenge if there’s a quantity in the upper tank while lifting.
Gripping a hand on each side of the upper reservoir, securely holding and lifting to have a peek. Guess what happens on a nice shiny stainless steel exterior? Hand prints! Can’t have that, right? So out comes the cloth to clean it.
But here’s another (more important) reason why you want the Berkey water level spigot… Ask me how I know…
Guess what happens when you over-estimate and add too much water into the upper reservoir — while there’s already a decent amount of water sitting in the lower reservoir tank with the spigot? You’re going to get water oozing out of the seam between the upper and lower portions as it overfills. And that’s gonna make a mess!
A Berkey Water Level Spigot. It’s totally worth it.
It won’t take long and you’re willing to shell out some bucks for the Berkey water level spigot!
Here’s mine:
TIP: To help know how much water to add to your Berkey. First, know how much water is the max for your model. My Royal model holds 3.25 gallons. Call it 3 for simplicity. As you can see (if you look closely) in the picture above, the water level sight glass indicates just about half full. Which means I could add another 1.5 gallons up top if I wanted to.
How to install the Berkey water level spigot
It’s pretty darn easy. But you simply need to know which rubber washer goes on the outside and which one on the inside. Plus (important!) do not overtighten! Just good and hand tight – no wrench…
Here’s a quick “how to” from our buddy Jeff over at USABekeyFilters.com
Which Berkey Water Level Spigot Do I Need?
They make three different sizes (height). Here’s a quick reference:
>> Berkey Water Level Accessory
- 7.5” for Travel Berkey®️ & Big Berkey®️
- 10” for Royal Berkey®️ & Imperial Berkey®️
- 13” for Crown Berkey®️
“This accessory serves as a replacement for the standard spigot that comes with the Berkey®️ system, along with an upgrade: an aluminum and glass water level gauge, allowing you to see at a glance how much water remains in the stainless steel lower chamber.”
Manufactured in the USA.
I suggest that you purchase yours from “the Berkey Guy”, a long time sponsor here who is running a small family business right here in the good ‘ol USA.
[ Read: The Berkey Guy – Authorized Dealer in USA ]
[ Read: How to Clean Berkey Water Filters ]