No More Plastic Water Jugs!

 

 

 

Water is the main beverage in my life.

Our son, C, drinks it like a fish.

I'm thankful that he never developed a taste for soda,

and has made a conscious choice to stay away from sugary drinks.

Up until now, we've used bottled water from the grocery store

in order to satiate our thirst.

The plastic bottles always bothered me,

as I am ecologically-minded.

Even though they can currently be recycled,

that day will eventually end

and we will need to find a way to deal with all of the plastic in our lives.

 

When we moved into this house,

there was a water filter on the kitchen sink,

so we thought our water buying days were behind us.

Unfortunately, even though we replaced the old filter,

we were unable to drink the water.

Both C and I got sick and so we gave it up

and went back to buying bottles.

 Until a few weeks ago.

After watching one of the homesteading vlogs that I follow

where the Berkey water system was featured,

and doing some research, 

we decided to invest in it and are so glad we did.

The water tastes great, it's easy to incorporate the system into our routine,

and it will pay for itself in a matter of months.

 Since I'm up first in the morning,

I fill the upper canister with tap water

and listen to it trickle down into the lower tank.

It can be filled throughout the day as needed,

but since only two of use it regularly,

filling it up once a day usually suffices.

It feels good reducing our recycling needs

by using a renewable and reusable item.

 

The only expense after the initial investment

are the filters that sit inside the unit.

From their website:

 

"The included filters have been tested to remove 

203 contaminants commonly found in drinking water. 

Contaminants are removed as follows: 

viruses (99.999%), pathogenic bacteria (99.9999%), 

Chloramine (below lab detectable limit), trihalomethanes (99.8%), 

pharmaceuticals (99.9%), 

pesticides (below lab detectable limit), heavy metals."

 

Depending on the amount of water used

as well as the diligence in monthly cleaning,

these filters can last for years.

We use filtered water for cooking as well as drinking,

so the Berkey is a welcome addition to the family.

It feels good too, knowing that we will always have water,

no matter what happens with future shortages at the store

(remember what happened just a few months ago?).

The Berkey water system 

is helping in our quest for self-reliance.

Another homesteading win.