does not work, leaks air
The hose that attached to the pump is too loose and allows air to be sucked in and does not allow the air from the filter to be removed as it should. I saw another reviewer that described a fix for this problem by using a wire to tighten the connection but I think that I shouldn't have to go to this length. The product should work. I had to take the filters back off as I had no flow. It was easier to prime the filter with the priming button that came with it.
1Works well only after 2 adjustments in the attached video
I was going to give this a max rating of 2 before my husband solved the problems. There are two problems: 1. It came with bare instructions without adequate diagram of the valve placements and it is easy to get it wrong without that. 2 The product isn't well designed because the tube insert on the input side is loose enough for air to get in ending up in priming pump not working well. After I struggled with it for 30-40 minutes, both these issues were thankfully solved by my husband so it worked really well and really fast.Two things he had to do:1. Put a tourniquet like contraption on the input side of the "tube & valve overlap" to make the connection tight enough to not let air in so that the pump would work efficiently without sucking in extra air.2. Keep the filter element COMPLETELY submerged under water to make it work without wasting time on pumping air in and out for a long time before water could come out.We thought we'll record it so other people could benefit from our experience. Please watch the video to know what I am talking about and make it easier on yourself to use this priming tool. We recorded 2 videos of different problematic parts but Amazon only lets us upload one video per review.
4Gave Up After 1 Hour
The instructions that came with the primer were useless ... as it misses key info. Had to watch several YouTube videos made by users to learn how to use it; then when I put it all together, I couldn't get it to prime with water after several minutes. I then called the 800-number for Berkey -- they told me it should be priming after about 50 squeezes. When I told them I must have squeezed 200 times, they told me I had put it together wrong -- disappointing as the instructions were so awful. I commented they should have better instructions and the woman on the phone told me they were only the distributors. So, people at Berkey couldn't answer my questions; YouTube only took me so far; gave up and still haven't put together my Berkey after owning it now for 1 month.
1good enough
Not as great as I had hoped, but it does work and I will keep it and continue to use it.For priming, I find that using the standard rubber gasket that comes with the black Berkey filters works fine when I remove the aerator from my kitchen faucet. This gadget isn't anything special for priming. It shines when you want to dry the filter (but how often do you need to dry the filter?).It is probably a 4 star product, but the price is way excessive for these pieces of plastic and rubber (loss of star for being overpriced).
3Worked on my filters and my water gives them a workout
Just got this today and used it on my filters. I clean the filters regularly by scrubbing them vigorously with a soft-ish brush and a cleaning pad. I re-prime after every cleaning. Even so, my water (and it's municipal water) has SO MANY DEPOSITS in it that it slowed my filters down to the point they were nearly useless. Before buying a new set, I decided to spring for this. It's hard (though not impossible) to prime my filters due to the type of sink tap I have.Well, let's just say Berkey won't be getting an order for new filters from me anytime soon. I cleaned and scrubbed and then blew them dry. I found that by putting the larger end of this gizmo on the filter and just blowing into it worked better than the bulb, but that was because mine were SO CLOGGED UP! Once I got the junk out of them, the bulb worked just fine.THEN, after cleaning and blowing them dry, I re-primed them. I was amazed at how much pressure this little thing could shoot through the filter. It's enough pressure that sometimes, it blew the hose off the plastic parts. BUT...that's ok.I will say this thing does appear to have a learning curve that is a bit specific to how gunked up your filters are. IF you're starting with new, perhaps not. This thing WILL save the life of your filter, though, if your water is a icky as mine! Well worth the $17 I paid for it.....especially compared to the cost of the filters. :)
4Slow Berkey? Get this!
When we got our Berkey, we got rid of our primers, thinking we wouldn't need them for 10 years. Boy were we wrong! At 6 months our Berkey slowed to practically nothing. I talked to some people and they told me that I need to scrub the filters. I tried that and it still wouldn't work. I contacted the company and they told me that I could buy new primers for my filters, but I opted for this kit instead. This worked really well. I put the filter in a 1/2 gallon mason jar standing up and primed it that way because I didn't have a bucket big enough, or that I felt was clean enough to prime my filters in. Each filter was primed in a few minutes and our Berkey is working like new again.
5Works well!
My sink faucet does not have a smooth surface (it's a spray head) so it could not make good contact with the priming button. So, I ordered this primer. It worked beautifully. Both filters were primed and ready to go in about 15 minutes. Another advantage to having this on hand is it will work without running water (in case of an emergency, etc.).Putting the primer together can be tricky, and the instructions are not very good. I watched a YouTube video that explained how to put it together (link at end of this review). Here are the things you'll want to know while assembling the primer.The parts consist of: 1 bulb with different size holes on each end, 2 identical plastic tubes, 2 identical "valves", 1 hexnut and 1 one "angle piece" (this is where the water exits the primer). The little "valve" parts (2) have a smooth side, and a ribbed side. They have to be attached in a certain way so the pump works correctly.Working left to right, this is how the pieces all fit together. I laid them out in order then assembled the tube sections first and connected them to the bulb last:: Hexnut > tube > smooth end of valve A into tube > ribbed end of valve A into LARGER hole in the bulb > smooth end of valve B into smaller hole in bulb > ribbed end of valve B into 2nd tube > angle piece into 2nd tube.Get a container that is deep enough to where the filter can be completely submerged, and fill it with water. Screw the hexnut into the filter and place the filter into the water (it will try and float initially as it's full of air). Don't worry about it being fully submerged while you're pumping as it will gradually sink as it fills with water. Begin pumping. It took me about five or six minutes to fully prime. A bit of water came out at first, and then just air for quite a while.Part way though I did notice there was a suction issue (it took a long time for the bulb to "re-inflate" so I made sure a little bit of the filter was above water and loosened the hextnut just a bit, and that worked. It was not creating 100% vacuum at that point but it worked and I was able to prime the filters.My only gripe about this is that the rubber bulb STINKS like nasty rubber. It's getting stored at the back of a closet because I am very sensitive to chemical smells. However, the filter functioned perfectly so I'm still giving it five stars. I did not have a problem inserting the pieces into one another like other reviewers mentioned (just remember the bulb has two different sized holes). I think the hardest part was inserting the hexnut into the tubing, but that just took a few moments. The primer comes unassembled because you can reverse the direction of the valves if you want to purge water from the filter.Here is the link to the assembly video on YouTube that helped me: [...]If the link does not appear in this review, you can search YouTube for the video titled: Using a Black Berkey Primer, Part 2
5I love it. Absolutely without a doubt recommend it
This thing is an absolute necessity! I have the travel berkey and when I'm at hotels never know if the sink will be large enough to prime my black filter. To prime your black filter you do need to have it immersed in water just as an FYI. To accommodate this while using this tool I place the black filter in the bottom of my travel barley container and fill it with water. Then you just squeeze. It takes me about five minutes, if that. Also, you reverse prime without any water and it helps dry out the black filter for travel. I love it.Absolutely without a doubt recommend it. Wish I had known about it sooner.
5Well qorth the money & frustration
Makes priming the black elements so simple. My faucet has a wider spout on it, which makes the regular priming buttons virtually impossible. I will say I had to squeeze the priming pump about 150 times, but that's it, then the water started flowing. Definitely a must have purchase for priming Berkey elements. Well worth the money and frustration.
5Does the Job
I purchased a used Berkey water filter, and the person who sold it to me no longer had the faucet priming button thing. I did some research and found this, which worked to get my filters primed! I also love the fact that if we ever didn't have the necessary amount of water pressure, we could still keep our berkey going.
5
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