Can I use my Berkey® purification system with water from my softener?
It all depends on the technique used. CO2 or magnetic softeners, for example, produce water that is normally drinkable (to be confirmed by the manufacturer) and is not a problem with Berkey® systems.
But the most commonly used softeners work with ion exchangers that convert calcium and magnesium, which are responsible for the accumulation of limescale, into sodium. Using these softeners produces soft but salty water...
Black Berkey® water filters are designed to remove a very large number of pollutants as specified in test results from an independent laboratory. However, they do not remove the mineral salts initially present in the water and preserve them for the benefit of our body. The salts used to soften the water in your softener, and present in large quantities, will not be filtered by the Black Berkey® filtration element and will end up in your drinking water. Unlike natural mineral salts, they are highly concentrated and should not be consumed.
Therefore, we do not recommend that you use water softened by a water softener to supply your Berkey® purifier.
Note: Some systems are equipped with a bypass to remove water from the system before it goes through the softener. In this case, this water can be used without any problem with the Berkey® water purification systems.