Berkey Sight Glass Spigot

So one of the (few) pains about the Berkey Water Filter system we have, is that it is difficult to assess how much water has been filtered and is in the ready-to-drink reservoir.

It was recommended to me to get the Berkey Sight Glass Spigot.

Basically this thing has a little glass tube within which you can tell the approximate volume of water in the reservoir.  Pretty simple.

It is certainly handy to have, for a couple of reasons (interestingly enough, the most significant of which was the surprising discovery of a substantially increased rate of flow from the spigot) however, I've run into a few difficulties.

Number one was the fact that the metre doesn't really climb that high for me, even when I know the tank is plump full.  Apparently there is a disclaimer that the addition of the fluoride filters in the base of the unit would impede this reading.  As is logical, the filters are large, and would themselves displace a fair amount of water, giving an inaccurate reading on the sight glass tube.  And I have four of these fluoride filters.  So, it makes sense, and it isn't technically faulty or anything like that... it is just unfortunate.

And I can live with that.

What I can not live with, however, is the fact that the spigot drips.  No, not any of the connections, which I assure you are all perfectly tightened by hand, and correctly assembled.  But from the mouth of the spigot itself... it sort of collects water after it's been dispensed.  Sort of like how a straw with a pressure differential holds a bit of water... for a while...

I first noticed this about two weeks after I installed the sight glass spigot, when there was a small puddle directly under the unit.  Provided you don't overfill the unit, it's never supposed to do that... so I was concerned.

It took me some time to discover the source, but eventually I found that when I would tap the spigot mouth itself, anywhere from small to large amounts of water would stream from the closed spigot.

I do have plans to contact the manufacturer about this, but unfortunately I've been reading that this problem is somewhat common.


All in all, I still enjoy it.  The increased flow rate is enough to justify this upgrade in itself.  It is pretty fast now to fill up a glass of water.  And my time is precious.

;)