Travel Berkey in Twin King January 30, 2021, 12:19:19 am I am specking out a project and would like to describe my plans so that more experienced people can weigh in and advise. If you have a better idea, please let me know!My goal is to install straps to secure my Travel Berkey water filter in or near the dead space behind the kitchen sink. I will need to drill into the partition between the kitchen and the shower. I called the Mothership to confirm that the partition is 5/32†luan with a vinyl covering, In the recent Secret 12v Reset Button thread, I saw photos of what the inside of the wall looks like, and can take a drawer out to get an accurate measurement of the stud depth so I don’t make the mistake of drilling into my shower.The Travel Berkey water filter is a cylinder 7 1/2†x 7 1/2†x 19†(including the knob on the lid.) It will fit under the lowest wall cabinet with just barely enough clearance to remove the lid for refill. This is what a Travel Berkey looks like:Travel Berkey® & Stand Pro Kit Bundle SaleI plan to install four stainless steel footman’s loops vertically on the partition, and then secure the Berkey by running 1†Velcro straps through the footman’s loops and around the Berkey in four places: at the top and bottom of each half. I plan to travel with the water emptied out of both halves. The filters alone make the Berkey top heavy. Here’s what these parts look like. Footman’s loops: Amazon.com : YYST 25MM (One Inch) Bimini Top Strap Pad Eye Footman's Loop...Velcro straps: Amazon.com: 12 Pack 1 x 24 Inches Hook and Loop Reusable Fastening Cable Tie...I will first use a stud finder to find the nearby studs in the hope that I can screw the wood screws I already have directly into a nearby stud. The footman’s loops are beautiful stainless, and came with flat head stainless wood screws. If I can’t position the Berkey properly to take advantage of a stud, I am planning to use jack nuts (sometimes called rivet nuts) and go into the luan. Jack nuts behave like mollies for drywall, but are suitable for thin or brittle material like luan.Has anyone ever specked out jack nuts for 5/32†luan?Installation video. https://youtu.be/nlcXXx1cxWU Available sizes. https://www.rivetsonline.com/documents/products/JACKNUTS.pdfInstallation tool. https://www.harborfreight.com/45-piece-threaded-insert-riveter-kit-1210.htmlThe smallest size of jack nut is 6-32.6-32 jack nuts. #6-32 Zinc Plated Jack Nut Type 1 | K.L. Jack6-32 x 5/8†flat head stainless steel machine screws. Fastenere.com: 6-32 x 5/8" Flat Head Socket Cap Screws Stainless Steel 18-8...Thanks for your feedback. This will be my first modification to the Taj Mahal, and it is scary to drill into a pristine vinyl clad partition...especially since the shower is on the other side. So I want to be very careful.Maud. 1 Likes As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #1 – January 30, 2021, 05:55:40 am I installed our 100GPD RO water system over there, no drilling into the wall between kitchen and bathroom. Just put a T connection in the cold water line to the outside shower of our 2004 MB. 1 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #2 – January 30, 2021, 09:25:02 am Maud, this post from "Debinvenice" might be helpful:Pandemic ProjectsShe might see this thread and offer additional information. 1 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #3 – January 30, 2021, 09:47:54 am Hi Maud, The Mr. and I just discussed your Travel Berkey installation and he suggested an alternative installation. Bear with me, I'm not a carpenter but his idea sounds pretty good. Measure the distance between the bottom of the upper cabinet and the backsplash of the counter top. Cut two lengths of a nice hardwood, (he suggested a 1 x 2) stained to match your cabinets, to that length. Screw an L shaped metal bracket (with 2 holes per section) to one end of each hardwood piece. Screw four Footman's Loops to the same side of each hardwood piece, spaced to provide two per Berkey chamber. Determine where you want the hardwood pieces on the wall and draw two lines on the wall for lining them up perfectly during installation. Apply a strong glue to the backside of each hardwood piece then set them in place on the wall. Screw the L brackets into the bottom of the upper wood cabinets. Use painters tape to hold the hardwood brackets in place until the glue is dry. We have 2 Berkeys in our house (a Big and a Royal) and a Travel Berkey in our Class A. Good luck with your installation!~ Dori 1 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #4 – January 30, 2021, 12:55:24 pm Thank you, Dori and Mr.! I really appreciate your thinking this through with me. I like the idea of the two hardwood verticals and using the overhead cabinet to provide support. I like the idea of two footman’s loops per strap for a total of eight of them. I was worried about only having a single attachment for each strap...two per strap is much better.The one concern I have is gluing to vinyl wall covering over luan. While the glue may bond well with the vinyl, it can also just pull the vinyl off the luan and tear it away during a failure. A possible solution would be to make the hardwood structure U-shaped, with the verticals glued to the U at the bottom and reinforced with corner brackets. Amazon.com: 30 Pcs L-Shaped Right Angle Stainless Steel Plate Corner Brace,2...The ends of the horizontal piece of the U would have to go from stud to stud so the bottom of the hardwood structure could screw into the studs instead of the luan. What do you think of that idea?Thanks again!Maud As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #5 – January 30, 2021, 01:10:58 pm Mr. is out right now but he did say that the glue was more of an 'extra', to help keep the hardwood pieces from shimmying, not really providing that much support since you're not going to travel with water in the Berkey, right? I think the 'U' is a good idea but maybe with the horizontal piece at the top so you can add another 'L' or 'T' bracket to the upper wood cabinet bottom. Or... add a second horizontal piece to the bottom as well, creating an open rectangle. That might be the most secure, especially if you have the bottom of the rectangle resting on the backsplash. Yep, I think that' s a good idea!When we travel in our A (which will be sold this year so we can finally buy our dream RV... a Mid Bath, oh be still my heart!) we disassemble the Berkey during travel and simply set it up on my counter once we're parked. We unscrew the black filters and roll each in a kitchen towel. Then we load them back into the chamber along with pool noodle pieces so they're secure during travel.~ Dori 1 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #6 – January 30, 2021, 01:13:47 pm Joan, thanks for the reference to the closet Berkey solution. I had looked at that but didn’t want to lose so much closet space. As you say, Deb may have some other thoughts.CLI288, the Berkey is not plumbed. It’s a countertop appliance. I will be using the same one I currently have in my apartment. Thanks! Maud
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #7 – January 30, 2021, 01:41:33 pm Since I also have a TK, I understand the space constraints. I think there are a few layout differences between earlier and later TKs, but for a tall system like the Berkey, it could be a challenge to find a convenient spot for transport (and filling, and dispensing).I also have the Travel Berkey, but it's used at home and not in the rig; I use "bottled" water when traveling. If I were fulltiming, or traveling for long periods, I'd have to come up with a "Where to carry the Berkey" solution.As always, YMMV. 1 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #8 – January 30, 2021, 02:53:18 pm Quote from: Dori Johns - January 30, 2021, 01:10:58 pm...we disassemble the Berkey during travel and simply set it up on my counter once we're parked. We unscrew the black filters and roll each in a kitchen towel. Then we load them back into the chamber along with pool noodle pieces so they're secure during travel.~ DoriHmmm...I had been wanting to avoid removing filters because I use both the black Berkey filters and the white chlorine filters. It certainly sounds like an idea to consider. I plan to spring the Taj Mahal from storage on Tuesday, assuming the rain has stopped. I will bring it home and carry the Berkey out and take some photos in situ. It might trigger more ideas, or even eliminate some options. I maintain quarantine, and had to send for a stud finder, so I probably won’t have the stud finder by Tuesday.Maud
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #9 – January 30, 2021, 03:53:08 pm "I use both the black Berkey filters and the white chlorine filters."---I didn't see "white chlorine filters" on the Berkey website; clarify, please? The municipal water where I live is heavily chlorinated, and the black filters do a good job of removing it.
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #10 – January 30, 2021, 04:39:52 pm Quote from: Joan - January 30, 2021, 03:53:08 pm"I use both the black Berkey filters and the white chlorine filters."---I didn't see "white chlorine filters" on the Berkey website; clarify, please? The municipal water where I live is heavily chlorinated, and the black filters do a good job of removing it. My mistake. I should have said fluoride and arsenic. Where I live in the City of St. Louis, we have excellent water straight out of the tap. Unfortunately, our water intake is downriver from the West Lake Landfill, which is leaching radioactive waste into the groundwater. Moreover, our local power plants, which are all located by the rivers, are still mostly coal burners, and their ash ponds are allowed to be in the flood plains. This means we have the potential for a lot of heavy metal contamination, especially arsenic. So as a precaution against these environmental hazards, I use both the black and white filters. https://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/pf-2-fluoride-and-arsenic-water-filters-2-fits-black-berkey-filters-only.html
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #11 – January 30, 2021, 05:42:07 pm Maud,We take the black filters out because I've heard of others leaving them in place and having the little black extension pieces break off when being left inside the upper chamber during travel. So it just seems safer to us to remove them. We have well water at home so we don't use the fluoride filters. 1 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #12 – January 31, 2021, 12:27:58 pm Quote from: Maud - January 30, 2021, 01:13:47 pmJoan, thanks for the reference to the closet Berkey solution. I had looked at that but didn’t want to lose so much closet space. As you say, Deb may have some other thoughts.CLI288, the Berkey is not plumbed. It’s a countertop appliance. I will be using the same one I currently have in my apartment. Thanks! MaudI am not sure how much pressure your filter system will add to the pull out faucet spray in the LD. I initially installed our RO system over the counter using a diverter valve. After a month or two, the spray and even the faucet valve started slow leak. Given the faucet system is pretty old (2004 MB), I replaced it and installed the RO system under the counter with its own drinking water faucet. Of course, the RO system exerts much higher pressure than a typical filter system, but I still think it is prudent to exercise caution to try it out first. Good luck with your endeavors. 1 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #13 – January 31, 2021, 01:10:06 pm My Berkey stays on the little counter by the door of my twin king. I strap it to the magazine rack with a bungee cord and it never moves during travel 1 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #14 – January 31, 2021, 02:07:42 pm There are smaller filter systems that do not use so much countertop space, something none of us have enough of.For over twenty years we have used filters with deck-mounted faucets and the filter canister located in the cabinet below.We ran a General Ecology Nature Pure filter for years until it became obsolete and now run an Omnipure filter from the RV Water Store.Ultrapure Under Sink water filter SystemThe canister used removes minerals, bacteria, and cysts. Filter canisters are available for different water conditions.Both of us have had water-borne sicknesses before and now drink only bottled or filtered water when traveling.I'm not familiar with the Berkley, what advantages does it have that it requires so much deck space? Larry
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #15 – January 31, 2021, 06:27:16 pm My impression is the Berkey removes viruses, harmful pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites as well as unhealthy chemical contaminates and impurities while leaving behind essential minerals, without any power.But it is a bulky solution, one I’m not sure I’ll have space for in my future TK, hence my interest in any creative solutions.
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #16 – January 31, 2021, 07:40:16 pm We love our Berkey and our solution is pretty low Tech. We keep it on the lid of the storage compartment in the attic just to the right of the door entry. When traveling it sits in the sink. 2 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #17 – February 09, 2021, 05:03:30 pm Quote from: alphpup - January 31, 2021, 01:10:06 pmMy Berkey stays on the little counter by the door of my twin king. I strap it to the magazine rack with a bungee cord and it never moves during travelI don’t have a magazine rack on the 2019 TK. But I will have a look at it, though, the next time I spring the Taj from storage. We are having a significant cold snap here, so I probably won’t see the Taj until next week. Maud
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #18 – February 09, 2021, 05:19:07 pm Quote from: Larry W - January 31, 2021, 02:07:42 pmBoth of us have had water-borne sicknesses before and now drink only bottled or filtered water when traveling.I'm not familiar with the Berkley, what advantages does it have that it requires so much deck space? LarryAn 8” circle is not much deck space if it’s in the dead triangle behind the kitchen sink...that location won’t cost me any working space. Also, to get a glass under the spigot, which is right at the bottom, it needs to be by the sink or by the edge of a counter. Berkeys are non-plumbed, non-pressurized gravity systems. You don’t need power or water pressure to make them work. The filtered water retains minerals but harmful chemicals, viruses, and parasites are removed. You will find online that recently, competitors have pointed out that Berkey’s claims have not been confirmed by an independent lab, and that is true. However, Berkeys have long been popular with people who live off grid, and filter well water, creek water, and lake water. My thought is that if people consuming Berkey-filtered water from those sources have not reported illness, then Berkeys are probably good enough at filtering tap water. My stud finder has arrived from Harbor Freight, so the next time I spring the Taj I will be able to look for the studs behind the sink.Maud 1 Likes
Re: Travel Berkey in Twin King Reply #19 – February 10, 2021, 10:25:49 am Quote from: Maud - February 09, 2021, 05:19:07 pm My thought is that if people consuming Berkey-filtered water from those sources have not reported illness, then Berkeys are probably good enough at filtering tap water. MaudIf I may ..... only a double blind study with a disinterested party can say with assurance that a Berkey is a SAFE device. Anecdotal evidence is not reliable. Logic is not science. glen
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