British Berkefeld SS2 8.5L: Gravity Water Filter

The British Berkefeld SS2 is an 8.5 litre stainless steel gravity filter: two stainless steel containers stacked one on the other, the upper filled with untreated water that filters down through two Ultra Sterasyl elements into the bottom chamber¹. There is no plumbing and no power. You fill the top, wait, and draw filtered water from the tap on the lower chamber.

For a household, that makes it a store-and-serve filter rather than an instant tap. The maker describes its gravity systems as using gravity to pull the water through the filter elements, with no installation requirements¹. The elements are tested to reduce over 99.99% of cysts, and the maker states its ceramic candles reduce up to 99% of chlorine, improving taste and odour².

It is not a treatment plant for water of unknown quality. The maker's own instruction is explicit: do not use where water is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality without adequate disinfection before or after the system¹. If you are dealing with a supply interruption or a do not drink notice, read how to make water safe to drink in an emergency alongside this page.

What the SS2 is and who it suits

The SS2 Ultra Sterasyl Gravity Filter System is a gravity filter system fitted with two Ultra Sterasyl filter elements¹. Its construction is simple: two stainless steel containers, the upper filled with untreated water which filters down through the two elements into the bottom chamber¹. The maker describes the wider British Berkefeld range as stainless steel gravity fed water filters that use gravity to pull water through the filter elements, with no installation requirements³.

The 8.5 litre model sits in the middle of the range. British Berkefeld gravity systems come in four sizes: 750ml, 6, 8.5 and 12 litres, and the maker suggests choosing dependent on the size of your household and how often you want to be refilling³. The smallest, at 750ml, is designed to be taken with you³. The 8.5 litre version is the one for a kitchen counter or a pantry shelf where several people draw drinking water through the day.

The maker's guidance is that the system suits a household wanting better tasting water without plumbing work³. It is also the kind of kit that keeps working when the mains stop, provided you have water to put in it and you follow the maker's limits on what it can safely treat.

What the Ultra Sterasyl elements remove

The elements are the working part of the system, and the maker publishes test data for them. Against live cryptosporidium parvum, with an influent of at least 50,000 per litre, the elements achieved over 99.99% average and over 99.99% minimum reduction, with effluent below 1 per litre¹. The maker's certification claims list nominal particulate reduction Class 1, turbidity reduction, and cyst reduction including Giardia and live Cryptosporidium¹.

On particles of 0.5 to 1 micrometres, the figures are over 99.9% average and 99.1% minimum reduction, Class 1¹. On turbidity, with a challenge of 11 plus or minus 1 NTU, reduction was 99.1% average and 98.6% minimum, with effluent at 0.1 NTU¹. The system is tested and certified by NSF International against NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 53 and NSF/ANSI 372¹.

The maker also states that a British Berkefeld ceramic candle reduces up to 99% of chlorine, significantly improving taste and odour, and that its filter elements reduce common contaminants including heavy metals and bacteria⁵. Those are the maker's own claims for its ceramic candles; the NSF certification covers the specific claims listed in the manual¹.

If you want to understand how these claims are tested and what the standards mean, filter claims and certification explains NSF standards and log reduction, and what ceramic, carbon, hollow-fibre and RO filters remove sets the SS2's ceramic elements beside other types.

Setting up and priming before first use

The maker's guidance is consistent across its documentation: you need to run water through the filters to wet and prime them before use³. Do this before the first fill you intend to drink, and again whenever you fit new elements.

The manual also sets out how to keep the hardware clean. Wash the metal and plastic filter parts with hot soapy water, rinse with clean water and dry before assembly, and do the same each time the filter elements are cleaned or replaced¹. Between uses, the maker suggests giving the inside a light wipe with kitchen roll or a dry cloth to keep it dry for storage, and using an anti-static cloth or dry kitchen roll on the exterior³.

A few practical points follow from the maker's instructions. Prime over a sink, not over the lower chamber, so the priming water does not end up in your drinking supply. Keep the tap and the inside of the lower chamber clean between fills. And if you store the system empty, dry it as the maker describes rather than sealing it damp.

When to clean or replace the filters

The maker's routine advice is to change the water filter every 6 months³. If you notice a change in the taste of your water, or a slower flow rate, the maker says to follow the instructions for cleaning your filters, and to replace them if cleaning does not solve it³. The same six month interval appears across the maker's guidance for its gravity systems⁶.

Cleaning is the first response, replacement the second. The maker advises cleaning the filter regularly and replacing it when you notice a decline in performance or after the recommended time period⁸. For its ceramic candles it recommends replacing every 6 months, or sooner if water flow drops or taste changes, and points to the product manual for model specific recommendations⁹.

Flow is worth understanding before you assume something is wrong. The maker notes that the water flow rate is affected by the quality of the water supply¹, so a batch that filters more slowly than the last one may reflect what is going into the top chamber rather than a failing element. Gravity systems deliver water over a few hours, not in seconds¹. If you want a wider view of priming, cleaning and frost protection for filters generally, looking after a filter covers the routine.

The 8.5L bundle, what is in it and where it is made

The British Berkefeld 8.5L Gravity Bundle is a gravity water filter bundle built around the 8.5 litre system¹¹. The maker lists its contents as the British Berkefeld 8.5 L Gravity System with Ultra Sterasyl filters, a British Berkefeld stainless steel stand, a British Berkefeld spigot sight gauge tap, and an insulating sleeve in Sage or Anthracite¹¹. The bundle is listed as Made in Britain¹¹.

The extras each do a job. The stand raises the tap so a jug or glass fits underneath. The sight gauge tap lets you see how much filtered water is left in the lower chamber before you draw it. The insulating sleeve wraps the body, which matters if the system sits somewhere cool or you want to slow temperature swings around stored water.

The maker also lists the bundle as tested and certified by NSF to NSF/ANSI Std 401¹². Delivery is available next working day for orders placed by 11:00, Monday to Friday, subject to the destination and courier availability¹¹. The maker's product page lists 14 day returns¹¹.

British Berkefeld is a trademark registered to Fairey Industrial Ceramics Limited¹³. The brand traces back to the 1800s, when German engineer Wilhelm Berkefeld developed the original version of these gravity filter systems to help tackle disease¹⁴. The maker describes the brand as having over 200 years of innovation and expertise¹⁵.

Support, warranty and the twelve month guarantee

Fairey Industrial Ceramics Limited warrants all parts against manufacturing defects for a period of twelve months from the date of purchase¹. That is the warranty term for the SS2 system. Keep your proof of purchase, since the twelve months runs from the purchase date.

For sales, service and replacement parts, the maker's manual says to contact your local Doulton distributor, and gives the telephone number +44 (0) 1782 664420 and the email filtersales@doulton.com¹. The maker describes this as a UK based customer service team³. If your filtration system model is not listed in its documentation, the maker asks you to email the make, model, filter housing dimensions and any other relevant specifications⁷.

One point of confusion is worth clearing up early. The maker states that British Berkefeld and Berkey are two separate brands⁶. They are not the same product under two names, and parts and elements should be bought for the system you actually own. If you are weighing up a gravity filter against other ways of filtering, gravity filters and ceramic candles explained sets out how the type works, and gravity filter or under-sink filter compares the two approaches for a household.

Where the SS2 fits in a household water plan

A gravity filter is a store-and-serve appliance, so it earns its place in a plan built around stored water rather than mains pressure. If you keep tap water in containers, the SS2 can polish it for drinking and improve the taste; the maker states its ceramic candles reduce up to 99% of chlorine, improving taste and odour¹⁶. Work out how much you need to keep with how much drinking water to store per person, and store it properly using storing tap water safely at home.

Be clear about what it cannot do. It is not a substitute for boiling or disinfection when a water company has issued a boil notice or a do not drink notice, and the maker's own warning against using it on microbiologically unsafe or unknown water applies¹. For those situations, follow what to do if you get a boil water notice and boiling to kill germs. The SS2 is the everyday and stored-water filter, not the emergency treatment step.

For a household that wants a larger gravity system, the maker's range runs to 12 litres³. For one person on the move, the 750ml system is the portable end of the same range³. The SS2 at 8.5 litres sits between them, sized for a family kitchen where the filter is in daily use and refilled as it empties.