Priming Black Berkey elements
Black Berkey elements must be primed before first use. Priming saturates the carbon block with water, which allows normal flow rate -- dry elements produce very slow or no flow. Two priming methods:
Method 1 (easiest): Hold the element over a sink, thread the priming button (included) onto the stem, press the stem against a running cold water faucet. Water should weep from all surfaces of the element within 30 seconds. Hold for 1 minute until the element appears uniformly moist. Repeat for each element.
Method 2 (if Method 1 fails): Fill a plastic bag with clean water, submerge the element with the stem pointing down, use a rubber band to create a seal around the stem, and squeeze the bag until water appears from all element surfaces. This forces water into the element under pressure, saturating it faster.
Red food coloring test (optional but recommended)
After priming, fill the upper chamber with water and add 1 teaspoon of red food coloring. The filtered water in the lower chamber should be clear -- if red color appears in the lower chamber, the element is not seating correctly or has a defect. Common cause: the wing nut is not tight against the rubber gasket. Re-seat and re-tighten. If red color persists, contact Berkey for warranty replacement of the element.