No you can not do a DIY system of charcoal in a bucket and get the same results as you would get with a Berkey Filter system. Putting charcoal in the bottom of a bucket will not result in a filtration system that results in removing harmful pathogens. You need very small micron sized filtration to make the drinking water safe, it is not just about the charcoal. There is science, engineering and extensive testing that goes into designing products that produce, safe, potable water.
You would need to use several secondary filter materials to remove the bits of loose material charcoal to make the water both clear and potable. It would look and taste very nasty without secondary filtration. Plus if the water was not from a municipal source it would need to be boiled to kill pathogens. The charcoal in those filters is bound into a matrix of materials that create a micron sized porous filter, it is not just a matter of dumping loose charcoal into a bucket. You can't replicate the filtration method doing it that way.
Never give out advice such as this one that is critical to protecting a persons health in an attempt to be humorous in a forum. It is not a considerate thing to do and does not add anything of value to a forum. Not all people will get it that you are making a joke. You could instead, unintentionally cause a person to become very ill with your attempts at humor. I am sure that you are a good person who would not want to cause someone the misery or even death that can come from drinking unsafe water.
Think before you post your concepts and take the time to do some investigative research before you post any concept ideas that involve health and safety. You learned how to do research when you were in school, use those skills that you were taught in science classes. Science is a required subject for a reason and part of that reason is to protect your health. If you want to present an idea for a water filter concept do your homework first before you present it. Then be sure you present it with the limitations of your filter regarding health and safety such as will it or will it not remove pathogens, will it remove lead or other hazardous metals, will it remove chemicals from the water, will it remove odors, will the water be clean and taste good after filtering, etc.
