Another water filter question??
Equipment
Simple question, do you all use the same filter the next year or buy new every year. I used to just buy new every year and never gave it a thought cause they were so inexpensive.
Not so much now that I stumbled onto this platypus gravity works last year. My other filters stop flowing and it was taking forever to get water. I was in town and just decided to splurge on something different and boy was I amazed at how quickly the water flows through this thing. It only has about 10 gallons through it but it has set in a tote for almost a year now. So that's the question, am I safe to continue using it or buy new??
I buy Sawyer filters and discard after the hunt. May be okay, but a new one is $20-30 bucks. I don't want to risk beaver fever over a few dollars. I back flushed mine in Alaska each time it ran slow and the flow was good again.
I'm not familiar with it but according to the website the filter is good for 1500 litres. That being the case I would think as long as you back flush it like they suggest it would be fine.
Maybe call or email the company and ask.
redneck hunter, the sawyer filters were what was using. Last year I couldn't backflush and get them flowing again. Now that I know how slow they are compared to the gravity works ones I don't ever want to go back.
fdp, thats a good idea. Looking through the web is not giving me any real direction. Thanks
It would be interesting to know what they tell you.
"would think as long as you back flush it like they suggest it would be fine"
Yeah, that is what I always thought... Hadn't realized they were one use throw a ways until now...
Yeah, that is what I always thought... Hadn't realized they were one use throw a ways until now...
Not one use but one season then sit for year and re-use??? Trying to figure out if the fibers in the filter break down faster after it's been used, then stored???
Yeah, that certainly would be nice to know...
I dumped my Sawyer after multiple back flushes, new filter etc. They just clog too dang easy.
That's probably the determining factor, use them until they are too clogged to back flush....
I was a Sawyer user for years.............always back flushed after each use and was meticulous about air drying before storing for next use. Never had any problems.......................until I did! After that, I got Platypus Gravity Works System and will probably never go back. So much easier to hang it and let it do it’s thing while you do other camp chores. Not as light and compact as the Sawyer, but it is worth it..........................
Micropur tablets. Kills everything - filters that also do are SLOW and clog easy. Never looked back. Alaska, backpacking, emergency, main camp, spike camp.
I set up a simple 3L bladder to my Sawyer squeeze filter and gravity flowed into a collapsible water jug. We were very careful to not get a bunch of trash in our bladder. I took a small grease strainer to pre-filter bigger debris out. We filled it, walked away and let it flow. Did a few back flushes. Worked great for us over 10 days in Alaska.
Reached out to the manufacturer on their website and haven't heard back from them. Guess I should do it the old fashioned way and just call them.
Hi there,
Thanks so much for taking the time to reach out to us about this. As long as the filter fibers did not dry out during the storage process; you should be all set to safely use it for your upcoming trip. You can test this by setting up the system at home and running tap water through it to make sure it is flowing. I have gone ahead and attached the user manual so you have easy access to the disinfection, cleaning, and storage instructions. With proper care, these filters do not have a shelf life and their efficacy can be measured by the amount of water filtered rather than a time frame used.
I hope this helps!
Hannah Customer Service
The above info is straight from the manufacturer. As long as water flows its good.
Thanks for the follow up/update. Pretty straight forward.
Don't worry, it should still be good to use as long as it's not damaged or exposed to extreme temperatures. Just make sure to give it a good clean and sanitize before using it again. You don't want any nasty stuff lurking in there! To clean it, start by backwashing it with clean water to get rid of any gunk or dirt that might have built up while it was in storage. Then, grab some water and bleach or a specialized filter cleaner to sanitize it. Follow the instructions that came with the filter to make sure you're doing it right.
Water problems and solutions can be tricky, but with the right approach, everything is possible.
Thanks Scrappy! I hadn;t read that far in the instructions................................ ;-)
Strange that the manual gives specific directions in step 8 on how to dry the filter out completely to prevent damage from freezing but the email from Hannah in customer service says "As long as the filter fibers did not dry out during the storage process; you should be all set to safely use it for your upcoming trip."
