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Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2021 11:22 am
by Lumbergh21
Late to the party, but I have used two Sawyer Mini's and am currently using a HydroBlu. I previously used a pump with a ceramic cartridge, but can't remember which brand. The HydroBlu has much better flow than the Sawyer Mini, and I plan to continue using it. However, I have kept the mini's as they still work and have loaned them out to other hikers to try. I do bring the syringe, but must admit to waiting too long before backwashing out of laziness and costing me more time in the long run. Backwashing has not always restored my filters to near new flow, but I have used warm, heavily chlorinated water, vinegar (a mild acid), or a low concentration sodium hydroxide solution to clean them at home. Anyone of these could be used to remove build-up on the membrane, and all are used (though not at the same time or place as they could counteract each other or even react violently if used together) in municipal water treatment plants to clean membrane filters (except they would use citric acid, not acetic acid/vinegar). What chemical will clean your filter the best depends on what deposits are stuck to the filter. The sodium hydroxide solution works best for me, and I use my filter almost entirely in the Trinity Alps or the Sierra. If you are dealing with carbon deposits or water with high tannins or lignins, then the acid would probably work better. I have broken 4 of the ridiculously poor bags that Sawyer gives you, and now use a 2L CNOC bag. Yes it is heavier, but you can open the top and fill it through a nice big opening and it is much more durable construction using a very flexible material that won't develop creases leading to holes or delaminate like the bags that Sawyer provides. Lastly, my uncle had a bad case of Giardiasis that took months of treatment to clear up. I do occasionally drink unfiltered water still, but only from very pristine sources. I don't want Giardia, cryptosporidium, or any number of other ameoba or parasites in me. Also, I am an engineer working in the drinking water field. How would it look if I didn't treat my water.
Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Thu Dec 09, 2021 5:13 pm
by Harlen
As you point out yourself Michael:
Fortunately the water in the Sierras is generally super clean,...
Me, I just filter it through my teeth.
Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Fri Dec 10, 2021 8:59 am
by michaelzim
@Harlen ...Ummmmmmm, I think your stellar cocktail of brandy + whisky is a powerful vaporizer of any baddies in the water! Speaking of which, I have been unable to replicate that blend. Can you share the concoction details as would be an essential gear item if I could get close to duplicating it?!
Ta much ~ Michaelzim
Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 2:42 pm
by michaelzim
Who says "The Gods" don't play around with us mere mortals?!
So, way back I start a post here asking about reliability of "Sawyer Squeeze" filters and their kin. In the end I indeed got a Squeeze and on its maiden trip it flat out did not work. It was new of course and I had not soaked it beforehand as apparently that is not really necessary and few people actually do it. Certainly none of the maybe dozen hikers I have bumped into on the trail who have the Sawyer did the pre-soak thing. They consider them a pretty much no fuss no muss filter.
Mine dripped at about 1 or 2 drips per second if left attached to a hanging Platypus bottle, which enabled me to get filtered water overnight or at long stops. Putting pressure to it by squeezing the 'dirty water' bottle hardly increased flow at all. Certainly nowhere near the 'squeeze and drink' propaganda video, or what I saw when other hikers gave me a demo along the PCT, etc.
Apparently they can and do work....IF you don't write and ask if they do before buying one!
When I got home from that first trip I called Sawyer and complained. They said the odd filter gets "Hydrophobic" (Uuuhhhhh???) and to send it back (at my expense) and they would treat it to become "Hydrophilic" (Uuuhhhh???) and all would be well. I was not happy about that and asked for a new one. Nope, only if it fails again. Humph!
So I sent to thing to Florida. It got a makeover of some kind, and came back. I tried it with filtered tap water and it worked OK'ish, but not as much flow as I recall from watching those I saw demoed on the PCT. Humph!
Next trip, just a few weeks ago, I pre-soaked the Squeeze for three days and jiggled it around to get any air out. I then shook it out some and stored it in a Ziploc bag with a paper towel so it would not "dry out"...and headed for the hills.
Nnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!!! First try with the cold water of the HS Trail it hardly even dripped when I squeezed the darn thing. Same dog and pony show as the first time! I was pissed, and had to do the long-wait-drip-feed water game once again. Etc., etc.
I made it clear to Sawyer upon return I was NOT impressed. This time I demanded a new replacement filter...and finally got one. I also got a backup Platypus Quickdraw, as how could I trust a Sawyer again???
The new Squeeze arrived yesterday, and upon trial with cold water from the fridge (aka 'mountain temperature') it veritably gushed water! As in the propaganda. Thus a useable filter...IF it does the same in the high country, next time. Though for an extra 2 ounces I intend to take the Platypus too!
Moral of the story:
1. Maybe don't tempt fate by asking about equipment reliability before buying said equipment.
2. If you get a Sawyer Squeeze that does not flow really well from the get go, insist on a new one. Don't trust their new internal hairdo.
3. Maybe take a backup anyhow unless you are one of those fortunates who can play Giardia roulette and get away with it.
Best ~ Michaelzim
Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 8:05 pm
by bobby49
I've used a Sawyer filter a lot over the last few years, although I never do a squeeze-anything. I hook up the filter as a gravity filter. First, I had to get the raw water Platypus and the filter and the clean water Platypus connected with the right lengths of tubing. Once I get rid of temporary air bubbles and all that, it works perfectly. Part of the trick is in getting the gravity pushing water down from the top, and part is getting the gravity pulling water down from below.
Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 10:15 pm
by ohlol
michaelzim wrote: ↑Sun Jun 05, 2022 2:42 pm
Who says "The Gods" don't play around with us mere mortals?!
So, way back I start a post here asking about reliability of "Sawyer Squeeze" filters and their kin. In the end I indeed got a Squeeze and on its maiden trip it flat out did not work. It was new of course and I had not soaked it beforehand as apparently that is not really necessary and few people actually do it. Certainly
none of the maybe dozen hikers I have bumped into on the trail who have the Sawyer did the pre-soak thing. They consider them a pretty much no fuss no muss filter.
Mine dripped at about 1 or 2 drips per second if left attached to a hanging Platypus bottle, which enabled me to get filtered water overnight or at long stops. Putting pressure to it by squeezing the 'dirty water' bottle hardly increased flow at all. Certainly nowhere near the 'squeeze and drink' propaganda video, or what I saw when other hikers gave me a demo along the PCT, etc.
Apparently they can and do work....IF you don't write and ask if they do before buying one!
When I got home from that first trip I called Sawyer and complained. They said the odd filter gets "Hydrophobic" (Uuuhhhhh???) and to send it back (at my expense) and they would treat it to become "Hydrophilic" (Uuuhhhh???) and all would be well. I was not happy about that and asked for a new one. Nope, only if it fails again. Humph!
So I sent to thing to Florida. It got a makeover of some kind, and came back. I tried it with filtered tap water and it worked OK'ish, but not as much flow as I recall from watching those I saw demoed on the PCT. Humph!
Next trip, just a few weeks ago, I pre-soaked the Squeeze for three days and jiggled it around to get any air out. I then shook it out some and stored it in a Ziploc bag with a paper towel so it would not "dry out"...and headed for the hills.
Nnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!!! First try with the cold water of the HS Trail it hardly even dripped when I squeezed the darn thing. Same dog and pony show as the first time! I was pissed, and had to do the long-wait-drip-feed water game once again. Etc., etc.
I made it clear to Sawyer upon return I was NOT impressed. This time I demanded a new replacement filter...and finally got one. I also got a backup Platypus Quickdraw, as how could I trust a Sawyer again???
The new Squeeze arrived yesterday, and upon trial with cold water from the fridge (aka 'mountain temperature') it veritably gushed water! As in the propaganda. Thus a useable filter...IF it does the same in the high country, next time. Though for an extra 2 ounces I intend to take the Platypus too!
Moral of the story:
1. Maybe don't tempt fate by asking about equipment reliability before buying said equipment.
2. If you get a Sawyer Squeeze that does not flow
really well from the get go, insist on a new one. Don't trust their new internal hairdo.
3. Maybe take a backup anyhow unless you are one of those fortunates who can play Giardia roulette and get away with it.
Best ~ Michaelzim
are you screwing the outlet onto a receiving container? if so, are you ensuring it's loose enough to allow the filtered water to displace the air in the receiving container?
Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2022 11:08 pm
by bobby49
Rather than displacing the air in the receiving container, I use a Platypus that is flattened out and then rolled up, so there is no air to displace. It will have a natural tendency to unroll, so it helps suck the descending water through the filter.
Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 7:17 am
by michaelzim
Yep, have worked with water, irrigation, filters and such for over 4 decades so knew what could gink the Squeeze from functioning. But nope!
Here is my setup out in the hills. No backpressure. No clothes drying rack either, just a tree or rock.
DSC02583.jpg
DSC02584.jpg
The culprit was the faulty Squeeze, not implementation.
M.
Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 8:47 am
by ohlol
michaelzim wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 7:17 am
The culprit was the faulty Squeeze, not implementation.
M.
Bittersweet, but glad you sorted it out!
Re: How reliable really are Sawyer & Be Free water filters?
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2022 11:24 am
by John Harper
Isn't that the Micro Squeeze?
John