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Help me make an in-line water filter…
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Jun 22, 2008 at 8:48 am #1229744
I’m trying to make an in-line filter – “trying” being the optional word.
After reading a variety of literature which suggested it, my intent was to hook a SweetWater Silt Stopper filter to a Seychelle filter and connect them both on a hydration tube system connected to my Nalgene canteen. I’d still be treating with Aqua Mira.
I ran into several problems when I tried to make this concept a reality. First, I couldn’t find any Nalgene or aftermarket accessories which had a hydration tube that would connect to the wide mouth cap. Thinking I had a novel idea, I contacted Nalgene who informed me that they had already produced threaded caps with the hydration tube, but discontinued them. After an abundance of whining and groveling, Nalgene was kind enough to send me one which they were otherwise going to throw out.
Once I got the Nalgene cap/tube combo, I split the tube and connected both filters. Right from the start, everything started leaking. It was also a complete pain to suck any water through the tube and required entirely too much effort to get a simple drink of water. I also wasn’t sure which method would work best – having the canteen upside down with the water putting pressure on the cap or having the canteen right side up with a straw going to the bottom. In my frustration and attempts to tighten, relocate, adjust, etc., I broke the end of the Seychelle which connected to the tube.
At this point, I’m pretty much ready to give up, but I know there are entirely too many BPL engineers and wanna-be engineers who likely constructed similar apparatuses with little to no fuss. With that said, I’m humbly throwing myself to the masses in seek of help to remedy this problem. My biggest questions are (1) how can I connect the filter(s) tightly without using a metal/screw corset which would likely puncture it and scratch me in the process, and (2) am I doing something wrong to cause such difficulty in getting water out (right side up, upside down, priming the system, etc.)? The Seychelle is in the trash and I don’t think I’ll order another, so this question is principally for the SweetWater Silt Stopper and any other suggestions that may come up.
Thanks.
Jun 22, 2008 at 9:08 am #1439515SAWYER SP125, SP135, or SP194.
Jun 22, 2008 at 9:55 am #1439517Sawyer and a platy hydration tube is the way to go.
Jun 22, 2008 at 10:12 am #1439521Seychelle inline filter is the same diameter is the Sawyer. Sawyer inline filter/purifier will fit in the end of a Platypus hose. If you're looking for a lighter setup, replace the Sawyer/Seychelle with a Frontier Pro and AquaMira, KlearWater, MicroPur, etc.
Removing the bite valve on the Frontier Pro allows you to stick the Platy hose inside the end of it for use with a gravity system.
Also, you'll get better results from inline filters if you use the faucet adapters to flush them first. I noticed this is imperative with smaller pore options (i.e. Sawyer SP135).Jun 22, 2008 at 11:01 am #1439526I have an idea but by reading further you agree to use my idea only for your personal, strictly non commercial, use.
Ok I have not tried this yet because I got the idea only just now after reading your post. My version will probably only work with narrow mouths.
>take the cap of a platy or 2L PET bottle and make a big hole in it.
>seal the hole with very fine mesh (coffee? noseeum?) using glue
>get a hose from local hardware store with the same or slightly less diameter then the cap you just need 4 inches
>now push one end of the hose over the cap. You will get a good tight seal.
>Fill the hose with activated carbon or charcoal that are used in home filters.
>Seal the other hand again with mesh.done. You use this filter to filter out impurities and improve taste, and use aquamira to fill virus/bacteria.
Jun 22, 2008 at 11:46 am #1439531What do you gain from this, other than saving money if you have most of this stuff at home already? It seems like the other two options would filter better than the coffee filter or noseeum. I don't have any hard numbers to compare. Do you know how big the holes are in coffee filters? They're smaller than noseeum mesh.
Jun 22, 2008 at 12:56 pm #1439546I use a microfiber cloth as a prefilter. Fold it over and pour through it. It's fast and multi-purpose.
Jun 22, 2008 at 5:42 pm #1439573What do I gain from this? I believe I may be saving some weight over frontier pro.
Jun 23, 2008 at 10:53 am #1439663James:
If you're going to treat your water with Aqua Mira anyway — that will take care of viruses and bacteria — and all you need your inline filter to do is: trap sediments, trap the bigger/harder to kill stuff like protozoa (crypto, giardia, etc.) and improve water taste (getting rid of both funky water taste as well as the Aqua Mira chlorine taste).
For the above, you can get the job done with an Aqua Mira Frontier Pro filter — which is half the weight of the Seychelle and much more compact as well.
The Frontier Pro can be spliced into your hydration tube as an inline filter (with bite valve removed) — or it can be used as a gravity fed filter — or you can connect it to the end of your hydration tube and drink through its bite valve. IMO, it's lighter, more compact, and much more versatile than the Seychelle.
One caveat: Do treat your water with chlorine dioxide tablets first. I would not use the Frontier Pro just by itself because its bigger pore size won't trap bacteria (never mind viruses). But then, I would NOT use the Seychelle or by itself either — for the same reason.
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