Filter failure

Your first filter was probably made by the Sweet Water brand, which MSR has since bought out. Once MSR started making the filter many people have had more problems with clogs and failures with the filter.

I have had great success with my ULA Amigo Pro gravity filter at only about 7.5oz and $45. Give it a try.

Dan

"I have had great success with my ULA Amigo Pro gravity filter at only about 7.5oz and $45. Give it a try."

How quickly can you fill 2 32oz. bottles with it? Or any gravity filter for that matter? I have never used one nor seen one used.

That would probably take 2-3 minutes. Not bad, considering you can be doing other things while it filters.

Chris,

I do use a gravity filter too, but I wanted to add a comment about time.

As was mentioned before, the filtering time for the water maybe 2 or 3 minutes and it gives you the luxury of doing something else while gravity is doing its thing.

However, I would revise the time to about 10 minutes for you because of the time needed to pull out the filter, fill it with dirty water and then to break down and storage of the filter.

So in terms of speed, I would say that a traditional filter would be faster.

Using a "gravity filter" as an inline filter might be a faster solution for you.

For myself, I attach my Sawyer filter to a 1 pint disposable water bottle and drink from the pint bottle using the filter like a straw to suck/pull the dirty water through the filter.

I find that it is much faster for me to use to get water on the go and then I pull out the gravity filter out in camp when I have plent of time and I want to filter large volumes of water.

Hope that this helps.

P.S. If you want to see photos of how I use the filter with a pint bottle, please see my review of the Sawyer In Line Water Filter in the User Review section.

-Tony

Do you use a prefilter setup? If so, that helps a lot.

I would contact MSR directly and ask them on warranty. Usually they will do you right.

As for silt….if I am forced to drink glacier fed water, I get the water and let it sit so the till goes to the bottom. Then only then do I filter the water.

Filters don't grab everything – silt and till are hard on all of them. When I use water sources heavy in tannin I ALWAYS use a MSR prefilter! Otherwise it will foul up the Sweetwater.

Thanks for the info. I am thinking about just using a gravity filter from here on out. I am not too worried about the 10 minutes fill time, because I usually take a 15 minute break to eat and rest when I do my pumping.

Do the gravity filters get down to the .02 microns that I believe most filters achieve?

Also I did have the MSR prefilter on the Sweetwater. I am just thinking that is was faulty for some reason.

Chris,

Here is what is on the Sawyer site:

http://www.sawyerproducts.com/products.htm#035

LIFETIME FILTER
Biological Filters Remove 0.10 Micron Absolute
Highest level of biological filtration available on the market today
Removes: Bacteria, Protozoa,& Cysts: E. Coli, Giardia, Cryptosporidium
Easiest to use
Exceeds EPA standards

So better than the 0.20 Microns.

-Tony

Thanks, I think I will try the gravity filter.

"Do the gravity filters get down to the .02 microns that I believe most filters achieve?"
There are two Sawyer filters:
One is .02 microns; it filters out virus, etc.
Most filters do not filter this small; they work on bacteria and giardia.
The other is the 0.1 filter mentioned above and seems more usable than the .02.

The .02 filter is heavier and needs to be primed on a faucett (it needs that pressure); on the trail you'd be carrying it full of water so it's heavier. If you lose the prime on the trail, you can't reprime it without the pressure your home plumbing provides.

> Do the gravity filters get down to the .02 microns that I believe most filters achieve?

Most lightweight filters for walkers struggle to achieve 0.2 microns.

A filter which worked down to 0.02 microns would block up in the field within minutes.

Cheers

Yeah the .02 is my mistake. I was thinking of the .2, definitely noneed to go down to .02

Regardless of whether or not you decide to go with a gravity filter, I'd definitely return the item to REI. It shouldn't fail like that.

Changing the subject slightly and throwing this out to all: I too have a Sweetwater. It's getting old. Is there a way that I can confirm that it's still working properly and that time hasn't taken it's toll? I know the old First Need filters used to come with a dropper bottle with dye in it which you were supposed to run through the filter. If no dye showed up in the outflow, supposedly the filter was "good to go." Anything like that or other good tests to confirm a filter's continued efficacy?

HJ

> other good tests to confirm a filter's continued efficacy?

Short of using a microbiology research lab, No. Sadly!

Cheers

It seems to me that any filter is going to clog up with the muddy water you describe. I'd want to pre-filter it (bandanna?) and then let at least part of the mud settle out in a container before trying to filter it.

From your description, though, it sounds as though your Sweetwater, rather than blocking up as expected, is letting everything through, mud and all, which certainly is a major problem! I'd return it!

The ULA Amigo Pro (which uses the Katadyn Hiker Pro filter) does not need to be set up or broken down. However, as I said, I wouldn't attempt fill its "bucket" from a silty river without first pre-filtering.

         >> other good tests to confirm a filter's continued efficacy?

>Short of using a microbiology research lab, No. Sadly!

Rats.

Any good "rule of thumb" guidelines? I bought my Sweetwater in '01. Maybe it should be replaced in its entireity every 10 years, say '11?