The Sawyer Squeeze just got better

It is taking 2 minutes, squeezing as hard as I can squeeze, to get 8 ounces of water through this filter.

Surely those of you who are praising it must be getting a higher flow rate than this!?

I tested it a couple of months ago and don't recall it being this slow/difficult. I emptied, bleached and dried it per protocol after this testing but I suspect it has clogged up in some way.

Back flushing with the syringe only produces a small dribble out of the other end. Is this typical of your experience?

It takes me more like 2 minutes to filter 16 ounces, with little squeezing, mainly just letting gravity do the work.

When I first start filtering, it takes a while to get it to flow good, but that doesn't sound like you.

I backflushed with several syringe fulls that resulted in a few syringe fulls coming out the other end (conservation of water : )

Did you backflush several syringe fulls? Like maybe 5?

Mine flows much faster than that so definitely sounds like something is plugged up. Of course mine is fairly new and I have only used on one overnight trip so far. So when you first used it and you got good flow, when you cleaned up did you blow through the end for force out as much remaining water as possible?

Jerry and Randy,

Thanks for the feedback. It is helpful.

I backflushed with several syringes with original test and on this test. Very difficult to even get water into the filter when backflushing. Most of it sqirts out between the syringe and the filter, even when I press the syringe firmly against the filter.

Filter doesn't work continuously with gravity only. I get a small drip like stream, pause, repeat, etc.

I think I'll go to REI and test their return policy.

Lucky I re-tested it before taking it on an actual backpacking trip.

Daryl

Tried it just now

32 ounce Sawyer bag full

maybe 2 minutes to filter 8 ounces in gravity mode

50 seconds with light pressure on bag to filter 16 ounces

sounds like yours is defective

maybe when you cleaned it, it clogged it up

Jerry,

Thanks for taking the time to measure your gravity flow rate. I could live with that rate of filtering.

"maybe when you cleaned it, it clogged it up"
I think that might be the case or something might have grown inside the filter between tests. I just don't know and because I don't know I don't know how to prevent it from happening again. Reliability is my #1 criteria when it comes to filters (and cars for that matter).

I think I'll read the Hyperflow reviews that Roger mentioned many posts ago on this thread.

Daryl

Roger's review of the Hyperflow addressed the problem of it getting blocked up due to less than crystal clear water. I used Seattle tap water so I don't think this was the problem.

Hmmmmmmm. Still left with uncertainty as to why mine has so dramatically reduced its flow.

I'm tempted to cut this thing open and see what's going on inside. It would be a rather expensive catering to my curiousity, however, because not even REI would/should take it back if I destroy it on purpose.

If REI won't take it back I'll take the saw to it. In a way I'm hoping they won't take it back.

I destroyed a toilet once that kept getting stopped up. Just had to know what was going on. Couldn't find anything during the autopsy. Found out later (thanks to having a septic tank) that my renters were putting some personal items into the toilet.

"I destroyed a toilet once that kept getting stopped up. Just had to know what was going on. Couldn't find anything during the autopsy. Found out later (thanks to having a septic tank) that my renters were putting some personal items into the toilet."

In the plumbing trade(turd herder division) those "personal items" are known as "sewer trout".
Extra points for pulling an intact action figure out of a toilet with the closet auger..

Anyhow.. carryon.

Jerry,

I just filtered 1 quart in gravity mode and it took 17.5 minutes. That's over 4 minutes per 8 ounces or more than twice as slow as yours.

You must have bought the deluxe model.

Daryl

Matthew,

I asked some septic tank guys what their favorite work related sayings were. Here's what I got:

"No splashing."

"Don't drink from the hose."

Daryl

Is it possible that you have the point zero two filter while the other folks have the pointone filter? If so, that could account for at least some of the difference in flow rate, i would think.

Douglas,

I'm not familiar with the "pointone" word. I do have the standard Squeeze filter, however, and not the one that is supposed to take care of viruses. Is that what you mean?

More specifically, however, my filter has clogged up between testing it a couple of months ago and testing it now. I didn't measure the flow rate when I first tested it but it streamed out pretty well and, I'm guessing, had a flow rate similar to what Jerry reported. Now it only drips water when using it in gravity mode and the flow rate is at least twice as slow as Jerry's. Or to put it another way, Jerry's is over twice as fast as mine.

Why does Jerry get a good fast filter while I get a slow one? It just isn't fair.

Daryl

Perhaps just buy a new filter and cut up the old one to see what went wrong, instead of returning the whole unit?

You weren't, by chance, using the filter to help treat hemorrhoids were you? I know your fascination with 'roids and all, and that could really mess up a filter. Sir, keep the Sawyer away from …… you know.

.. don't chew your fingernails.. we are number one in the #2 buisiness… *&^% flows downhill..

Okay, I had a similar problem with a ceramic filter I used once.
I had allowed the element to completely dry out between uses.
The flow rate was initially very low until the element became saturated again.
Is it possible this is happening with your Sawyer?
Do micro fiber filters need to be pre-soaked?
Salt contamination?

"Do micro fiber filters need to be pre-soaked?"
That's what the Sawyer Squeeze documentation says. "Filter will need initial wetting and flow will increase after initial uses"

The Squeeze is 0.1 micron – good for bacteria and protozoa but not for viruses. Sawyer also makes a 0.02 micron filter which is also good for viruses.

Just return it to REI. They will take anything without even asking you why. If they ask just say it's clogged.

Try another one and maybe it will work better?

May I suggest you contact John Smith of SAWYER and run your issues past him as he is the "man in the know" concerning the water filter/purifier products.

johntsmith@sawyerproducts.com;

ALSO….

Yes, you need to "wet" the filter element to get any type of flow rate.

I do not believe your filter is a Sawyer Point ZeroTWO Purifier since the quantity of Hollow Fibers would not fit in the Sawyer PointONE™ Filter.

Lastly, the filter was designed to be used in a squeeze mode….how fast does the water fill a liter container?

"Yes, you need to "wet" the filter element to get any type of flow rate"

Do you have to do anything? or does that just mean that when you start filtering, it's a little slow at the beginning but gradually increses flow?

"Lastly, the filter was designed to be used in a squeeze mode"

The only problem with that is that the bags tend to explode. Squeezing the bag produces a lot of pressure that bags aren't normally subjected to.

Gravity mode would be safer. Or just light pressure on the bag.

Jerry……. Just came back from a ten day trip with four of my grand children ages 13 – 9 and the wife. We treated all our water with the Sawyer squeeze filter and the SteriPen with a 4 micron finish filter. The grandchildren are all girls and they "made water" for all of us 80% of the trip.

We use SAWYER 1.0l BAG AND a EVERNEW WATER BLADDER- 0.6l. Had no issues with leakage around the plastic area where it will leak. I strongly believe that trying to STRONGLY FORCE the water through the filter will cause the issues individual have seen. This leakage is also an issue with the NALGENE CANTEEN in just normal storage/packing usage. I had the girls roll the bottom of the bag as the squeezed AND not to try to get the very last drop of water out of the bag.

Ken,

Thanks for the Johntsmith contact. I'll follow-up with him if I can't sort this out.

Daryl

I discussed the problem with Sawyer Customer Service. She said the problem was common and I shouldn't give up on the filter. She had several suggestions.

(1) If the fibers have dried out it may take a while for them to get wetted. I told her I had tried for several hours so she went on to other suggestions.
(2) Calcium or other deposits from our Seattle tap water may have collected on the fibers. Hot water, vinegar and/or bleach might help remove the deposits and/or speed up the wetting process.
(3) A lot of pressure is needed when backflushing. She said the latest models have improved the syringe/filter connection to reduce leakage between filter and syringe when applying a lot of pressure.

So I ran hot water through both ends of the filter by holding it up to the kitchen faucet. I also have run vinegar through it.

The flow rate is visibly improved.

I'll do some flow measurements after I'm done fooling around with the suggestions that were given me.

Ken

I think you're right – light pressure on bag will get good flow rate and minimize chance of damage

I poked 2 holes at bottom corners, ran cord through it, hold bag from this, maybe that works better.

A little awkward to hold water bottle, filter, bag, and roll bag all with just two hands

Cute picture of grandchild – great to get them out there early

Problem solved!

I just filtered 2 quarts of water with only gentle squeezing at a rate of about 1.5 minutes per quart. That's about 5 times faster than the flow rate that I was getting. Ha ha, Jerry, my filter is now faster than yours.

I think running hot water trhough the filter was the key. Things improved immediately. Vinegar may have helped too but I'm not sure.

Thanks for all the help. You saved me a trip to REI.

PS, I called Sawyer to let them know their suggestions worked. She added that after backflushing they suggest running a couple of liters of clean water through the filter (in the normal, non-backflush direction as shown by the flow arrow). I think this is to flush out any dirty water that was sent upstream during the backflushing.

She also said periodic use of hot water directly from the faucet would not be a problem for the filter. I found the water faucet easier to use than the syringe. She said doing so immediately after use might prevent deposits from getting attached to the filter fibers. Removing deposits before they dry on is much easier than doing so after they have dried on. (this is a little confusing if the deposits are coming from the tap water but we'll see) She also strongly recommended following the bleaching protocol prior to storing the filter.

Daryl,

Thanks for the information. I would not have thought about hard water causing deposits in the filter. I can see why the back flushing with white vinegar would be helpful.

White vinegar is great for hard water stains. I use it for my toilet and for my dishwasher. There were a lot of hard water deposits in my dishwasher when I bought the house — since applying vinegar regularly (put a bowl full in when I run the dishwasher) it now looks like new.

Would someone who has purchased these new inline adapters mind checking what the output adapter will fit? Specifically, I'd like to know if that output adapter will fit a Evernew hydration bag like the Sawyer squeeze filter itself will. If it does, I wanted to use two sets to make a gravity filter out of two Evernew bags.

Thanks!

~Dan

Answered my own question. I went ahead and purchased 3 sets from REI in order to get 3 output side adapters and an input side adapter. The output side adapter fits the squeeze bags that come with the filter and, since the filter fits the Evernew bags, I'm going to assume the output side adapter will also then fit the Evernew bags.

So, using one output adapter each on two Evernew bags, the adapters on the Sawyer filter, and some tubing, you have yourself a gravity filter setup.

~Dan