BeFree Clogging – is there a viable solution

Here is a good thread about the subject.  When it slows down I have been giving it a brief, diluted 15 minutes with vinegar then storing it with a dilute bleach solution.  Sometime in the field if it slows I will give it a shake clean in a pot of hot water while cooking dinner and that will help a lot too.

Is this a quality control or user error thing?

It’s very confusing to me…I read all these failure reports and yet I’ve used a BeFree for nearly 2.5 years in various conditions, including regularly on weekends hiking, without any failure or clogging whatsoever.  I barely clean it either.  Hands down, it’s been the best filter I’ve ever used.

From my understanding, the issue is the lack of ability to sufficiently backflush. E.g. if your water is particularly hard or has lots of sediment, then there’s more chance of clogs – yet the “swish” method isn’t really cutting it when it comes to clearing such clogs.

“Is this a quality control or user error thing?”

Could be both, I guess. But both Greg M. and I had our BeFree’s fail in the Winds last September. After having no issues the first day, mine slowed to a trickle, and even then only with a lot of force used, early on the second day. Swished the heck out of it in treated water to try and get it working again, mostly to no avail (it improved somewhat, but not by much). Even treated water with some Katydyn tabs and then used that to try and clean the filters by vigorous swishing, again to little avail. So we both started using Greg’s from then on, and his failed, IIRC, the next day (again, slowed to a trickle, no amount of ‘cleaning’ per BeFree instructions helped). Highly frustrating for the rest of the trip.

So while I loved it when it worked, that two failed on the same trip turned me off to them. I’m sticking to my Steripen, which hasn’t failed me in years.

Is this a quality control or user error thing?

I don’t think it is either…. it is a design issue you have not come across.  I think any filter will become clogged under the right circumstances.  I don’t think the BeFree has a propensity to become clogged…. mine hasn’t.  The problem is, once clogged, it is very difficult to unclog.  I can actually back-flush mine, but that can apparently destroy the filter.

Not trying to cast doubt on anyone, I just find it strange that reports on this filter are so varied and seriously wonder what’s behind it.

Then again, if Doug clogged his I’m leaning towards operator error…. ; )

i believe that the problem may be in the inherent design of the BeFree.

Specifically, the membrane that separates the hollow tube filtering chamber from the output cap side.

The membrane maybe be damaged by back flushing, which is my guess on why they don’t recommend back flushing.

Great concept and great filter given the right water source/conditions…..that does not have a lot of dissolved organic material or silty water that could clog any filter.

Not to be too much of a smart ass, my honest solution was to buy the Sawyer Squeeze.

I had the mini but was annoyed by the slow rate of filtering/flow.

Not having the ability to back flush any filter is a serious problem for me.

What I would do is if I am going with my gf on a trip, I would have one of us carry the BeFree and have the Sawyer Squeeze as a 2nd working filter and fail safe, knowing that it could be back flushed in the worst of conditions.

Want to love the BeFree and spend over $100 bucks on two of them with the 2L and 3L water bladders to go with them….but the in ability to back flush is a real problem  with no clear solution for in the field fix.

Tony

Doug – where you filtering water downstream of any glaciers when your BeFree filters clogged in the Winds? Any visible glacier till in the water (cloudy or teal in color)?

I clogged mine up with glacier water.

I backflush with the sawyer syringe in the field and breath test to confirm function.  At home I vinegar and bleach.

someone wrecked theirs with vinegar as it damages the resin bead the membrane attaches to.

ive got mine back up to a decent flow rate but it’s now segregated to clean water hikes only.  I bought a sayer squeeze for other hikes.  The mini is too slow accept for gravity based operation.

“Doug – where you filtering water downstream of any glaciers when your BeFree filters clogged in the Winds? Any visible glacier till in the water (cloudy or teal in color)?”

We may have been way, way downstream from a glacier on the first night, we had only hiked in about 4 miles from Green River trailhead due to a late start. Spent the second night at a small lake at Vista Pass, and that’s where my filter began having lots of trouble. Water looked clear enough on the first night, not cloudy at all, water at Vista Pass had some detritus in it, but I pre-filtered before using the BeFree.

Also, Greg’s wife had been in the Winds shortly before we had and had no issues with her BeFree, IIRC (and I’m old, so I might not).

“Then again, if Doug clogged his I’m leaning towards operator error…. ; )”

Always a safe bet!

I sure do like the weight savings of the BeFree, and the ability to drink right from it when arriving at a stream. But, the first one clogged after a few trips, and now I am on my second. They just seem too unreliable to me, so I think I will carry the extra 3 or so oz and go back to the gravity platypus. That way I get an extra 2-3 qts of unfiltered running water back in camp, which is often useful. I do like contemplating the riparian zone more than pushing on a soft bottle anyway.

I, too, am puzzled by the wide disparity in experiences with the BeFree.  I bought one early on and have used it more than any other filter in the quiver, except maybe the Platypus gravity system.  I love the BeFree and have had no problems with mine.

Just out of curiosity, could Doug’s filter have been frozen in the Winds last September?  That could have trashed it, as it would any of the hollow fiber tube filters.

I have been sitting back for fear of being put in Doug’s camp!  I think the common denominator is the Winds. It’s haunted.  Mine worked great till i used it there.  Never frozen.  Maybe very slight glaciated water.  Got worse during the trip and a week or so later, unusable.

“could Doug’s filter have been frozen in the Winds last September?”

No, didn’t get cold enough for that.

And @art-r, come on in to my camp! The water’s fine! A bit murky perhaps, but, you know….

I clogged mine in the Winds in a tarn full of algae. User error but it was late, a storm coming on and I wasn’t really sure exactly where I was (in that area east of Medina between Middle Fork Lake and Europe Canyon. I could see the algae or plankton or whatever it was and tried to per-filter and even walked all along the lake /tarn looking for the clearest water. Next morning went over the ridge and ran right into the outlet from Halls flowing along as clear and pretty as you please. Cleared it right out in that fast moving but non-silted water. Whew!  Maybe Doug’s small lake was like that little lake up above Middle Fork; full of tiny microflora. I always check the water of the lakes that aren’t moving right along. Especially if they’re below @ 9,500.

To expand sorta on what Lester said: I try to avoid situations where there may be suspended solids and try to dip from eddies and side pools out of the main flow…… unless the situation is such that the main flow is probably pretty clear…… like a reasonably level stream. For ex I’d avoid something like knifepoint creek or upper bull lake creek, but a creek like Pole Creek or Indian Creek all the way up is fine. Just find an eddy or a calm side pool. The really strong high level flow coming out of Halls was perfect for cleaning the filter. Like hosing it almost. I was thorough in cleaning it.

I guess that leaves you with a couple of possible clogging agents: suspended solids from fast moving/falling streams or pond life from still water. Got to watch both.

In Salt Creek/Needles this past spring I carried a sawyer and was glad I did. The water was low and not so pretty.There’s pretty water everywhere in the Winds….. and I’m not so sure (OK gasp!) you really even need a filter if you use a little discretion in picking your source; but that’s been fought over a few hundred times on this blog. What no filter! Egads!

“Maybe Doug’s small lake was like that little lake up above Middle Fork; full of tiny microflora.”

I have no doubt it was. My main issue with the filter is that after it clogged, nothing I did would clear/clean it. I used treated water and shook it quite vigorously. I did this multiple times. I let it sit overnight in Katydyn tab-treated water, then shook vigorously. Nothing I did made much of a difference. Not for mine or for Greg’s after his clogged.

Lots of speculation here, some of it maybe even right.  But, if it were me, I’d send the filter back to Katadyn with a request to put it under the microscope to determine what the clogging material is.  They’ll probably blow you off, but maybe, just maybe, they’ll do the right thing and check it out.  I’m sure they have access to some pretty sophisticated diagnostic equipment they use to test their products.  My own speculation centers on glacial melt, even indirect, because it can result in colloidal mineral particles in the water that do not precipitate out and can definitely clog filters.

OK;  rank was perhaps a bit too strong an adjective, even though I applied it to myself as well.

Hereby modified to “But that, like the rest of the comments, is largely speculative.”

Carry on.  ;0)

That’s a great idea! If Katadyn doesn’t want to look at it, I wonder if someone here has a microscope and the ability to interpret what is being looked at? Doesn’t Nisley have a powerful microscope?

3 really good observations although I’m not so sure I’d characterize any of it as “rank” speculation. Isn’t science all about theory, observation/data, and then proof?  I think we’re all playing our role as top notch BPL scientists.

Meanwhile to add to the rank spec. Maybe in my case maybe the bandanna pre- filtering helped and also maybe the clogging debris never really dried out. I’m pretty much positive there was no glacial debris/ colloidal mineral products suspended in that isolated tarn. Had to shoo off a 5 point bull elk the next morning. which was /is really memorable. I slowed a befree way down the year before in the winds and also with I think flora/fauna and wayyy long time ago plugged an old Katadyn really tight in Deer Creek in the G. Canyon with suspended solids so I’ve been careful about that since. It would be great to get some scientifically validated info on what does the clogging. Meanwhile I’m being really particular about where I dip mine, and there are situations or locales where I’d bring something else; but I really think there shouldn’t be any problem in places like the Winds as long as you are at least a little discriminating about your source.

While we are conducting this scientific inquiry, has anyone examined alternate, slightly less obvious explanations?  Has the moral aptitude and spiritual discipline of the offending cloggers been properly vetted?  Have the proper rites and rituals been conducted prior to BeFree use?  Have chakras been aligned and patron saints appeased?  It would appear that the BeFree has thus far smiled upon my endeavors; may we all be so fortunate.  My heart goes out to those that must turn to the ways of the Sawyer.

I think what really clogs the filter are small particles that are a little bigger than the pore size

The stuff you can prefilter doesn’t clog the filter

Glacial silt is really bad

Cloudy water is bad if you can’t see the particles

My rank speculation

My Squeeze has been working fine for years : )

(Some of you are probably a bit too young to get where this comes from….)

BeFree, as free as the wind blows
Except where glacial silt goes
BeFree, it’ll soon break your heart

BeFree, where beauty surrounds you
Its flow rate astounds you
Until the flow rate falls apart

BeFree, where no walls divide you
But silt will deride your
Efforts to quench your hiking thirst

BeFree, and life is worth living
But the filter can be unforgiving
And you pray that the damn bag won’t burst…

Stay free….

So… in summary to the initial question: no there isn’t a decent known method to unclog a clogged befree.

The rest of the conversation is still interesting.

“So… in summary to the initial question: no there isn’t a decent known method to unclog a clogged befree.

The rest of the conversation is still interesting.”

Other than the previously discussed light vinegar soak and bleach but those are not in the field possibilities. Or the backflush with a syringe that someone posted.