Decapitated Befree Filter

[Daryl and Daryl]

I used too much pressure while back flushing my Befree filter with a garden hose.  The filter came apart as shown in this photo.

 

 

Here’s what it normally looks like.

The O ring on the filter portion wasn’t damaged and I was able to push things back together.  Once reassembled I gave it the blow-in-the-end integrity test and it passed.  I then called the company and told them what happened. The rep said I was good to go.

 

[Ken Thompson]

Oops, lol. How are you liking it?

[Jerry Adams]

cool!

[BlackHatGuy]

Actually, you’re not supposed to back flush the befree, it can damage it (as you’ve found out), but not just by separating, it can damage the filter.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Ken,

I love the Befree.  Best filter ever.  My older filters are envious of my new relationship with the Befree.  I store it in a separate box from my older filters so they won’t hurt it out of jealousy.

Flow of filter on most recent backpack trip significantly slowed after 3 days and 5 gallons of filtering tannin filled water.   This has been a problem with every filter I have owned.  Backflushing, swirling and shaking filter per manual helped.  Won’t know extent of improvement until next trip.

Doug,

“Actually, you’re not supposed to back flush the befree, it can damage it (as you’ve found out), but not just by separating, it can damage the filter.”

Actually, instructions allow back flushing under the faucet as long as water enters via the filter’s snout (i.e. water boarding?).  They do say, however, to not expose the side of the filter to water flowing directly from a faucet.

No one condones my use of a high pressure nozzle on a garden hose, however.  That  was just not acceptable.  Will not repeat that experiment.

Additional Trivia

The detached filter is capped at the O ring end by a transparent piece of plastic which must be water permeable.  Can’t really see it in photo but you can imagine it.  The BeFree filter hasn’t been around that long and most people aren’t stupid enough to blow it up with a garden hose.  So I may be one of the few people outside of the factory to have actually seen and touched this membrane.  Makes me feel special.

[Ben H.]

My understanding is that befree doesn’t have a recommended backflush procedure.  The way the cap is made, it is not easy to backflush.  I have not seen anything where backflushing the filter will damage it.

[Ken Thompson]

It is a very tempting setup.

[Daryl and Daryl]

[Daryl and Daryl]

For reasons that are beyond me I can’t add text to my 1:25PM post, above.  So here is the text that should have gone with it.

That post shows the manual section from the BeFree filter I bought sometime last year.  Images are small but the one to the right shows backflushing using a kitchen faucet.

I don’t think newer manuals show this and it may explain why we are seeing different things as we look at the elephant.  I’m guessing they removed the back flushing option from the manual because of bozos like Daryl who just had to try the garden hose.  I told him not to do it but nooooooooo he just had to go ahead and show what a Mr. No-it-nothing he was.

[Jerry Adams]

water boarding your filter?

ha, ha, ha,…

[BlackHatGuy]

That’s interesting (photo of backflushing instructions), and you’re right, they removed it, at least it wasn’t in my instruction card. There was another thread on here (too lazy to look for it) where someone called the filter folks and whoever that person talked to told them that backflushing the filter could harm it, that’s why I wrote what I wrote.

[Link .]

. HERE ya go Doug

[BlackHatGuy]

Thanks Link!

[jimmy b]

 

I posted this in the first Be Free filter thread. Wouldn’t be surprised if things have changed.

Talked to Katadyn rep just now and they are planning on a 1 lt. bottle next year. As John mentions there are options for bigger flasks that will mate with the filter. REI sells just the filter if you don’t want to spend the $10 on the .6 lt. flask. The rep also says NOT to back  flush the filter by forcing water from the clean side to dirty, even under a faucet. She said it could damage the filter. Pressure from squeezing water from the dirty side to the clean side, like using a sawyer, is fine. Not sure why that would be the case so please don’t shoot the messenger

 

 

[Ken Thompson]

You all aware of this?

https://backpackinglight.com/katadyn-befree-review-water-filter-bottle-first-looks/

Kinda late to the party.

[Mordecai _]

Kinda??? LOL! For BPL, that’s record speed.

Now if only they’d get around to lifting the veil on that mysterious new creature that no one knows anything about… the zpacks duplex.

[Scott Kilcoyne]

Have had mine for a year and never realized they could come apart like that ha

p.s. if you wanna realllly be a gram weenie, you can take off that blue ring making the filter 1oz :)

[Peter H]

Ken T,

This is the best innovation in years. This is a no-brainer and cheap, too. Ditch all your old ones and get one, or two

[Anonymous]

Mine came apart the same way after some rough handling. The black o-ring is intact, but that white sealant below it split off. Not sure I trust the integrity of the filter without both seals in place.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Derek,

You have to judge for yourself but the Katydyn rep told me over the phone that the filter is safe to use as long as it passes the integrity test. (i.e. should not be able to blow air though it from the snout end when the filter is wetted out)

[JCH]

…the Katydyn rep told me over the phone that the filter is safe to use as long as it passes the integrity test. (i.e. should not be able to blow air though it from the snout end when the filter is wetted out)

Funny…that is the exact opposite of the advice given on the REI site (emphasis added).

Amara1 · 10 months ago
Help…I was loving this filter, then went to use it on my last backpack and it stopped working. I looked inside the top. It was green. What happened?

answer
Answer the question
REIservice · 10 months ago
It sounds like the BeFree Water Bottle Replacement Filter is clogged or the filter has reached it’s 1,000 liter lifespan. Try to blow air through the filter. If air does not go through, the filter is no longer working. If the filter needs to be cleaned, Katadyn recommend filling the water container with fresh tap water and shaking the container with the filter attached to clean the filter. Katadyn also has some great troubleshooting and cleaning tips on their site.

[Daryl and Daryl]

JCH,

The REI site info you quote is also the opposite of what is in my (year+ old) BeFree Manual.

 

“cannot blow through the filter=filter ok

can blow through the filter=filter broken”

Now if Doug comes up with the opposite from his newer manual we really do have a puzzle.

 

[Daryl and Daryl]

OK, I see an opportunity here.

If the BeFree filter can be popped in and out of its cap head like a wine cork why not embrace it. I could carry 1 cap head and two filter “corks”….one for daily use and one for back-up.  Sort of like carrying an extra battery for one’s flashlight……or other device.

[BlackHatGuy]

Relevant pages from the manual supplied with my BeFree

[Anonymous]

I spoke with Katadyn about the decapitated filter, asking whether the white material is an important seal or if the black ring is sufficient. They just sent me a replacement filter. Interesting they gave me a different answer – didn’t even mention the blow test for a filter in this state, but great customer service!

[Author]

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