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Gravityworks filter mod set up for quick flow
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Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Gravityworks filter mod set up for quick flow
- This topic has 12 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 7 years, 6 months ago by Don Burton.
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Sep 21, 2016 at 3:51 pm #3427372
I have a BeFree filter which has a great flow rate compared to my mini Sawyer. About 5 days into my JMT thru hike this summer the rate slowed dramatically. Visually, it looked as slow as my mini Sawyer.
Has anyone used a platypus gravityworks water filter without the bags? My friend has this set up which is extremely fast but is heavy at 11oz.
I was thinking of just buying the filter which is 1.85 oz and connecting it to my 1L platypus bottle with the platypus push/pull adapter and a short piece of tubing (~4 in). I’m guessing the filter, adapter and short tubing but not including the bottle would be about 3-3.5 oz but flow VERY fast.
Anyone use this set up? Thoughts?
Gravityworks filter
Push/pull adapter
Sep 21, 2016 at 4:14 pm #3427376What would you use as the ‘dirty’ (source) reservoir? It seems like you are just making a 1 liter version of the Gravityworks.
I have the 2 liter version of the GW and use it with the push/pull adapter. The dirty reservoir isn’t that heavy, plus you can pack dirty water in it for later filtering if you are camping far from water sources.
Sep 21, 2016 at 4:41 pm #3427382You could use a 1L flat platypus bottle as your dirty bottle. It weighes about 1oz and I used it with my mini Sawyer so it’s a wash in terms of weight with the Sawyer set up or you could use .5L Sawyer bottle to make it a real wash.
Thats about 7oz total weight savings from your set up plus I think the roll/flat bottles are more user friendly in camp and on the trail than the bladder style bottles that come with the gravity works. Can’t put them in your outside side pockets of your pack.
Sep 21, 2016 at 5:12 pm #3427387For about $15 less you could use the filter that comes with the Sawyer water bottle filter. It’s lighter, flows the same or greater and is good for 1M gallons.
Sep 21, 2016 at 5:20 pm #3427391JCH,
great idea. Thanks.
How come I never hear of anyone doing this?
Sep 21, 2016 at 6:22 pm #3427399Double post due to server errors deleted…gotta love the recent software upgrade.
Sep 21, 2016 at 6:24 pm #3427400Don – I guess you just missed it…MYOG gravity rigs have been quite the topic recently :) Quite a few great ideas have been posted by BPLers. See these threads for a start.
https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/the-sawyer-mini-may-not-be-the-best-filter/
https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/sawyer-gravity-setup-bag-alternatives/
Sep 21, 2016 at 7:43 pm #3427414JCH
thanks for the links. The Sawyer bottle filter looks slower than the gravityworks filter. Just from the video it looks much slower. The gravityworks has a stated flow rate of 1.5L per minute. Hmmm… I need to find someone with one of these gravityworks filters to test it.
Sep 22, 2016 at 6:52 pm #3427610Don, IMO a gravity system only needs to be so fast…we are trading speed for ease of use and reduced effort. The Gravityworks is a very good filter. Two of my hiking buddy’s have the whole GW system and like it quite well. Honestly I don’t know if it’s faster or slower than my setup…we fill them, hang them, and go do something else. When we come back we have clean water :)
For my money, the black Sawyer bottle filter hits the sweet spot for light, cheap and plenty fast enough. For that matter I was perfectly happy using the squeeze in gravity mode. The only way I can see speed in a gravity setup becoming a critical element is if you are filtering for large groups.
Sep 22, 2016 at 7:36 pm #3427614Sep 22, 2016 at 8:11 pm #3427615Don,
I have used sawyer filters, including the squeeze, mini, the bottles, and the gravity set ups they sell. I have also used the frontier bottles, MSR gravity and platypus gravity. I keep coming back to the Platypus/MSR gravity filters because they are noticeable faster. I also feel like they don’t plug up as easily.
I think this is because they use a larger pore size in their filters. So, yeah, though you could MYOG something, I would start with a Platy filter cartridge if you want to do gravity/or inline to bladder hose type setup as, in my experience, it has been much less frustration than the setups i have done with Sawyer’s cartridges.
Peace
Sep 23, 2016 at 8:31 am #3427676The Platypus GravityWorks filters have a 0.2 micron pore size. The Sawyer filters (bottle, Squeeze, Mini) have a 0.1 micron pore size. Sawyer also sells a purifier filter cartridge (removed viruses) with a 0.01 micro pore size. A friend has one of those and it works fine in gravity mode albeit more slowly.
In other words – whatever your level of fear, you can pack it :)
Sep 24, 2016 at 7:39 pm #3427935Thanks everyone. Some things to consider.
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