Quickdraw filter fail

Here’s my trick:  https://hydroblu.com/versa-flow-light-weight-water-filter/

Thanks for suggestion, Todd. How do you store it over the winter? And no issues using it after storage?

I store the sawyer squeeze full of distilled water.  5 months later drain it, flush with a very mild bleach solution.  It will work like new. I think it is a fallacy that it can be stored dry and “resurrected” next season.

Thanks for the idea, JCH. Does it get visibly moldy from storing it wet?

A distilled water back flush on my Sawyer Squeeze works for me. After my last trip of the year, after first sanitizing with a bleach solution, I back flush my Sawyer Squeeze with distilled water. Then, before my first trip of the year I attach it to a full bag of water and let it sit for a day – after that it works fine, with a good flow rate. Before I started back flushing with distilled water I had one stop working. I tried a vinegar soak and it did start flowing again, but I didn’t think it was fully restored so I replaced it.

Thanks for the idea, JCH. Does it get visibly moldy from storing it wet?

No it does not.  Prior to storage back flush with a mild bleach solution and then distilled water. Seal the filter up such that the filter stays full… you may need to devise a plug for the dirty side of the filter. When you go to use the filter again, drain the distilled water out, do another quick back flush with a mild bleach solution, and finally back flush again with distilled water to get rid of the bleach solution.  As David Hartley suggested, testing the system by running a full bag of water is a good idea.

Been doing this for several years with no problems.

I’ve tried most of these brands, and the HydroBlu Versa is my current favorite. I don’t have any of these failure problems. It does slow gradually over time, but there is a little window that allows you to monitor the gradual fouling and discoloration, so it doesn’t catch you by surprise. And I haven’t had any catastrophic failures, even from one season to the next after storage. I mostly use it as part of a gravity flow system, but sometimes squeeze.

Heather, my first quickdraw did the same thing after I stored it dry, it wouldn’t flow in the spring even after soaking a couple days.

I wrote Cascade (Platypus) and they recommended to store it wet after a rinse in a solution of 1L distilled water and 2.5mL bleach.  Store it with the bleach solution to avoid risk of mold.   Bleach has a reputation that it can plug up filter pores but only if the water used is hard (calcium precipitates out).  No such issue when using distilled water for the bleach solution.

What I do before even short term storage is use 1/2L distilled in the dirty bottle to shake to clean following Platy’s instructions, then a 1L backflush with distilled water, followed by filtering the bleach solution.  I make sure the filter is 100% filled with the bleach solution at the end before capping so that all the fibers are immersed, then store in a medium freezer bag in case it leaks.

I do this at least monthly (after every trip where I use the filter) and at end of season for several years now.  I have 2 quickdraws and they both run like new every time after storage.

I have two filters because I took my dead one and stored it this way to see what would happen.  It came back to life like new when I tried it a few months later and has been great ever since.  Try it with your old dead filters, you may be sitting on a small collection of usable filters.

Thanks for suggestion, Todd. How do you store it over the winter? And no issues using it after storage?

I flush it (backward and forward) after every trip and, if it’ll be a while before the next trip I finish with distilled water.  Before winter storage I flush with tap water, then bleach water, then distilled.

That’s exactly what I tried with my many Sawyers (I’ve tried Mini, Squeeze, and Micro), but it seems to work for the Hydroblu.  I actually forgot to service it after my last trip last year, so it wintered “dirty,” but came back to life without fanfare in the spring.  I’m happy.

FWIW, you can buy a small activated charcoal attachment for the Hydroblu, which can help with taste and maybe a bit with some chemicals.

Thanks for all the information everyone has posted and for sharing what has worked for you. I’m going to try to David D’s method and if it’s not successful, I’ll try the Hydroblu.

This is common to all brands of hollow fiber filters. Let them dry out after using water with a high mineral content and the pores clog. Use of warm (hot, not to exceed what you can stand soaking your hand) distilled water and a warm vinegar soak help prevent and remove these deposits. For longer storage add disinfectant to prevent microbial growth.

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61549f9352f3558157a226ea/69fb79fe6eb31fa858cfb3af_Tips-for-Hiking-with-a-Sawyer-Filter-LifetimeFilterTips25-resource-download.pdf