Steripen Failure — Diagnosis?

[Hikin’ Jim]

I was out yesterday in the San Bernardino National Forest on the Santa Ana River Trail and my Steri-Pen failed. The green indicator light came on, but it would flash red after a few seconds.   I *always* carry a spare set of batteries.  I tried it multiple times with both sets of batteries but no go.  Dunno what’s going on.  Water was plentiful at Forsee Creek, so the unit was fully submerged.  I know that the unit will shut off if not fully submerged.

Is there some kind of diagnostic procedure one can follow?  Has the UV bulb burnt out?  Is there a way to confirm that the bulb is burned out and it’s not some other problem?

And I guess I’m just screwed, i.e. no repair is possible if a bulb burns out?

I hope the water in Forsee Creek isn’t polluted.  I drank it “raw” from a point down stream of the Hwy 38 crossing.
HJ

[Jerry Adams]

try a different set of batteries

maybe both sets you tried are not good enough

Steripen requires a lot of current

Which model of Steripen do you have?

[Ken Thompson]

Their customer support and warranty exchange service is excellent.

[d k]

Hi, Jim –

I had that happen, I think it turned out to be the element that failed.  They are very good about replacing the unit for you, at least.

[Hikin’ Jim]

I have a Steripen Traveller.

I ran both sets of batteries through a battery tester when I got home.  Both check out as “good” although I have heard that the Steripen really wants a lot of juice.  I’m going to try it with a brand new set of batteries that I picked up a few weeks ago.

HJ

[Clue M]

Did it work when you got home ?

[Hikin’ Jim]

It did not work when I got home — using the same batteries, batteries that tested well into the “good” range on a battery tester.

However, I just now tried a brand new set of batteries, and… it worked just fine.  So, I guess you have to have just really really strong batteries with the darned thing.  Sigh.  But at least it isn’t broken.  Guess I’ve been incredibly lucky up til now (I actually don’t treat my water in a lot of the places I go).

HJ

[James Marco]

HJ, Yup. When it gets about half way used up, the bulb/element demands a larger initial current draw.  If it doesn’t get it it assumes a bad battery/element and flashes red. One trick I have had good results with is to keep the Opti in my pocket hence keeping both the unit and the batteries around 80F+.  If you have had it a while, the element might just be at the end of it’s life cycle (around 1500L.)

 

[Jerry Adams]

I had an Opti and had similar problem.  Some batteries worked, some didn’t.  I just returned it.

Although I recognize it’ll work fine but you really need to be careful with batteries.  Always take an extra set of batteries that have never been used.  Don’t leave the batteries in the Steripen between uses…

Sawyer Squeeze works better for me, but it has problems too…

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Jim

What brand batteries? If they were not ‘brand name’ batteries, like Panasonic ec, but cheaper ones from the web, then that is the problem. You have to use the expensive batteries! But when you do, the Steripen works well.

The alternative is to upgrade to the Classic3 – seriously. It takes AA Lithiums, and really lasts well on them. But NOT the AA alkalines.

Cheers

[DGoggins]

The alternative is to upgrade to the Classic3 – seriously. It takes AA Lithiums, and really lasts well on them. But NOT the AA alkalines.

I did testing with AA alkalines and was pleasantly surprised…used generic Kirkland (costco) batteries.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/99976/page/2/#post-3412979

I got the manufactured claim of 50L of purified water.

[HiLight]

Jim, glad you got it going. I’ve had to mess with mine to convince the sensor that yes, it really was immersed. Not much fun when you’re surrounded by clear lake water but can’t take a sip.

Roger, any news on when UV LED models will hit the market? I like my SteriPen, but I’ll happily pass the finicky, fragile unit along when I can buy an LED version.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Shawn

You are not the only one!

I do know (from private correspondance) that Steripen are working as hard as they can on getting a system with UV LEDs to work. The biggest problem they have – really, the ONLY problem, is finding suitable UV LEDs. The LEDs have to emit at a very short wavelength (250 – 280 nm) to be able to ‘kill’ crucial parts of the bugs – disrupt a certain chemical bond in their DNA etc. (That is an over-simplification, but it is close enough.)

Up until a year or two ago such UV LEDs simply did not exist. Our technology was not up to it. OK, you could get UV LEDs which emitted a microwatt or two, but they were quite useless for our needs. Fortunately the potential market for these is huge (low-cost water purification for the world) and the hamsters have been spinning their wheels hard. To the best of my knowledge there are now not one but two companies in the world claiming to be able to supply UV LEDs in the high 250 nm region with power approaching something useful. Well, they are shipping data sheets in volume and may even have samples to show. Typically, they just need one or two big orders …

So when will Steripen be selling a UV LED version? I think it will still take a few years before we can see them on the market. Functional UV LEDs is one thing; affordable UV LEDs is another matter. But I am quite sure they WILL come. I’ll hazard a GUESS and say 3 years? Maybe.

Cheers

 

[HiLight]

Thanks for the mini-SOTM. Somehow, I knew you’d have some dope on the progress.  : )

[James Marco]

HJ, Please return it to Steripen. They can handle it and you will have a new one. It was doing pretty much the same thing, sometimes it would just start flashing red in the middle of a cycle and next cycle it would just flash red. Remove and replace the batteries, it ran fine. Warm up the batteries, it ran fine. Borderline and it would by lazy about kicking the bulb on…up to 2-3seconds.

 

 

[Hikin’ Jim]

Thank you all for the info and feedback.

I am using “brand name” batteries (Duracell, Energizer, and now Sure Fire).  Home Depot (of all places) carries Sure Fire brand for a much better price than many of the other places around where I live.

I wish I had done a bit more homework before getting the Traveler model.  The batteries are expensive and hard to find.  Anything that uses CR123 batteries would be a poor choice for a long distances hiker.  CR123 batteries are hard to find.  Even my local Walmart doesn’t carry them.  God help you if you’re in a small town looking for CR123’s.  I notice that Steripen has discontinued the Traveler model.

The Classic3 does sound like the way to go, for now, but if they did get a working UV LED, now that would be something to have.

I’m going to monitor my Steripen for now.  I just think that both sets of batteries were old and run down.  If it gets flakey even with new batteries, I’ll contact Steripen and see if I can somehow get it repaired — or upgraded to the Classic3.

HJ

[Jerry Adams]

maybe the one with built-in Lithium battery that’s rechargeable with USB plug would be good

then, always charge it just before you go, and if necessary, have a USB power supply which you could also use to recharge smartphone or …

[James Marco]

I’m not a big fan of rechargeable batteries, even the internal ones. They get weak over time, no matter what you do. Anyway, the Classic seems like a good choice. Another thing is the contacts. They can get a bit dirty, a pencil eraser works well to clean them.

I didn’t care to much for the Classic, though. It was a bit larger and it seemed to be a bit more fragile due to it’s size…not something I was real comfortable with in the woods. And, all the batteries makes a bit difficult to reverse polarity on one set to insure no power (not even idle current drain) is running. Though, it does have a larger capacity and is nicer for two people.

[Hikin’ Jim]

My experience with rechargeable batteries is that they last a few years and then don’t really hold a charge thereafter (depending on use and care.

By the way, my understanding is that lithium based rechargeable batteries should be kept as fully charged as possible to prolong battery life.

Regarding breaking the circuit to prevent battery drain, wouldn’t flipping just one battery do the trick?

HJ

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I use only Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries for my Steripen Adventurer and have had no problems so far.

These are the best and longest lasting non-rechargeable lithium batteries out there and their price reflects that.

[Roger Caffin]

I never bother reversing a battery – and in one case where the unit used all 3 battery contacts, it would not work anyhow. (That was a very wierd headlight.) Instead I open the battery case and slip some thin hard PE or Mylar film over the ends of the batteries, and do the case up again. I store one or two spare bits of film down the side of the batteries.

Actually, now I come to think of it, one device i received recently came with such a bit of plastic provided. Very customer friendly.

Cheers

 

[Jim Colten]

Perhaps I’m being unduly influenced by a handful of gizmos ruined by batteries leaking back in the alkaline and older days but between trips I never store batteries in their devices … in ziplock bags instead.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Jim

The old alkalines have a water-based electrolyte inside them. That could corrode the shell and leak everywhere.  Much yuk. The water is why they all die at 0 C of couyrse.

The Lithiums do not contain water. That is why they can work down to about -40 C. I have had lithium AA batteries run out of juice, but so far I have never seen one leak. Not sure there is anything to leak out.

Cheers

 

[HiLight]

Jim, I think there may also be a difference between definitions of store, as in “store in a pack” or “store on a shelf”.

Regardless of type, I rarely leave batteries in a device when I’m not in the field, but I do store batteries in a device while in my pack awaiting use (think headlamp or Steripen), using an insulating strip to isolate them from any current drain. I pop fresh batteries in before an outing, meaning I usually have a supply of used batteries on my return. The old ones go in my sonic screwdriver, leaving my backpacking devices clearly in need of fresh batteries before I hit the trail again. I know I could load freshies and isolate with a strip before putting a device on the shelf, but I’m cheap, and fresh-before-trip means they’re always a known good quantity, too.

Another benefit of using those little strips is that it’s occasionally possible to snake a bit of the strip outside the case, making it easy to power up the device with a simple pull on the strip without any disassembly.

[Author]

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