Like a dumb pumpkin, I left my Sawyer mini squeeze out Friday night and it froze, no water would pass through.
After warming up in the sun it started flowing at the normal rate.
I have heard that it is ruined from freezing.
Even though it lets water pass through, it's not actually filtering anymore.
Is there an easy way to test it?
I guess I'll know in a few days anyway...
I had one freeze in Yosemite last September. The next time I used it was on a trip to Grand Canyon last October. The flow rate was better than it had ever been . I took that to mean it was no longer filtering . Joe had another that I used for the rest of the trip.
Some of us on HAZ like to pretend we know everything
But I think this is a classic case where going to the source is your best bet:
3) “I froze the filter, is it still good”? The simple answer is no. There is no way to know if the fibers were damaged when frozen. The test to find out is very expensive and far greater than the value of the filter. Therefore, it is best to replace the filter. The instructions clearly states that freezing the filter after wetting voids the warranty. If a filter has never been used then freezing will not affect the fibers. But once water is introduced to the filter, it will never completely dry out.
I imagine that some food coloring in the 'before' water might tell the tale, at least for the most part.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
hikeaz wrote:I imagine that some food coloring in the 'before' water might tell the tale, at least for the most part.
I think you'd need a compound a lot bigger than food coloring to test a filter. Yellow #5 dye (I choose this one at random) is about 2 nm long, too small to be stopped by any filter. I suspect other colorings won't be much better.
Anyone know a good way to test for a busted filter?
I can't imagine you will get anything that antibiotics and OxyContin can't cure.
Anybody can make a hike harder. The real skill comes in making the hike easier.
life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. Andy Rooney
hikeaz wrote:I imagine that some food coloring in the 'before' water might tell the tale, at least for the most part.
I think you'd need a compound a lot bigger than food coloring to test a filter. Yellow #5 dye (I choose this one at random) is about 2 nm long, too small to be stopped by any filter. I suspect other colorings won't be much better.
Anyone know a good way to test for a busted filter?
After reading what you wrote about the size of dye, I went 'fishing'....... https://youtu.be/fZLWlfiwBbg - sometimes a picture is worth a thousand conjectures.
Last edited by hikeaz on Feb 27 2017 7:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
hikeaz wrote:After reading what you wrote about the size of dye, I went 'fishing'....... https://youtu.be/fZLWlfiwBbg - sometimes a picture is worth a thousand conjectures.
First comment in that video:
Folks.....I spoke to the DESIGN team at Sawyer and this is what they say: "The sawyer filters are barrier filters. We literally filter out the pathogens (viruses, bacteria, cysts, etc.). We do NOT remove disolved solids from the water. The blue dye you are using is a disolved solid. It will pass through the pores of the membrane. As it passes through the fibers it will dye the fibers and in so doing remove some of the dye from the water. This will only occur in the first few ounces that pass through the filter. Then it will stop removing the dye. In fact if you then run clear water through the filter it will give up some of the dye back into the clear water turning it light blue. The blue dye removal is NOT an indication of if the filter is working. Our technolgy does not "wear out" like other filters where you need to test to see if it's working. With ours, it's simple - if water is passing through, it's good." I even gave them THIS VIDEO LINK and they REVIEWED it and this is what they say: "If you look closely at video it is not clear, it has a blue tint. If he kept squeezing more water through it would be the same color as the water going in. Once the void volume of the filter is dispelled there is nothing to remove the dye, other than the small amount that attach to the fibers (like dying your cloths.) And that will diminish very quickly."
DESIGN team at Sawyer wrote:Our technolgy does not "wear out" like other filters where you need to test to see if it's working. With ours, it's simple - if water is passing through, it's good."
get the drill out!
j/k obviously out of context, the video isn't about a frozen sawyer nor a design team spelling bee slaying technology
"The censorship method ... is that of handing the job over to some frail and erring mortal man, and making him omnipotent on the assumption that his official status will make him infallible and omniscient."
George Bernard Shaw
flagscott wrote:Folks.....I spoke to the DESIGN team at Sawyer and this is what they say: "The sawyer filters are barrier filters. We literally filter out the pathogens (viruses, bacteria, cysts, etc.).
Someone should inform their design team that the Sawyer filter does not filter out viruses. Only their much more expensive Point Zero-Two Purifier does that.
. I took that to mean it was no longer filtering ](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
. Joe had another that I used for the rest of the trip.
Route Editor
Route Scout
