[kev]

Both of my Sawyer Mini water filters, and my Sawyer PointONE water filter have stopped working. They have only been used a handful of times, mostly for videos and a couple of hiking trips.

All three filters have been in storage fro around two years. Store room is a closet in my house. The filters were working fine when they were put up.

The Sawyer Mini water filters have no flow.

The Sawyer PointOne has a tiny stream that has to be forced through it.

All three water filters are attached to a one liter Aquafina water bottle. No matter how hard I squeeze the water bottle not a single drop passes through the Sawyer Mini water filter.

I am very disappointed in this as I spent a good deal of time and money designing a gravity system for the water filters. A playtus bag was ordered, plastic snap rings, and trot line string there all bought for a gravity system.

Now I can not even force water through the filter, much less gravity feed.

Video of the setup.

Good thing I tested these before heading out on my next camping / hunting trip. I had planned on using the gravity bag to filter water at the hunting camp. Now my how plans have to be reconsidered.

This is not the first time I have hear of issues with the Sawyer PointONE and the Mini. One of my Mini Water filters stopped working a year ago, but I kept it just to try it again at a later date. Nope, it still does not work.

It seems as if once the filters are used and put into storage, they stop working.

Well, back to the Katadyn Hiker (old reliable) I go.

~~ EDIT ~~

Took a large syringe that came with a water filter and backflushed all of the filters with warm water. Some of the flow has returned, but nothing like what it use to be. As seen in the video the Sawyer PointOne would fill up a canteen in a matter of seconds. Now the flow is barely a trickle.

 

[charliemeyer007]

Do you have really hard water? My thought would be to back flush them with distilled water before putting them in storage.

+1 for testing equipment before using it after storage.

 

[kev]

Do you have really hard water? My thought would be to back flush them with distilled water before putting them in storage.

+1 for testing equipment before using it after storage.

Nope, I am testing with clear spring water from a creek that runs on the farm.

 

[jeff_k]

I called Sawyer Phone: 800.356.7811 and sent the filter back to them. They were able to restore the flow.

As to how long that will last, I don't know.

 

[kev]

I called Sawyer Phone: 800.356.7811 and sent the filter back to them. They were able to restore the flow.

As to how long that will last, I don't know.

Thank you.

I have having serious doubts about these filters, as compared to my Katadyn Hiker.

My Katadyn Hiker (PUR at the time) was bought in the late 1990s. I am going to estimate around 1998 or 1999. In 20 years it has never missed a beat. The internal filter has been replaced a few times, but it has always worked when I needed it.

 

[jfountain2]

Did you happen to buy them on EBay or Amazon? About a year ago there was a thread on the forum where a rep from Sawyer posted explaining they had found some fake Sawyer filters being sold on eBay and Amazon. In the thread the rep explains how to spot the fakes

Read through this thread https://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=909846&highlight=Sawyer+fake

 

[jfountain2]

Also, you should consider adding a Katadyn refillable carbon cartridge to your setup. It will help catch chemicals the Sawyer will miss and can be added inline after the Sawyer filter... it also helps with taste.
This is mine setup to flow directly into the drink tube on my hydration bladder.

 

[dmas]

That is concerning. Did Sawyer say why and how they fixed the filter? You sure they didn't just replace?

Do you track your water useage when using activated charcoal filter? my katadyn combi is good for about 50 gallons before they say to replace activated charcoal.

 

[IamZeke]

~~ EDIT ~~

Took a large syringe that came with a water filter and backflushed all of the filters with warm water. Some of the flow has returned, but nothing like what it use to be. As seen in the video the Sawyer PointOne would fill up a canteen in a matter of seconds. Now the flow is barely a trickle.

Sounds like you didn't backwash after use and just tossed it into storage.

Sediment hardened up, perhaps.

I always backwash with filtered water then when I get home after a trip.

Mine never sit up for years though, unless it is my spare unused rigs.

 

[Snyper708]

I'd try flushing them with white vinegar.

 

[bilmac]

I want to follow this thread, I have several Sawyer minis in stores that have never been used, but they would be my main source of drinking water if SHTF.

 

[IC_Rafe]

Sounds like you didn't backwash after use and just tossed it into storage.

Sediment hardened up, perhaps.

I always backwash with filtered water then when I get home after a trip.

Mine never sit up for years though, unless it is my spare unused rigs.

Also suspect something like this. Or a bad or fake batch as jfountain2 says. Those filters aren't designed to sit in storage for a long time, after they've been used.

 

[hspLOBO]

Me too.......with long term storage of sawyer mini for SHTF scenario. Concerning. Mine are still in packaging. Hmmmm

 

[IamZeke]

New still in package should be no worries. I have a several Minis from the first year those came out that I stored and opened one recently. It flowed fine with 5 perhaps years doing nothing. The problem that Kev has is one being used and then left to sit. That is a case where something has changed the filter after use and then storage. It's definitely worthwhile to sleuth this problem, but I'm not particularly worried about brand new ones sitting in storage, unless it was a counterfeit.

I'm thinking we need to chase down the problem based on putting used ones away for storage.

That in itself is real important. People might only go camping once a year and shouldn't need to buy a new one rated for ungodly gallons simply because they can't use it all the time.

Kev has an important problem that we don't need to conflate with another problem that hasn't come up.

 

[iceman121]

This is disturbing since I have multiple Minis in my supplies. This is something I will have to look into more now.

 

[Gnepig]

I have had this happen before also so
I do this when I get back and BEFORE heading out with my Sawyer Mini:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=pF6PUzLYNiU&feature=emb_title

But they never work quite as good as the first time you take one out of the package.

I also use the Platypus carbon filter addition to the filtered side of the Sawyer Mini system for better taste.

I also noticed that the Sawyer Squeeze flows better than the Mini- probably because it's bigger...

 

[Nomad 2nd]

I've been using the .02 Sawyer for all my drinking and cooking and canning water for ~4.5 years now.

But then I backflow it regularly.I

Use the sininge several times.

I have left it for a month to dry and it works just fine when I resume use.

I'd bet you didn't backflow it enough.

 

[ajole]

I sure do like my Pur and MSR ceramics...

 

[IamZeke]

This is disturbing since I have multiple Minis in my supplies. This is something I will have to look into more now.

Are they new and unused? I wouldn't worry.

I have had this happen before also so
I do this when I get back and BEFORE heading out with my Sawyer Mini:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=pF6PUzLYNiU&feature=emb_title

But they never work quite as good as the first time you take one out of the package.

I also use the Platypus carbon filter addition to the filtered side of the Sawyer Mini system for better taste.

I also noticed that the Sawyer Squeeze flows better than the Mini- probably because it's bigger...

Yes, Sawyer is real big on the act of back flushing the filter after use.

 

[iceman121]

Are they new and unused? I wouldn't worry.



Yes, Sawyer is real big on the act of back flushing the filter after use.

The ones in my Bob and I keep in my car are unused. with the freezing temperatures here I didn't want a used one on the car