I have a Sawyer water filter. After cleaning it, I usually "flick " it a few times, then let it air dry for probably a week. I'm never really sure it is dry. Does anyone have a better method to dry a filter?

That's pretty much what I do after cleaning with the bleach solution, but I suppose you could always "blow dry" it with a hair dryer.

I don't have a Sawyer, but with the Katadyn and MSR filters, I flush them if applicable rinse clean water through them, pump a mild bleach solution through them, and then set them out to dry for a few days (including spreading out the carbon crystals if applicable. Then reassemble and store.

After rinsing with desired solution I use the backflushing syringe to push out all I can and let air dry.

I shake mine to get as much water as possible out of it. Then it just air dries by the dehumidifier.

First, when the tubes get to dry out fully they get smaller (the plastic holds a little moisture to stay pliable) and this dramatically reduces water flow. Second, in the field you won't be able to dry the filter either so there is no usable weight savings by fully drying the filter. I would just stick with backflushing with air to remove the bulk of liquid water and note the operational weight gain of a wet filter.

The key is the mild bleach solution that others have mentioned. Let's say you don't fully get the filter to dry out, whether or not that is your intention. If you don't use bleach, the potential for bacterial growth exists, thus ruining your filter.

Before every trip I do test my filter to make sure it is running good and that the bleach is cleaned out.

Minnesotian: "
The key is the mild bleach solution that others have mentioned. Let's say you don't fully get the filter to dry out, whether or not that is your intention. If you don't use bleach, the potential for bacterial growth exists, thus ruining your filter.


Before every trip I do test my filter to make sure it is running good and that the bleach is cleaned out. "

After our last trip, I will be testing it before we leave. Water was barely running through the filter, and of course my husband didn't notice that he left the syringe on the kitchen table, so he tried to blow air into the filter to back flush it. After about 45 minutes the filter finally started working the way it was supposed to.

I use some stuff called Iodophor, I cook beer and I get this from homebrew suppliers to sanitize bottles. Use it at the proper dilution and you don't have to rinse, when it dries it doesn't exist anymore.

First, when the tubes get to dry out fully they get smaller (the plastic holds a little moisture to stay pliable) and this dramatically reduces water flow. Second, in the field you won't be able to dry the filter either so there is no usable weight savings by fully drying the filter . I would just stick with backflushing with air to remove the bulk of liquid water and note the operational weight gain of a wet filter.

How can you tell that your filter has bacteria in it? Will it just not work well? I haven’t used mine for 2 years. I ran bleach through it and dried it but it is certainly possible it wasn’t completely dry when I put it away after reading these posts. It seems to be running pretty good, so do you think I am safe?

T

timatkn, for peace of mind you could run a bleach solution through it a few days prior to a trip. Leave it damp and then when you use it let the first quart or 2 run off.

I don't know, but I thought that was the purpose of the bleach solution - to protect from that during storage. Bleach is sometimes used as a water purification method, so I don't know if it would matter . . . ?

I soak my Sawyers filters a day to rehydrate them. Having used bleach after my last return, it is ready to go. To be sure, I set it up and actually see if it works. So far, so good.