View Full Version : Water filter freezing?
I was talking to a hiker this weekend who stated he put his sweetwater filter in the freezer when not hiking to kill and eliminate bacteria. Has anyone else heard of this and would it work. I have aPur hiker would freezing it damage the filter ot pump?
saimyoji
04-19-2005, 20:53
Most bacteria can withstand freezing: they just go into a dormancy period until conditions are right to start dividing again. Freezing will stop the bacteria from growing, but won't kill em.
Remember: bacteria are EVERYWHERE. You'll never get them all.
If you take your filter apart before freezing you should be ok, but knowing the above, why bother to freeze it?
I have a the same filter and freeze it two. It just seems to stay cleaner. All you have to do is stick it in a zip-loc bag and put it in the freezer.:D
ps (that is for a sweetwater filter)
i never heard of this one,but my brother keeps his camelback hydration bag in the freeze to avoid mold and bacteria:cool: neo
fiddlehead
04-19-2005, 23:05
Last year when hiking over the Thorong-La pass in the Himalayas which is 17,499', my friends from AZ where hiking with a Camelback hydration pack. It not only froze up on them, it leaked all over their clothes. Those of us who used a soda bottle for our water, not only carried less weight but didn't have any leakage problems. (tip: store your water bottles upside down at night, that way if they freeze, the top will still be the last part to freeze and you can hopefully get some water out in the morning) fh
Sweetwater recommends that you keep the cartridge in the freezer for long term storage, to keep the bacteria and mold from growing.
Sweetwater recommends that you keep the cartridge in the freezer for long term storage, to keep the bacteria and mold from growing.
I would imagine the filter has to be dry before you put it into the freeze. Otherwise the moisture in the filter will freeze and expand..causing the filter to crack.
Being a low tech guy, I'll use the Gatorade bottles I purchased. :)
Neo,
I keep my camel back bladder in there as well. I just clean it out after use and then store it in the empty. The next time I want to go, it is ready!
RockyTrail
04-20-2005, 16:06
I have a PUR hiker filter. The book says to pump a diluted bleach solution through it before drying and storing it.
I go one more step and remove the filter element, let it dry in the sun for a few hours, then wrap the filter element in a couple paper towels and store it on a dry shelf until next use.
The idea is to make sure all the water dries out of it so you don't have old water trapped in the dark pump housing for the duration. Maybe it works, haven't had any problems yet.
I think this is the best I can do (unless maybe freezing it?).