Sawyer mini filter - not used in a while...

[petemaz]

...by a while, I mean maybe 4 years it's been sitting in a box in the cupboard. If I give it a right good backwash, is there any reason I can't continue to use it? It's only ever been used in Scottish rivers, so nothing too dirty/risky.
Thanks!

[rudedog]

Did you follow the long term storage instructions?

[petemaz]

No, no I didn't

[due]

is there any reason I can't continue to use it?

Does it still work? I left my mine for a similar amount of time and could no longer get water to flow through it

[sean_iow]

I've not used mine in a while but need it soon, mild panicked look at the Sawyer website seems to suggest it's likely to be ok, they say...

I STORED MY FILTER FOR A WHILE AND NOW IT WON'T WORK, WHAT DO I DO?
This can happen when people forget to clean the filter before storage and the sediment in them dries up. Backwashing with warm to hot water will loosen the dirt up. Sometimes you have to soak the filter in hot water for a while.

[RIP]

Aye, clean and dry thoroughly after each trip. And don't let filters freeze like a, er, friend once did.......

[petemaz]

is there any reason I can't continue to use it?

Does it still work? I left my mine for a similar amount of time and could no longer get water to flow through it

Yeah it still seems to work fine. I'm just not sure if there's perhaps some bacteria inside it that I can't see!

[due]

is there any reason I can't continue to use it?

Does it still work? I left my mine for a similar amount of time and could no longer get water to flow through it

Yeah it still seems to work fine. I'm just not sure if there's perhaps some bacteria inside it that I can't see!

Apparently running (very) dilute bleach through them is a thing, if you wanted to be safe?

[petemaz]

is there any reason I can't continue to use it?

Does it still work? I left my mine for a similar amount of time and could no longer get water to flow through it

Yeah it still seems to work fine. I'm just not sure if there's perhaps some bacteria inside it that I can't see!

Apparently running (very) dilute bleach through them is a thing, if you wanted to be safe?

Thanks, I'll give that a try

[Chrisps]

I got my Sawyer squeeze out on the WRT, having not used it over the winter. Got absolutely no water through it at all.

Got home, watched a few videos, backwashed it with 1:4 white vinegar : water, and left it to soak in that for a few hours. Backwashed it again a few times. Now working perfectly. Apparently the vinegar will kill any nasties which have built up in it too. Seemed a bit less risky than bleach, just in case!