Caring for Your Camping Water Filter

June 10th, 2010

If you frequently go backpacking or camping, you are most likely also an owner of a camping water filter. Almost all experienced campers know how important this handy tool is for obtaining clean and potable water from potentially unsafe sources. If you own a camping water purifier, you might want to know some ways to take care of your equipment so that you can extend its life span or squeeze the most use out of it.

The exterior casing of a camping water filter may be of durable material, but the filter media inside it will wear over time. The media will also clog over time. If your filter media do not clog, it’s either your water sources are always pristine and perfectly clean, or your filter media are not working as they should. Clogging is normal. But, when you start feeling stronger resistance when you try to pump water through your filter, the clogging has reached saturation point. You will need to replace the filter, or buy a brand new unit. Never force water through a clogged filter, otherwise you might also forcefully push into your drinking water those contaminants that have been accumulating on the filter media.

Some camping water purifier models have filters that can be cleaned by brushing or scrubbing. Doing so will usually extend the life of your purifier. Most filter systems use multiple layers of filter media, with each layer decreasing in pore size. The first or outermost layer, in many cases, is usually the one with the biggest pores and is most likely disposable, replaceable, or cleanable. If such is the case, you can clean that filter layer to unclog it.

For filter models that use activated carbon or activated charcoal, you have to monitor the carbon filter. It needs to be replaced when it reaches its limit. The manufacturer of your filter should be able to provide you with instructions on how to identify the saturation point of your filter’s carbon element.

So that you will have uninterrupted supply of clean drinking water at your camp site, you should check your camping water filter regularly and make sure that its filters are still working. Otherwise, clean them or replace them according to manufacturer’s instructions.

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Tips for Using a Camping Water Filter Containing Carbon and Iodine

June 8th, 2010

Many portable camping water filter models not only remove harmful bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and physical sediments in water. They are also efficient in neutralizing dangerous and toxic substances that have seeped into bodies of water. Such toxins can reach your camping water via many routes such as the sewage system or run-off from farms and industrial locations. Some examples of such harmful chemicals are chlorine and its compounds (i.e., chlorides), heavy metals such as lead, and pesticides and herbicides that can be toxic if ingested by humans.

To counteract those harmful toxins, camping water filter models usually include a filter medium that uses activated carbon or charcoal. The free radicals and toxic molecules present in water will bond to the carbon in the filter. Thus, carbon filters can efficiently lower the concentration of toxic chemicals and free radicals in the water.

Other filter models make use of chemicals to kill all–or most–harmful microorganisms in water. One common element used by many filter models is iodine, which is toxic to parasites, many viruses, bacteria, protozoa (e.g, cryptosporidium and giardia), and many other critters that your naked eye cannot see without the aid of a microscope.

There’s a downside to iodine use, however. For example, iodine can leave a bad taste in your mouth. To offset that, you can try mixing a little ascorbic acid (e.g., instant orange juice powder) into your filtered water to mask the taste of iodine. If you use orange juice powder, the ascorbic acid will react with and neutralize the iodine, plus you will have orange-flavored water. But, it is not advisable for people with thyroid dysfunctions, immune diseases, or iodine sensitivity to use or drink filtered water treated with iodine.

Filter models that use iodine and that also use carbon filter media usually won’t output iodine-tasting water. This is so because the carbon filter can remove the iodine after the latter has performed its massacre of the microorganisms.

Although there are several things to keep in mind when using a camping water filter, it is still safer to use one than to not use one at all.

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