Shelf life of a water filter cartridge

Hey All,

I am brand new to this forum and I have what I believe is a pretty simple question. I've been out of backpacking for probably 12 or 13 years. Had kids and we switched to using a camper and finding places to mountain bike for a while. Well, we decided it was time to get back into backpacking and most of my gear is lookin' pretty old now. My trusty old optimus 99 is leaking out of the cap, so looks like a new stove is in order, as well as a few new thermarests, etc.

My water filter, which is a Pur Explorer, has long ago been discontinued with no filters available. This will have to be replaced too, but I did replace the filter right before the last time I used it. That was about 12 years ago. It pumps water just fine. My question is, does anyone know if it is OK to use a filter that has been sitting in a gear box for that long?

It may depend on the cartridge. I took my Katadin Mini (ceramic) filter out recently after a similar layoff. I checked the manual, and it says there's no limit on the shelf life. The criteria to replace it is when filtering slows down even after cleaning. I think the total capacity is over a couple thousand gallons.

I think you'll know for sure it isn't good anymore when after drinking the filtered water, you feel some rumbling in your lower abdominal region, followed by...

In all seriousness, I do not believe there is a shelf-life on my filter that is listed either but it might depend on how much use and what kind of use it went through prior to having a layoff. If you cleaned it and/or replaced the cartidge as needed, it should be fine. My father's filter sat for over 5 years between uses and it still performed as it was designed.

Sorry Canyonero, I quoted the wrong post...

Truth be told, after using it on my first trip after 10 years or so on the shelf, I was waiting for a twinge...

The Explorer was rated at "up to 500 gallons"
I have had the Hiker for about 10 years, still use it occasionally with the original cartridge.
Before I use it I put a few drops of bleach in a mug of water and pump that through. Then I run a few liters of tap water through it .
(I don't count this as "usage")
BTW, that is unscented bleach.....
Franco

Well, now I had to check the manual.

Capacity is 2000 gallons/7000 liters.

Cleaning procedure is to scrub the ceramic element with a "greenie" scrub pad under clean running water, with no detergents or disinfectants. If it develops a smell, it can be soaked in baking soda and rinsed in clean water.

Shelf life is "unlimited".

The 500 gallon was a figure I found on one review yesterday. Another one puts that at 100 gallons
http://www.artoftravel.com/10water.htm
this link also puts that at 500 gallons
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=xTA7...ons&f=false
Franco

hmmm, no shelf life, I'll be good 4 million years from now just one million years before the sun incinerates us.
If your poor like me I'd go for it, but if you have the cash would it really be worth the risk, especially putting your loved ones on the wheel. Just a thought. I would think a ceramic filter would still be ok, but is thinking going to save you from a pronated whachamacallit.
Good luck with that.
I would call someone and if they say its ok then the odds of the info being correct would be much higher,
just my nickel

Well, knowing that my "shelf life" is definitely limited, I'll let someone else worry about whether it'll still be usable when the sun starts to go dim.

Thanks for the input all! I don't think it is worth any risk at all, but I do have quite a bit of gear to pick up, mostly for the kids. As much as I was hoping that I would at least be able to salvage the filter, I'm leaning towards tossing it and starting from scratch.

Well, what can go wrong? If stored wet the cartridge can mildew, but if dried out prior to storage then there's nothing to go "bad." O-rings can dry out so they should be inspected for cracks or hardening. If they're okay, then lube with silicone grease and reassemble. If the pump doesn't allow any air into the system and water doesn't leak out of any joints, I'll speculate everything is okay as is.

Cheers,

Rick

One note on the Katadyn Mini. It comes with a "wear gauge" for the cartridge; the gauge is stored in the pump housing. This measures the cartridge diameter; if the gauge fits over the cartridge; it's time for replacement.

Since the cartridge is cleaned by scrubbing with an abrasive green scrub pad, I guess it wears down over time.