Buying a waterfilter on craigslist?

Hi,

Someone in my town is selling their water pump. Just wondering what I should look out for, how to test it and if its a decent one.

MSR Waterworks Backpacking Water Filter is the name

He claims its in good condition and filter is good. "only used a few times"

Thanks.
(its for $30)

I'm not familiar with that one, but MSR is a good brand. Should be some reviews online for it. Check out the price of new filters too, they might cost more than what they're asking for the pump.

I would ask how often it has been used, and if it has been protected from freezing at night while in the field. That would give me an idea of how much life is left in the filter element and whether there are microscopic cracks that make it useless. (You can't see cracks with the naked eye, if that has happened.)

If it's been stored in the freezer at home, that's fine, if it was allowed to dry completely before putting it in there.

I would actually try pumping water through it. A friend of ours bought a used pump--only to discover it had been used in the Grand Canyon "only a few times" and was shredded from all the silt and sediment.

Thanks for the replies.

Anything else I should look out for? I could ask all the questions I want and he could answer in the manner of which he likes. I'll definently pump some water from a bottle to make sure it pumps.

There are some things that might not ought to be bought used. Unless, it is from someone you really know. Off of C.List; no way. That's just me though, I guess we all have our "quirks."
Good luck, and welcome here.

I'm afraid I agree with you. I wouldn't trust Craig's list at all - personal experience. You are not going to save that much money and there are lots of alternatives to filters for obtaining clean water.

I don't think I'd buy a secondhand filter, either. The filter element has a limited life and if it's used, there's no way to know if it's past its useful life.

Consider the chorine dioxide tablets or a DIY gravity filter (I made my own, similar to the one ULA used to make, using a Katadyn Hiker Pro filter element, plastic tubing and fittings, and a Sea-to-Summit UltraSil 8-liter dry bag).

EDIT, LATER: Post in Make Your Own Gear section on how to do it.

OM have you posted how you did this anywhere? Most of the time a gravity feed won't work for us (alpine), and the rare times it would, the price is prohibitive.

Thanks!

You might want to check out a couple of retail websites, to see if you can buy replacement elements. That's a filter than MSR no longer makes. The MSR website, under water filter accessories, indicates that the "Miniworks/Waterworks" element is available. However, as I vaguely recall, the filters weren't exactly identical - it might be worth a quick email to MSR's tech support to make sure there's no problem replacing the element in the Waterworks with the Miniworks element.

The Miniworks element costs $40; if you buy the filter, chances are pretty good that you'll replace the element it comes with sooner rather than later - at that point, you'll have $70 in it. Personally, unless your budget is very, very tight, I'd spend an additional $20 and buy a brand new Miniworks ($90 at REI.)

Haven't taken any pictures, which would be needed to provide more details. For the one I described, about $70, but that's guessing because I already had the bag. I have used gravity filters at high altitude (close to 11,000 feet)--no problems. It's just as fast as pumping. It does need a fairly long tube! If it doesn't work, either the tubing is too short or the filter is clogged.

EDIT, LATER: I found the parts list so wrote up instructions in a post on Make Your Own Gear.

I say definitely look into it, because you might get a good deal. There won't be too many people looking for a Craigslist filter in winter months so you won't have much competition. You can find out about that model easily by searching - there is even a youtube video. Maybe the seller will take $10 or $15. You won't know until you check it out. The replacement filter might cost as much as $40, so I wouldn't pay very much for the filter unit itself. A Chlorine dilution will disinfect.

Thanks for the replies.

The guy lives in a wealthy part of town, and says he used it a few times.

Photos of it:

Check the price of a new filter and check the price of a replacement filter for this pump. Most of the price of a water filter system is the filter cartridge, and you probably should replace the cartridge soon, if not right away. The price you pay for this filter should be less than the difference between the cost of a new filter system and the cost of a replacement cartridge. Otherwise you would be better off buying a new filter system.