Maximize Your Flow Rate!

How To Clean and Restore a Sawyer Squeeze

Have you noticed a drop in the flow rate of your Sawyer Squeeze? Has your once torrent of filtered water been reduced to a trickle? Fear not! Follow the simple steps outlined below and you can restore the flow rate of your filter. Better yet, I’ll even show you the best way to store your filter for prolonged periods, prolonging it’s life and reducing the chances of it clogging.

Slow Flow, Low Flow, No Flow At All?!

There are many factors that contribute to a reduced flow rate in your filter. Here’s a list of things to avoid or limit (if possible) in order to keep your filter from clogging.

Excessive sediment in your water – obviously this isn’t isn’t always avoidable, but it helps if you can pre-filter your water with a bandana.
Not backflushing after a trip – forgetting to backflush or flat out not backflushing can lead to debris drying on your filter and becoming much harder to remove. Try to backflush after every trip or during every town stop on a thru hike.
Storing the filter for an extended period of time – though this is at times unavoidable, when the Sawyer sits unused for long periods of time it can dramatically reduce your flow rate. Storing your filter properly (via the steps below) and prepping your filter for it’s first use in a long time (also via the steps below) will help negate the effects of non-use.
Backflushing the filter with heavy water – using heavy tap water to backflush your filter can lead to a build up of chemicals and minerals such as calcium. Breaking these mineral build ups off is tough, and may require the use of vinegar and heavy flushing.

Is Backflushing Enough?

Though backflushing your filter often is a great idea and helps maintain your flow rate, there is a chance that it may still degrade over time. That’s why it’s a good idea to clean your filter using the methods below at least once per hiking season. One thing that is very important if you are backflushing your filter is backflushing it the correct way.

Backflushing Tips

Use the included syringe – maintaining a high pressure while backflushing is crucial and the best way to do so is with the syringe that Sawyer gives you. This brings us to the next tip:
Push hard! – According to Sawyer’s Website you should use a high amount of pressure when backflushing your filter. Doing soft flushes creates “Paths of least resistance” that make flushing out the entirety of the filter nearly impossible. You end up flushing the same few filaments over and over. Use the force! err… use a lot of force!
Try to avoid hard water – Hard water can lead to mineral build up on your filter when left to dry. Use soft water if possible.
Backflush more than once – When backflushing a filter, I recommend doing it at least 6 times in succession, preferably more. There can be a lot of sediment and build up on the inside of your filter. One flush won’t cut it.
Tap and rotate the filter – In between flushes I like to tap the filter on a soft surface (like a towel) to attempt and dislodge any debris inside. I also rotate the filter between flushings to assure that I’m hitting multiple angles.

Instructions

This video will outline exactly how to restore your Squeeze’s flow rate and how to prep your filter for long term storage. Enjoy!