Seems to me the only way you would know it failed is if you become ill with a water borne agent.

Pete

IIRC the Frontier is supposed to treat 20 gallons of water before being discarded. That seems to imply a single-use or few-uses item. But potentially a lifesaver in an emergency situation.

Twenty gallons isn't bad although that longevity will vary greatly depending on water conditions. If you're drinking water that is gray because it's so laden with glacial silt, I bet that you'd get only a few gallons.

Twenty gallons for one person would pretty much take care of that individual's water needs for a couple of weeks.

HJ

Yep. There's no reliable way that I've ever heard of to test a filter unless you've got access to some sophisticated lab equipment. There's no "home kit" that you can buy.

I guess you just have to replace your filter periodically or use other means. The lack of a means to verify that the darn thing works is a HUGE negative on filters.

HJ

Well, by "fail" I basically meant mechanically, visibly so- like part of it coming out or not fitting together. Obviously the only way to really know is if you get sick or die, but that can also be said of every other portable method of cleaning/purifying water. Even boiled Dioxin or Benzine would probably still kill you, wouldn't it?

It's a little different with a filter. With things that "normal" treatment should handle, boiling for example is pretty foolproof, and you can verify that water is in fact boiling. With a filter, there's no way to tell if the internals are still functioning properly.

The reason I mention this is because I bought a filter in 2001. It's now about 10 years old. Should I rely on it? Should I junk it? I don't really have a way of knowing.

HJ

Very true, Jim. But as I said, you can see water is boiling but that won't tell you if chemicals in it will kill you or not. The big risk there would be urban water after a disaster where petroleum or other chemicals could pollute the water.

With a filter I surely wouldn't rely on one that had been stored for 10 years! But that's just me.

Here's an Idea,How about putting some food coloring/clean sand/fish oil into some water,& then run it through the filter, process it as you would like any other source,however you can then,examine it, smell it/taste it/drink it-the end results aren't gonna' croak you,& you'll know whether to toss that"10 year-old,but still expensive,Filter!

Agreed. In an urban emergency setting, there are a lot of potential contaminants that a backpacking filter (or boiling or chemical treatment) just aren't going to touch. For my situation, I live close to a creek that can be drunk from without treatment, and I also have 25 gallons of water in 1 gallon bottles. I'd like to have more water, but I'm in an apartment, and that apartment has no garage and not a whole lot of storage.

Re the backpacking filter, it's actually a "user" filter not an "emergency" filter. In other words it hasn't been stored in a box somewhere; it's been out on the trail with me. I truly wish there were a way to verify its functioning. Even right out of the box, there's no way to tell if a filter works.

I like using a filter (as opposed to boiling or chem treatment) since I think the taste of unchlorinated water is such a treat compared to tap water at home. I detest the taste of iodine treated water, and the smell is even worse. Chlorine dioxide is a little better but still nasty, and I hate having to wait for the treatment to take effect when I'm thirsty. Boiling requires a lot of time, and who the heck wants hot drinking water on a 95F degree day. Because of all that, I really wish there were a way to verify a filter's function.

HJ

There probably is a way but I don't know it. I wonder if there're any test kits you can buy? Filters are a great way to go; no waiting for the chemicals to do the job, no noxious tastes and no drinking 120 degree water. Short of a true test I guess the best tactic is probably to get the most reputable product and just give it a shot.