The Filter
Which filter do we use?
We provide the Sawyer PointONE Hollow-Fiber Membrane Filter or the Sawyer “Squeeze” Filter. This lightweight, portable filter removes harmful bacteria, protozoa, parasites, cysts, eggs, and microplastics from unclean drinking water, down to 0.1 micron in size, for over twenty years or one million gallons. While it attaches to virtually any water receptacle, we provide five-gallon buckets for their simplicity and commercial availability. The filter is also threaded, so it can be attached to almost any plastic water bottle or container.
How does it work?
The filter uses a similar technology to kidney dialysis capturing all the harmful pathogens in a densely braided cluster of straws. Water, of almost any color and quality, is then safe to drink. The filter lasts for over twenty years or one million gallons of water.
The filter contains no replaceable parts, or professional servicing. You simply have to “backflush” forcing clean water in the opposite direction of the natural flow of the filter with an included plastic syringe. This is done once a day or after each bucket is filtered to optimize its performance and longevity.
Is it effective?
Hope College conducted research into the effectiveness of this filter in an urban slum environment. In the study, 10,000 filters were given to 10,000 families living in one of the largest slums in Africa, Kibera. Of those 10,000 families, 52.7% presented with chronic diarrhea as a result of unclean drinking water. Three months following the distribution of these filters to each family, that number dropped to 2.2%.
Want to purchase a filter for your home?
