Bottle adaptor with replaceable activated carbon reduces chemicals and improves taste
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
Katadyn Activated Carbon Filter cartridge overall 4 stars. Something should be done about that bottle and hose in the photo. They are not included!!!!
Simply put, it works to improve the taste of the water when used with the Katadyn Pocket Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter or most any other water filter and from what I've read can also remove certain other chemicals. DO NOT rely on this filter alone as a means to make water safe to drink.
In testing with neutral water, the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter would impart an off taste to the water, presumably from the ceramic filter. In some cases, you can get a mossy or fishy taste from some water sources. This activated carbon filter removed those off tastes! 5 stars! I recommend an extra length of the same type of tubing and spring clip supplied with the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter if the cartridge won't seat well on your container.
The cartridge is supplied with two packets of activated carbon. I couldn't get the cartridge to hold the entire contents of a whole packet and there didn't seem to be enough in 2 packets for 3 refills. Instructions were vague and left me with some questions on recharging the filter cartridge, so you do just what seems to make sense. Filling and reassembling the cartridge is not something you want to do in the wind! Avoid getting the carbon on the threads of the cartridge. It makes for gritty reassembly. After a day's use, I try to blow as much water out of the cartridge as possible to aid in drying and prevention of pathogen growth. I blow into the input port while tapping the opening of the output port for staccato bursts to evacuate water. You might want to keep it above freezing to avoid it breaking.
The cartridge is designed to fit stably on certain types of containers, perhaps Nalgene, but neither my 22 oz Smart Source stainless steel water bottles or my canteen are in that population. However, the funnel for the SteriPEN FitsAll Filter can be removed and is a perfect fit on the bottom of this cartridge and allows the carbon cartridge to fit stably on my stainless steel bottles. You might need to support an empty narrow base receptacle because things could get little top heavy when filling. The carbon cartridge is also a really nice fit over the mouth of a standard 1 gallon milk jug. These jugs are light somewhat collapsible when empty, impart no off taste to the filtered water and are very stable when filling. Just be mindful that they can be a little difficult to sanitize because of protein and fat residues that could lead to pathogen growth and unpleasant odors.
I like this cartridge because of its ability to be recharged, but in my opinion, $10-$12 for 2 packets to treat 120 gallons it too pricey. It might be possible to reduce recurring costs for recharging by buying activated carbon in l lb containers. So far, I have only been able to find activated carbon granules at reasonable prices at Wal Mart that is used for fish tanks. There are also NSF (food grade) sources available for bulk purchases online. The consistency of activated carbon used in this cartridge is powdery. When recharging, I would recommend inserting a cotton ball ahead of any powdered carbon to minimize carbon being pumped into your water containers. My cartridge was supplied with a disc filter to be inserted prior to charging and I didn't need the cotton. With each use, allow some water to pass to the side before filling containers otherwise you might get a very small dose of carbon. I am going to test this filter with granules, but expect that ultimately I will be looking at some way to grind them....a mortar and pestle, perhaps?
Before buying this, I looked at making my own from parts at Lowe's. Now that I see how this is constructed, a homemade one is still on the table. I knocked this down to 4 stars because of packet situation and the cost of the packets to recharge. Hope to update this later if I find other acceptable sources for activated carbon.
