Steritop Bottle Top Filter Issue

Rings9841

Member
Just wanted to warn guys so you know about an issue I had recently with a Steritop PVDF filter. Went to Filter a batch of test E, recipe was 1.5% BA 15% BB rest MCT, so no high levels of BB or Eo or any super solvents. Started filtering and everything was good up to about 300ml and I noticed it started to look cloudy I let it Finishing pumping and the entire Media bottle was cloudy.

tried heating and went to a way higher temp than normal and gear was still cloudy, couldn’t see any particles or anything like that. Decided to run it back through a Whatman filter, and it was coming out clear but filter clogged after 100ml. Threw on another steritop and still clear but clogged after another 100ml. Refiltered all gear and all is clear, filters only lasted a 100ml at a time though. I’ve used steritop in the past and filtered 500ml with 2% BA and 20% BB with no Issues as well as with other bottle tops.

just wanted to Warn guys to keep an eye on their Steritop filters not sure if this is a one off or a bad batch
 
Just wanted to warn guys so you know about an issue I had recently with a Steritop PVDF filter. Went to Filter a batch of test E, recipe was 1.5% BA 15% BB rest MCT, so no high levels of BB or Eo or any super solvents. Started filtering and everything was good up to about 300ml and I noticed it started to look cloudy I let it Finishing pumping and the entire Media bottle was cloudy.

tried heating and went to a way higher temp than normal and gear was still cloudy, couldn’t see any particles or anything like that. Decided to run it back through a Whatman filter, and it was coming out clear but filter clogged after 100ml. Threw on another steritop and still clear but clogged after another 100ml. Refiltered all gear and all is clear, filters only lasted a 100ml at a time though. I’ve used steritop in the past and filtered 500ml with 2% BA and 20% BB with no Issues as well as with other bottle tops.

just wanted to Warn guys to keep an eye on their Steritop filters not sure if this is a one off or a bad batch

Ive had a similar issue when using 250ml bottle top filters, the filter process was slow as fuck and they got clogged easy.

To solve this problem i will only use 500ml bottle top filters now. They are 10x quicker than the 250ml ones and do not get clogged up.
 
Ive had a similar issue when using 250ml bottle top filters, the filter process was slow as fuck and they got clogged easy.

To solve this problem i will only use 500ml bottle top filters now. They are 10x quicker than the 250ml ones and do not get clogged up.
All filters that I used were 500ml filters. Only thing I could think is that the original steritop filter started to degrade a little over halfway through.
 
Had the same thing happen to me with the same brand
Tried 3 different filters.
Same recipe as yours. But bb 18%
Dud filters.
 
I'm posting outside of my thread only to help out.

K fellas there's a few different types of plastic used to make bottle top filter units and the BAD one is Polyethersulfone.

The clear plastic is Polyethersulfone and that's the kind that gets eaten away at by any solvent thus gear turns cloudy. Millipore is no good.

The material you want to use is polypropylene and it's not see through. Also I recommend nylon membranes.

Clear=BAD, for water only.

Screenshot_20211116-164423_Gallery.jpg

Polypropylene=GOOD

Screenshot_20211116-164439_Gallery.jpg


Hope this helps ;)
 
I'm posting outside of my thread only to help out.

K fellas there's a few different types of plastic used to make bottle top filter units and the BAD one is Polyethersulfone.

The clear plastic is Polyethersulfone and that's the kind that gets eaten away at by any solvent thus gear turns cloudy. Millipore is no good.

The material you want to use is polypropylene and it's not see through. Also I recommend nylon membranes.

Clear=BAD, for water only.

View attachment 156483

Polypropylene=GOOD

View attachment 156484


Hope this helps ;)
Why you prefer nylon membranes rather than pvdf?
 
Ive been using pvdf 0.22 bottle top filters off alibaba with no issues

The membranes are not what's causing issues for people, it's the type of plastic that the ENTIRE filter unit is made from that's causing issues!

If the filter housing is made from PES then the type of filter doesn't matter as bb/ba dissolve PES thus the cloudy gear.

Filter housing needs to be polypropylene and filter membrane can be pvdf, nylon or ptfe don't really matter, but I find nylon works best.

Cellulose Acetate and PES membrane filters will dissolve and if the housing is PES also, well then your gear will be extra fucked lol!
 
The membranes are not what's causing issues for people, it's the type of plastic that the ENTIRE filter unit is made from that's causing issues!

If the filter housing is made from PES then the type of filter doesn't matter as bb/ba dissolve PES thus the cloudy gear.

Filter housing needs to be polypropylene and filter membrane can be pvdf, nylon or ptfe don't really matter, but I find nylon works best.

Cellulose Acetate and PES membrane filters will dissolve and if the housing is PES also, well then your gear will be extra fucked lol!

Never seen that issue before but cheers for the heads up
 
I'm posting outside of my thread only to help out.

K fellas there's a few different types of plastic used to make bottle top filter units and the BAD one is Polyethersulfone.

The clear plastic is Polyethersulfone and that's the kind that gets eaten away at by any solvent thus gear turns cloudy. Millipore is no good.

The material you want to use is polypropylene and it's not see through. Also I recommend nylon membranes.

Clear=BAD, for water only.

View attachment 156483

Polypropylene=GOOD

View attachment 156484


Hope this helps ;)
Thanks @Jet Labs appreciate the response I have stopped using these filters after what happened when I posted.
 
Does anyone know a good bottle top filter source that is USA domestic with Polypropylene housing with either a PVDF or PTFE .2 or .22 micron filter membrane??
 
So Polyethersulfone type is completely usless?

Polypropylene seems much less common and harder to find, i find it hard to believe many ugls are aware of this and using polyethersulfone type with little issues. I have a excess of those millipore type is there no way to use them at all?
 
So Polyethersulfone type is completely usless?

Polypropylene seems much less common and harder to find, i find it hard to believe many ugls are aware of this and using polyethersulfone type with little issues. I have a excess of those millipore type is there no way to use them at all?
I've read a couple of threads on here about the millipore bottle tops dissolving the plastic housing into the gear, the housing for millipore is polystyrene (which is incompatible with benzyl alcohol) I've also seen somebody mention the fact that MCT oil was used in each of these stories, and that other carrier oils like grapeseed or cotton seed won't have the same negative effects, and that the Benzyl alcohol is at such a low percentage along with it being dispersed in the carrier oil that it won't matter. Me personally wouldn't take the risk. They sell 12 packs of Celltreat or Autofil Polypropylene housed .2 micron Nylon filters on Amazon which are compatible with BA. You could test out your millipore filters with smaller amounts of mLs, but again the more you put in there the more likely the BA will eat away at the plastic...
 
^ I would like to add that from personal experience I haven't used a polystyrene bottle top filter, so I can't tell you firsthand that filtering with it will leach the plastic into your gear 100%. I've only done research on it by reading some threads on here about cloudy gear, along with reading up on the chemical compatibility of polystyrene.
 
So Polyethersulfone type is completely usless?

Polypropylene seems much less common and harder to find, i find it hard to believe many ugls are aware of this and using polyethersulfone type with little issues. I have a excess of those millipore type is there no way to use them at all?
I used them in the past before this happened without issue. Most if not all those times were with GSO. Maybe the MCT plays a role maybe not. It’s your call if you want to try to use them. If I was going to try to use them I would run small
Amounts that way the oil isn’t sitting in the top
Of the filter as long and in theory has less time to break down. That is if your dead set on using them. I wouldn’t risk it honestly. I’m sure the money you spent on your raws was more than the filters and I wouldn’t risk it after my experience and hearing other people Have similar issues.
 
Steering clear of these not worth the hassle at all, do you have links to sterile ones/ones your using? Or a protocol you use to sterilise them?
All the ones I have came across are non sterilised
 
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