I give up--is there any way to disassemble the bite valve for cleaning? It gets gross eventually, especially w/electrolytes in water...
274616
I've been using these products for years and have never had a problem with the caps. I also put them in the dishwasher upside down with the valve open.
274617
We run ours through the dishwasher with the bite valve open. We then rinse, especially under the valve disk. We also ocassionally spray bleach in the spout before washing. So far so good, but we only use our bottles for water.
274618
Soak in white vinegar....rinse the cap regularly in dish soap, rinse well, this helps.
807773
You kind of have to bite and pull it open. It seemed like I had to bite and suck pretty hard to get the water out (as in much harder than a camelbak). There is a plastic piece on the valve that also fell off mid race and I almost lost it. That said it is a decent product for the price- I recommend it more for men though because it would fit someone with broad shoulders better.
1779858
I did a search and asked some people about a possible alternative and I was unable to find anything. Scrubbing Bubbles does help it eats batteries like crazy and goes through a lot of the liquid cleaner but in the end it does in fact help. If you do find an alternative please advise. Thanks
584632
BEATS ME, I SENT MINE BACK. I believe the bite valve was straight, as was the place where the tube exits the cap. 'Believe', not sure. I sent mine back, unused, as the tube was too short to be useable.
1466461
A lot of people have a hard time figuring this out, but it is actually really well designed. The part that goes in your mouth actually pops off very easily, then you can just wipe out the mold with a paper towel or clean cloth and some soapy water. Another method is to fill the bottle with soap and water, and squirt the water out through the valve, which will dislodge most mold.Check this out:http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/Support/~/link.aspx?_id=21D5139719BB4F7C9DACC2029BFFF8A7&_z=z
23195
You can remove the bite valve, and its tough to get inside of it to clean. I use a q-tip. You cannot just use the straw.
342689
I just wash with detergent and water and let it air dry completely before putting it back on. If I've forgotten to wash it right away and it looks a little grungy I'll roll a corner of a paper towel so it fits in the valve and twist it around a few times. This usually gets everything out. A bottle/nipple brush would probably work better but this works for me. When in doubt I let it soak in bleach water first.
1606421
I just noticed nasty bits in the water holding/bottle steaming area. Sending mine back :/ I have been cleaning it as prescribed, it's just too gross! I don't like that I cannot completely clean it out. You can't see down where the water goes.
291240
I find that the cheapest way to clean these things is with Polident. One tablet dissolved into the water before pouring it into the steam chamber, then run 2 or 3 batches of clear water through it to rinse. If this doesn't clean it, you need to buy a new one.
271435
I couldn't find a way to separate without breaking it. So I end up just rinsing it out after use. In that way it is a poor design. If someone knows how to do it, I would be interested in knowing too.
1122537
I used a small tooth pick to hold the valve open,, rolled up nicely completely deflated, hope this helps (just be careful not to damage the valve, pinch it and look inside, you'll see how it works,,, pinch it, slide the toothpick in and bingo)
1466460
That's easy, just snap that plastic part off and clean. If you want to clean inside the valve itself, just squirt some dish washing soap into the bottle with some warm water and shake it up. Then just squirt that mixture out and rinse it. Camelbak made some videos about it. Here's one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_G6MXnRDTM
962888
Yes, All bite valves on the CamelBak systems can be replaced. They are rather inexpensive and are easily replaced.
389525
Hi! I recently experienced a similar problem! I had removed all the filters (there are three removable ones - two foam and one white paper), washed them all, cleaned everything off the beater bar/roller, shook out the tube/hose, even unscrewed the bottom and cleaned out whatever I could find there too! Still, as soon as I turned it on, it was going to red! Grrrrrr I FINALLY found the problem. You might have already checked this, but just in case, sharing it here. It might help you or someone else. When looking at back of the vacuum, on the right side, BEHIND the main tube/hose, you can see the tube attach to the black vacuum base which feeds into the clear body where the dirt goes in. I could not see any clogs anywhere. BUT - this part of the tube/hose COMES OFF - it is easy to overlook, but it twists and releases. I did that as a last resort, and found my problem! There was a piece of paper in there, and all kinds of dirt and hair (we all shed some and have two cats) were packed pretty solid behind the paper! It took a tool like a crochet hook to get it all out and unpacked! (I have a metal "tube turner" for sewing, which is what I used, but anything super thin and long can work, as long as you do not go THROUGH the hose.) I took an amazing amount of junk that had not come out when shaking the hose, cleaning things, even taking the rest of the vacuum apart... it hides in that last curve of the hose! I hope this helps someone else, because this is a great little powerhouse of the vacuum that is perfect for our little townhouse. But the clogging does happen sometimes, and I've now found the FIRST place I'll look, instead of the dead last! ;-)
747516
I detached the head and started trying to pry off the clear plastic part on top, but I think it will crack so I stopped trying that. I ended up using a compressed air can. The straw fits pretty well into the slot and that blew larger chunks out the back. Then taking into a bucket of water and shaking it around took out some more, but it's really not a great design for cleaning.
1410859
No I can't. My husband tried to fix and we threw it away and bought another with a 3 year replacement policy. So I don't have to worry about it for 3 more years. You have the one I just bought so it doesn't sound good for the home team. I had the Steam then Vac and pitched it out. No one makes anything that lasts anymore but what I do suggest, do not use tap water only distilled water. Too many mineral deposits can reek havoc on those little orifices and connections. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. The steam then vac didn't even last 3 years.
342688
I also used a pipe cleaner (the kind with a few metal strands also works best), to stick in the folding plastic part (not the bite valve). As this gets gunked up also. If you take the long plastic straw off, you can actually get the pipe cleaner all the way through, and you can pull it back and forth. I love this bottle also, but it is something you need to keep up with the cleaning on.