How to Use The GoSun Flow: Solar Water Purification and Sanitation System

In order to live sustainably forever, all you need are the simplest parts of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: food, shelter, and air. GoSun has worked to produce all the appliances you need to fulfill those needs, with a great lineup of solar cookers, a refrigerator, and lights. But that's not everything.  After all, you can't live if you don't have water. That's why we're so excited to discuss the Flow, a cutting-edge portable water purifier. 

GoSun’s latest product purifies water with solar power and even acts as an entire kitchen sink that can fit into a backpack, so you're able to sanitize while away from home. It produces enough clean water to wash dishes or even take a shower.

In this article we're going to explain how to use the Flow in your daily life. You can check out a video below to see it in action.

This is the GoSun Flow, a solar powered clean water and sanitation system with everything you need to pump and purify large amounts of water and then get it to where it's needed.

Now you can bring cleanliness wherever you go with full sink and shower capabilities. Every Flow has the ability to purify a thousand liters and the Powerbank can purify 100 gallons of drinking water on a single charge. Filters are replaceable and very easy to maintain as long as they are air dried after each use. 

This is a quick start guide, a detailed how-to explanation of maintenance, and tips for getting the most from your Flow. There are several bundles or accessories shown here that may not apply to every purchase. 

First let's look at the parts that perform the critical function of purifying and delivering water. The flow centers around a three-stage cartridge filter that can make fresh water from just about any source and turn into clean drinking water.

A USB-powered pump lifts water from your source and pushes it through a filter and up to your faucet head. A 18 watt power bank runs the pump and can be charged with a power adapter or from a 4 watt solar panel integrated into the Flow's case.

Since the Flow is both a water purification and sanitation system, let's take a quick look at the different ways it can be used.

First, you can always use the filter by itself. This is a bit like the popular Life Straw where you can drink through it like a straw directly out of the source. If you attach the intake hose you don't have to lean your face down into the creek to take a sip.

Next, the inlet side of the filter has the same threads as a typical plastic bottle, so it can be tightened onto a bottle or the included blue bag. Fill up the bag from the creek and then squeeze it through the filter to take a drink.

To use the pump, plug it into the power bank or the solar panel to push water through the filter, or you can bypass the filter, allowing the pump to simply move water from your source.

For a more accessible delivery, use it like a garden hose. Connect the faucet from the Flow and plug in the switch to dispatch water with the push of a button.

Finally, make hot water with either the GoSun Fusion solar oven or submersion heater, and now you can have hot water for a navy shower or two. If you bought the Flow Ultimate with the heater, you'll want to use a well vessel like our vacuum tube ovens and heat only around a gallon at a time.

Your Flow ships pre-plumbed and ready to use. You need a fresh water source, so bring a bucket, can, or a jug so you can fill it from the lake or creek. To get flowing, quickly plug the pump into the power bank's USB port and be sure the switch plug is locked.

Open the sink or water vessel, drop the intake into the water source, clamp the faucet over the sink's edge, and aim the faucet head.

Push the switch and wait a few seconds while it primes and boom -- now you're making fresh drinking water. Remember to run the system dry for a few seconds and air dry your filter after each use.

Alright, now it's time to get into the details for optimizing your Flow setup. Like other innovative ghosts on products, any initial anxiety will quickly be overcome with a little experience. Let's start with the intake, where a screen prevents junk and debris from entering your system.

The intake is weighted so it remains underwater, but you'll want to adjust the Flow to keep the intake off the dirty lake bottom. The pump can draw water up about eight vertical feet. The intake hose is connected to the inside of the pump.

Remember, the pump is not submersible so it does not go into the water. A short hose connects the outlet of the pump to the bottom of the filter. The top of the filter has an arrow indicating the proper direction of flow.

If you're already moving a potable water source, you'll want to save filter life so you can easily bypass the filter by plugging the pumps outlet onto the outlet hose. Be aware of hose kinks putting extra strain on your system and notice the slots through the case to route hoses and cables.

Once you've mastered your setup, next we'll plug the pump into the power bank and be sure the switch is plugged into the wire harness inside the case. Now it's time to clamp the faucet to the sink or tree branch and begin pumping with activation by pushing the switch on and off. The Powerbank can run the pump for hours, so you don't have to worry much over a weekend, but it will require charging from time to time.

The Powerbank has a micro USB port for charging and a regular USB port for output. Charging can be done with any USB power adapter, the included white cable, or via the solar panel.

To locate the solar charging port, follow the solar panels junction box on the back side to a female USB port. When plugged into solar, the pump can act a little funny, so we recommend unplugging the solar panel from the power bank when you're using the Flow.

GoSun is always there for you in a pinch. If you find your setup without the Powerbank, you know because somebody borrowed it to charge their cell phone. You can run the pump directly off the solar panel: here is on, and here is off.

Since water is so special you'll want to treat your flow with similar respect. The filter is replaceable and available at gosun.co. Under the water title, clog filters will slow the pumping speed. A good indicator of the debris you're filtering can be seen in the pre-filter disc at the bottom of the filter. Once opened, this can be replaced with new disks that come with every filter.

When discarding used water from your sink, remove the faucet and use the handles to carry it to an appropriate dump site so you don't attract animals after use, meaning after a day or a weekend.

Run the pump dry to clear the hoses and remove water from the system. Don't put things away wet if using the filter. Unplug the hoses and unscrew the filter housing, pull the cartridge from the top, and unscrew the cartridge. The nano-aluminum fiber filter should be left to air dry before reassembly and storage.

The pump is serviceable, but it should not be run while dry for a long period of time. It should always be used with the intake filter. Keep the inside of your case clean by opening it occasionally to let it dry out. If your faucet housing gets loose from its clamp, a five millimeter Allen key will tighten it up.

We hope you enjoy your new off-grid water system, where you can reduce consumption without compromising your health or comfort.

With the Flow you have hydration, a kitchen sink, and a hot shower that fits in your backpack.

Here's a video to see it in action.

Want to see what the critics have to say? Here's a review of the Flow:  

No math and no increasing plastic waste when we have GoSun Flow – a portable water purifier that is also a sink and provides water for shower all while storing the solar energy that it creates. The GoSun Flow is made keeping in mind that it is small enough to fit into a backpack so it doesn’t add to the minimal essentials one has to carry during their trip. It uses solar energy to filter 99.99% of pathogens from water and is able to pump 1 liter of clean water per minute!

Apart from providing safe drinking water it also doubles up as a portable handwashing station and hot shower. Having a hot shower (the one thing you miss the most during camping) is such an upgrade because that means we don’t have to jump into a cold water body, everyone knows the right temperature of hot water in the showers is basically therapy for your soul. It is super easy to get this energy-efficient appliance running – place the intake hose into any water source (except salt water), plug in the pump, and it will automatically start filtering the water. To use the faucet or shower, simply clamp the faucet and flip on the pump!