If you own a Camelbak Eddy bottle as I do, you'll know that these bottles are different from others thanks to the self-sealing bite valve.
I know when I first got my bottle, I had to figure out how to correctly use the valve. Luckily, it was easy to get the hang of, and there are a few common mistakes that are really easy to overcome to use the bite valve properly.
To use the Camelbak Eddy bite valve, you first need to pop the valve up by pressing your finger on the lever of the bite valve. Once the valve has popped up to the drinking position, you need to bite it from the top down and suck.
The most common mistakes include not biting the valve at all, biting the valve from the sides (not top and bottom) or failing to click the straw in properly. It also common for the bite valve to not be open when you first get your bottle.
All of these issues are easy to overcome.
These water bottles are great and super easy to use, but if you're a first-time user, you may want some guidance on exactly how to use the Eddy+ bite valve as well and why it might not be working for you.
Here's how I use my Camelbak Eddy bite valve without damaging it or spilling water.
NOTE: If your Camelbak is leaking or spilling water click here to learn why your Camelbak is leaking and how to fix it.
Step 1: Pop the Valve Up
If you have kids, you'll know how easily they can spill the contents of their bottle everywhere, which is why my kids use the Eddy bottles.
The bite valve is designed to be popped out for drinking and pushed back down, so it becomes spill-proof.
To pop the valve open, you will need to use your thumb, or whatever fingers, to push down on the tab. You will notice it juts out of the valve.
Once you press that down, the bite valve will pop up into the perfect drinking position, and you should hear an audible click to signal it is opened properly.
Step 2: Bite the Valve From Top and Bottom
To get the liquids flowing through the valve, you need to bite down on the silicone valve with your teeth. Don't worry about breaking the valve. They are pretty durable.
Biting the bite valve will allow the hole in the valve to open. However, you need to bite down on the valve from the top and bottom. If you bite it from the sides it will not open and water won't flow.
If you're confused about how to bite it, just bite it like you would with a straw.
You can see this if you use your fingers to squeeze the bite valve. You'll see how the hole in the valve opens.
Sometimes when you first get your Eddy+ there is no hole and the plastic is still sealed. This is a common issue and easily fixed. If this happens to you, check out my article on how to fix Eddy+ bite valves that have no hole.
Step 3: Suck The Valve
This next step is important, as it is the sucking motion that actually allows you to drink the water in the bottle.
Once you have bitten down on the valve, all you need to do is suck the water out like you would if you were drinking from a straw.
One of the common mistakes is not clicking the straw in firmly enough and this can cause no water to come through the valve when you suck.
You can only use the bottle without the straw. The same steps are used, except you will need to tilt the bottle up to drink out the bite valve.
Step 4: Push The Valve Down Once Done
Once you've finished drinking from the bottle make sure you remember to push the valve into the locked position so that it doesn't leak.
If you leave the bite valve pointing upwards it can and will leak.
To close the valve, all you need to do is stop biting it and push the valve back down. If you don't, the valve will leak a bit.
Over time a common issue is that the bite valve doesn't stay down anymore. This is due to wear and tear on the plastic.
If you have this issue click here to learn how to fix a Camelbak bite valve that won't stay down.
