Zelbrite: technical information

Benefits of this amazing swimming pool filtration material ...

what is zelbrite?   active ingredient why zelbrite product life regeneration   benefits summary

The benefits this amazing swimming pool filtration material can be grouped into the following general areas:

• Water quality,
• Health benefits,
• Environmental and
• Economic benefits.

Water quality benefits:

Higher dirt holding capacity and removal of finer particles (down to diatomaceous earth standards or better) provides cleaner pool water which can be measured as lower suspended solids (SS). Chemical ion-exchange and also adsorption lead to a marked reduction of ammonia/ammonium and a reduction in a range of organic contaminants. This can be measured by taking ammonia readings and combined chlorine readings which will be lower. As a result of lower chemical usage, pool water total dissolved solids (TDS) will be significantly lower. This can be confirmed by the measurement of TDS

Health Benefits

The unpleasant effects of stinging eyes, irritating or dry skin, acrid chemical smells are mostly eliminated. These are generally caused by mono-and di-chloramines formed by the reaction of ammonia/ammonium (present from the breakdown of human organic detritus) and the chlorine used for disinfection. Zelbrite by removing ammonia/ammonium from the water prevents the formation of these irritating and dangerous compounds. Water quality and health specialists believe that some of the compounds formed between the interaction of ammonia/ammonium, organic contaminants and chlorine are potentially carcinogenic. By removing ammonia/ammonium and organic contaminants with Zelbrite pool filtration media before they interact with chlorine, the risk of forming these dangerous compounds is dramatically reduced. Bacteria causing infections and disease seek protection wherever they can. They will inhabit the dirt particles in a pool and to some extent be protected from chlorination. By providing a cleaner pool, Zelbrite enhances the effectiveness of chlorination to eradicate these bugs and provide a safer and healthier swimming pool.

Environmental

The greater dirt-holding capacity of Zelbrite means that there is less frequency of backwashing and hence less discharge of wastewater to the environment. The chemical action of Zelbrite and its "buffering" capacity results in a more efficient use of chlorine and a reduction in other chemicals used for pH control. As a result the total dissolved solids (TDS) discharged to the environment is lower.

Water Saving

Zelbrite has a far greater surface area than sand and therefore you do not have to backwash as often. If using sand you may have to backwash every 3-4 weeks, whereas with Zelbrite, backwashing is needed only every 6-8 weeks. When backwashing with Zelbrite the whole process takes much less time. Overall you could expect to save 30% in water usage.

Economic

Although Zelbrite will initially cost more than filter sand, a consideration of economic benefits shows that 'life-cycle' costs for swimming pool filtration are in fact much lower.

Key economic benefits include:

• As the frequency of backwashing is lower, this can give considerable savings in water costs. As the backwash water contains 'heat' and chemicals that have been applied, these have to be replaced. Therefore there are immediate savings from less frequent backwashing in water costs, heating costs and chemical cost. Backwashing has often been reduced by up to 50%.
• The more efficient use of chlorine (resulting from the removal of ammonia/ammonium and organic contaminants) leads to very significant reduction in chlorine usage. Typically chlorine usage reductions of 30% or greater are achieved.
• The natural 'buffering' characteristics of Zelbrite and lower use of disinfectants results in lower use of chemicals (such as carbon dioxide) for pH control.
• The less dense nature of the Zelbrite filtration particle and its specific structure results in the filter medium being less restrictive to water flow than sand. This manifests ultimately as a saving in power/electricity. With specific equipment such as salt chlorinators (installed downstream of the Zelbrite filter) the electricity consumption is less. This results in the extension of the plate life of the chlorinator.

These remarkable economic savings in the use of Zelbrite filtration medium are not achieved with alternatives such as sand or diatomaceous earth.

There are compelling reasons from the pool aesthetic, water quality, health and safety, environmental and economic points of view to now use this advanced pool filtration technology in swimming pools and spas.

Zelbrite - the superior swimming pool filtration media, delivers benefits across all areas.