Improving Your Pools Filtration

Filtration and sanitation are intrinsically tied together when it comes to keeping water clean for a harmonious pool environment. It's critical to strike the right balance between the two. The equilibrium of your pool chemistry will depend on a perfect synergy between the two systems.

One approach to improve your pools filtration system is simply choosing the right size pool filter; an enlarged filter can help prevent many water problems before they ever occur. First, let's look at the various types of pool filters and what they do, next we'll talk about some smart approaches to take to improve the overall effectiveness of your swimming pools filtration system.

Learn About Pool Filtration

Sand Filters

Sand filters are the most basic form of filter. Sand is used as a filtration medium. Simply defined, a sand filter works by driving pool water through a sand bed that collects and holds debris and dirt. By reversing the water flow, the filtered dirt is backwashed out of the filter. Use sand filter cleaning before backwashing the sand bed to improve the efficiency of sand filters and eliminate some of the frequent difficulties that come with them.

Alum, commonly known as aluminum sulfate, is a useful tool for everyone who uses a sand filter. The pool water can be treated with alum. When it comes into contact with water, it transforms into a gel-like substance that binds to dirt and allows it to be held more effectively in the sand bed of the filter. Finally, a mesh wall return bag can be installed to operate as a secondary sieve, removing extra fine material and allowing algae to grow before reaching the filter.

Cartridge Filters

Because they use premanufactured cartridges filled with pleated fabric as the filtration medium, cartridge filters are particularly convenient. The filter pushes water through textile pleats, trapping particulates and debris in the process. The pleats fill up with filtered material over time and must be removed and rinsed away. Cartridge filters are sensitive to calcium deposits in locations with hard water, so if you know the water in your area is harsh, you should add a water softening.

By soaking cartridges in a filter cleaner overnight and then washing off deposits the next morning, you may revive your cartridge filter. When using a cartridge filter, be sure to apply a clarifier product. By coagulating dirt and debris into clumps that are easier to filter, it can help your filter run at full capacity. Also, try adding pulp fiber to the skimmer. It can aid in dirt removal without causing damage to your filter pleats. It's crucial to remember that cartridges wear out after roughly 20 rinse cycles, so changing the cartridges at the right intervals can help your filter operate better.

Diatomaceous Earth Filters (D.E. Filters)

Filters made of diatomaceous earth, or DE, are particularly effective because they can filter out microscopic particles better than any other type of filter. The sharp, crystalline shells of plankton and diatoms from the sea make up diatomaceous earth. DE filters are particularly prone to oil fouling since the filter grid is made of a superfine fabric. It's critical to use a pool enzyme to help break down the oil and keep it from sticking to the filter grid. You can also boost the effectiveness of your DE filter by switching from diatomaceous earth to perlite, a volcanic mineral that offers better performance and is easier to maintain.

Particulate debris and tiny pollutants are trapped by your pool filter. DE filters provide the best filtration ability in terms of particle size, followed by Cartridge filters, and finally Sand filters. Whatever sort of pool filter you use, having a larger filter than you require will be beneficial. You obtain larger filter surface area, lower operating pressure, and longer cleaning intervals if you oversize your pool filter.

Install the largest D.E. filter, either a 60 or 72 sq ft DE filter, if you want to maximize your pool filtration. You don't want to spend a lot of money on a huge D.E. filter? Here are some suggestions for improving the filtration on your current pool filter.

Improving Your Pool Filtration

To coagulate microscopic particles into larger, more easily filterable clumps, use Clarifier. Filter Cleaner should be used once a year to remove oils and minerals from your filter media. When your filter media (Sand, Grids, Carts) stops working or the period between cleanings becomes cumbersome, replace it.
Filtering is done when robotic pool cleaners clean. Many types filter the water that goes through them down to 2 microns, which is comparable to a DE pool filter.

Water purification is necessary since filters cannot capture all pathogens and bacteria that may be present in your pool water, and many types of algae and bacteria attach themselves to your pool walls and lurk under ladder steps and behind pool lights.

It's also important to have a good water balance. Not only do we need to introduce chemicals that will target these contaminants, but we also need to balance pH, alkalinity, and calcium hardness levels to create the finest aquatic habitat possible. Chlorine and other sanitizers don't work as well when your water balance is off, which produces an atmosphere conducive to algae and bacteria growth.

Some pools can function perfectly fine with only balanced water and a 1.0-2.0 ppm chlorine measurement. The circulation and filtration in these pools are usually excellent. Here are some strategies to increase the purification of your pool water if your pool needs some help in the sanitation department.

• Install a mineral purifier, such as the Nature2 or PoolRx. Silver and copper ions operate as a bacteristat and an algaestate, respectively, lowering chlorine usage and improving pool sanitation.
  If the combined chlorine level in your pool is greater than 0.3 pm, or if the water smells strongly of chloramines and your swimmers' eyes are burning, shock it.
• Maintain a chlorine stabilizer level in the water between 40 and 80 parts per million. It's especially crucial to protect your chlorine from the sun during the summer months.
• Use an enzyme, such as Orb-3 or Natural Chemistry's products. Pool enzymes breakdown organic debris, oils, and invisible impurities, similar to the enzymes used to clean up ocean oil spills, reducing the burden for your primary sanitizer and pool filter.
• High circulation with no dead patches. Water that is constantly churning and moving is never stationary. When you turn off your filter pump for 12 hours a day, as most people do, circulation and filtration cease, forcing sanitation to step in. Unfiltered water is drawn into the suction ports by good pool circulation, which then distributes filtered and treated water around the pool.

Improving Filtration in Older Pools

1. Add a skimmer sock to the mix. It doesn't get any easier than this. Simply stretch the sock over the top of skimmer baskets to trap large, tiny, and fine debris before it enters the pool system.
   
   
   
   Floating pollutants such as leaves, bugs, sun tan oil, hair, bothersome pollen, and other floating detritus are collected before they reach the pool pump and filter.
2. Fill the skimmer with filter balls. They're designed to be used in place of sand in sand filters, but they can also be thrown into the skimmer basket to catch debris before it reaches the filter.
   
   
   
   As they pass through the skimmer, they perform an excellent job of picking up fine and medium trash and particles. They're not as effective as a skimmer sock, but they have the advantage of working in conjunction with chlorine pills in the skimmer basket.
3. When the filters near the end of their usable life, a pool clarifier can be used to extend it. It aids in the clumping of particles for easier filter removal.
   
   
   
   A bottle of clarifier should be kept in every pool shack's inventory because a small amount goes a long way. Without a clarifier, a new filter will keep up with pool contaminants, but adding a little to an older one will put the need for a new one farther down the road.