You could be a new fibreglass pool owner, or maybe you've owned your pool for ages. Either way, knowing about the filtration system options for your pool is important. So what exactly is pool filter media?
There are three kinds of filters that you can choose for your fibreglass pool. Other alternatives include diatomaceous earth filters or cartridge filters. The advantage of using pool filter media is that it’s a budget-friendly way of maintaining the water in your pool. You also won’t have to worry about constantly needing to maintain your pool water, as the pool filter media will take care of that.
What is pool filter media?
A popular way of maintaining pools across the country is with the help of pool filter media. You won’t need to regularly clean your pool filter media. Once you’ve added your filtration system to your pool, then they can last for up to six years. After that, you’ll need to replace your pool filter media.
Pool filter media helps you keep the water in your fibreglass pool clean. Using pool filter media isn’t all that different from using other kinds of pool filters. The pool pump also powers the pool filter media. Then, the pool filter media filters out smaller debris that could be present in your pool. In order for pool filter media to be effective, your fibreglass pool should also have a good circulation system.
How do you use pool filter media?
There’s a filter that’s situated on top of your pool filter media. Smaller debris that could be present in your pool, will eventually be trapped in the pool filter media, leaving your pool water clean. How the debris will be trapped by the filter depends on what kind of pool filter media you’re using. There are kinds of pool filter media that are better at attracting debris or dirt that could be present in the water. Other kinds are better at trapping small particles that get too close to them.
Research was conducted into filters which revealed that the water travelling through the filter is cleaned in one of two ways.
Mechanical entrapment
This is when the debris in the pool water is caught in hollows and pits that are situated on the pool filter media’s surface.
Electrostatic attraction
This is when an electrostatic charge is used to attract dirt and debris to the pool filter media’s surface. This happens as the dirt and debris in the pool water travel over the surface of the pool filter media. You can think of this as similar to the charge that you feel when you’re walking on a carpet while you have socks on.
When the media is harder, then there’s more electrostatic charge that’s created, when water passes over the pool filter media. This charge can help to trap debris that could be present in the water of your fibreglass pool.
Irrespective of what kind of pool filter media you have, it will get dirty as more water passes through your pool filter media. But you don’t need to clean the pool filter every day, or even every week. This is as a small amount of dirt or debris trapped in your pool filter media helps trap other debris that could come close to your pool filter media.
Eventually, however, backwashing won’t be enough to get rid of all the dirt and debris that’s accumulated in your pool filter media. This is why, with time, pool filter media will become less efficient. This is why you would need to replace it. If you’re using sand or zeolite as your pool filter media, then it should be replaced every six years. If you’re using Glass, then replace it every nine years.
What kinds of pool filter media are available to you?
You may need to get a specific kind of media for your pool filter media, so ensure you get the kind that would work best for you. Should you not be sure of what kind of media you should get, then get in touch with your local pool supply store.
Once the pool filter media is installed, you’ll need to backwash it from time to time, to keep it clean. Eventually, however, backwashing won’t be enough to keep your pool filter media clean. At this point, it will need to be replaced. These are the different kinds of pool filter media that are available to you:
Zeolite
Zeolite is a kind of pool filter media that’s made using rock minerals extracted from volcanoes. Usually, these are soft and use the process of mechanical entrapment, to trap dirt and debris. When you use Zeolite, you can ensure that the water quality of your fibreglass pool is excellent.
Eventually, the centre of the Zeolite, which resembles a sponge, gets filled up. With time, it can look like sand. In the same way that you need to replace the sponge you use to clean dishes from tone to time, you’ll need to replace the sponge in your pool filter media as well.
Silica sand
Silica sand is a substance that’s mined. Essentially, Silica is nothing more than graded sand that’s found in rivers, that’s dredged to the top. Silica sand used to be a popular choice, when it came to pool filter media. This is because it has a rough surface, which is great at trapping dirt and debris that could be found in the pool water.
Both electrostatic charge, as well as mechanical entrapment, are used to trap debris. However, it produces less electrostatic charge when compared to glass, and is hence, less effective.
Glass
If you want the most environmentally friendly option available to you, then this is it. The kind of glass used in your pool filter media can feel smooth if you try to touch it. Usually, recycled glass is used to make these, which reduces waste at the landfill as well.
Note that the particles of glass in the media aren’t all of the same sizes. This ensures that even the smallest dirt particles are trapped by your pool filter media. Since glass is harder when compared to sand, more charge is created, which results in a larger amount of dirt being attracted to the media. Larger particles can be trapped through mechanical entrapment. If you want to have the best pool water quality, then opt for glass as your media.
Conclusion
Your pool filter media can last anywhere between six to ten years, depending on the kind of media you chose. Pool filter media helps to trap any dirt and debris that might be circulating in the water of your pool. When you have pool filter media in your pool filtration system, the quality of water in your fibreglass pool will be superior, and safe for your family and friends to swim in.
You could be a new fibreglass pool owner, or maybe you've owned your pool for ages. Either way, knowing about the filtration system options for your pool is important. So what exactly is pool filter media?
There are three kinds of filters that you can choose for your fibreglass pool. Other alternatives include diatomaceous earth filters or cartridge filters. The advantage of using pool filter media is that it’s a budget-friendly way of maintaining the water in your pool. You also won’t have to worry about constantly needing to maintain your pool water, as the pool filter media will take care of that.
What is pool filter media?
A popular way of maintaining pools across the country is with the help of pool filter media. You won’t need to regularly clean your pool filter media. Once you’ve added your filtration system to your pool, then they can last for up to six years. After that, you’ll need to replace your pool filter media.
Pool filter media helps you keep the water in your fibreglass pool clean. Using pool filter media isn’t all that different from using other kinds of pool filters. The pool pump also powers the pool filter media. Then, the pool filter media filters out smaller debris that could be present in your pool. In order for pool filter media to be effective, your fibreglass pool should also have a good circulation system.
How do you use pool filter media?
There’s a filter that’s situated on top of your pool filter media. Smaller debris that could be present in your pool, will eventually be trapped in the pool filter media, leaving your pool water clean. How the debris will be trapped by the filter depends on what kind of pool filter media you’re using. There are kinds of pool filter media that are better at attracting debris or dirt that could be present in the water. Other kinds are better at trapping small particles that get too close to them.
Research was conducted into filters which revealed that the water travelling through the filter is cleaned in one of two ways.
Mechanical entrapment
This is when the debris in the pool water is caught in hollows and pits that are situated on the pool filter media’s surface.
Electrostatic attraction
This is when an electrostatic charge is used to attract dirt and debris to the pool filter media’s surface. This happens as the dirt and debris in the pool water travel over the surface of the pool filter media. You can think of this as similar to the charge that you feel when you’re walking on a carpet while you have socks on.
When the media is harder, then there’s more electrostatic charge that’s created, when water passes over the pool filter media. This charge can help to trap debris that could be present in the water of your fibreglass pool.
Irrespective of what kind of pool filter media you have, it will get dirty as more water passes through your pool filter media. But you don’t need to clean the pool filter every day, or even every week. This is as a small amount of dirt or debris trapped in your pool filter media helps trap other debris that could come close to your pool filter media.
Eventually, however, backwashing won’t be enough to get rid of all the dirt and debris that’s accumulated in your pool filter media. This is why, with time, pool filter media will become less efficient. This is why you would need to replace it. If you’re using sand or zeolite as your pool filter media, then it should be replaced every six years. If you’re using Glass, then replace it every nine years.
What kinds of pool filter media are available to you?
You may need to get a specific kind of media for your pool filter media, so ensure you get the kind that would work best for you. Should you not be sure of what kind of media you should get, then get in touch with your local pool supply store.
Once the pool filter media is installed, you’ll need to backwash it from time to time, to keep it clean. Eventually, however, backwashing won’t be enough to keep your pool filter media clean. At this point, it will need to be replaced. These are the different kinds of pool filter media that are available to you:
Zeolite
Zeolite is a kind of pool filter media that’s made using rock minerals extracted from volcanoes. Usually, these are soft and use the process of mechanical entrapment, to trap dirt and debris. When you use Zeolite, you can ensure that the water quality of your fibreglass pool is excellent.
Eventually, the centre of the Zeolite, which resembles a sponge, gets filled up. With time, it can look like sand. In the same way that you need to replace the sponge you use to clean dishes from tone to time, you’ll need to replace the sponge in your pool filter media as well.
Silica sand
Silica sand is a substance that’s mined. Essentially, Silica is nothing more than graded sand that’s found in rivers, that’s dredged to the top. Silica sand used to be a popular choice, when it came to pool filter media. This is because it has a rough surface, which is great at trapping dirt and debris that could be found in the pool water.
Both electrostatic charge, as well as mechanical entrapment, are used to trap debris. However, it produces less electrostatic charge when compared to glass, and is hence, less effective.
Glass
If you want the most environmentally friendly option available to you, then this is it. The kind of glass used in your pool filter media can feel smooth if you try to touch it. Usually, recycled glass is used to make these, which reduces waste at the landfill as well.
Note that the particles of glass in the media aren’t all of the same sizes. This ensures that even the smallest dirt particles are trapped by your pool filter media. Since glass is harder when compared to sand, more charge is created, which results in a larger amount of dirt being attracted to the media. Larger particles can be trapped through mechanical entrapment. If you want to have the best pool water quality, then opt for glass as your media.
Conclusion
Your pool filter media can last anywhere between six to ten years, depending on the kind of media you chose. Pool filter media helps to trap any dirt and debris that might be circulating in the water of your pool. When you have pool filter media in your pool filtration system, the quality of water in your fibreglass pool will be superior, and safe for your family and friends to swim in.
