FILTERS: Is Zellbright really better than sand?

[Klondyke]

In every construction and/or other activities are always many ways how to achieve the optimum results. The question is always, is it the proper way how to do it for the given purpose? If somebody have abundant funds he can drive Rolls-Royce instead of Toyota. The question is, will he drive so many times better as the ratio of the cost? As it was here remarked, it is obviously a "commercial story", new equipments have to be offered, you cannot stay 10 - 20 years with the same filter, same like new MS Windows need to be sold every year.

Similarly, we can consider whether our simple pool equipment is appropriate enough for the purpose of the pool: do we want to have a better water for our 10 min. swimming than we are having in our house water for our teeth brushing, cooking, dish washing, wife for sitting in bath tube, sometimes also for our drinking? Do the doctors in hospital get a better water (than my swimming pool) when they prepare themselves for a surgery?

Then, beside the investment cost - when we cannot persuade the wife for buying another diamond ring - the question of the daily maintenance for the next 10 - 20 years. Is for the zeolite enough a normal easy backwashing as for my cheap river sand or will I need to spend more of my precious water to get the "dangerous" bacterias out of the zeolite pores?

I haven't studied the precious characteristics of the zeolite, just to the mentioning of "...though in fibrous form, they may have carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effects". Perhaps it is not so bad, similarly, as it was here once explained that the cyanuric acids that are added to the healthy chlorine are fully harmless. Anyway, I am not zeal enough to get a headache with much chemicals in my pool, I have got the water just for swimming.

[jazzman]

Technology changes and improves over time and prices of good quality equipment have actually gone down significantly since I started this pool forum on CTH many years ago.

Sand filters, especially when filled with Zelbrite (prices have also gone down) the filtration performance is even significantly better than D.E. systems. They have now virtually made D.E. filters obsolete and are of course much less expensive and require very little maintenance. Be sure to use only a truly recognised brand of sand filters, I have seen several that have been installed by 'professional' pool builders (generally those offering fibreglass pools) which are made of thin, welded plastic and have burst at the seams.

I have never seen any claims that zeolite is carcinogenic.

Most chlorine designed for pool use, whether poweder, granules, or tabltes, are 'stabilised'. That means they already contain the cyanuric acid which prevents 'burn off' by the sun of the chlorine before it has done its job. CYA only needs to be added to pools that use salt water chlorinators, and then only in tiny quantities (it does not get used up, except for loss in backwashiing or heavy dilution from rain water).