When a school’s swimming pool suffered from persistent green, murky water and filter media that needed replacing approximately every six months, the recommended solution was to replace the entire filtration system.
Indus Water Solutions (IWS) took a different approach.
By reassessing the filtration process from first principles and upgrading the existing filters with ClearTech™ glass filter media, IWS restored effective filtration without replacing the plant.
More than six years later, the same ClearTech™ media remains in operation.
The challenge
A school was experiencing ongoing filtration problems with its half-Olympic swimming pool.
Despite regular maintenance, the pool remained persistently green and murky, while the existing filter media fouled rapidly and had to be replaced roughly every six months.
This created several problems for the school:
- poor and inconsistent swimming-pool water clarity;
- frequent filter maintenance and media replacement;
- recurring operating and maintenance costs;
- increased downtime and staff involvement; and
- ongoing concerns about the performance of the pool filtration system.
The school consulted local swimming-pool specialists and was advised that the existing filtration system was undersized.
The proposed solution was to remove and replace the filtration system entirely — turning what appeared to be a filtration problem into a substantial capital project.
The IWS approach
Following a referral, the school approached Indus Water Solutions for another assessment.
Rather than assuming that the existing plant needed to be replaced, IWS reviewed the filtration system from first principles.
Our assessment indicated that the existing filtration equipment could be retained. Instead of replacing the filters, pumps and associated infrastructure, IWS recommended changing the filtration media to ClearTech™ high-performance glass filter media.
ClearTech™ uses carefully graded glass media with a consistent particle size and surface characteristics designed to improve filtration performance while reducing the biofouling commonly associated with conventional filtration media.
The existing filtration vessels and plant could therefore remain in service, with the performance improvement achieved through a targeted media upgrade.
The result
The difference was significant.
Where the school had previously replaced its filter media approximately every six months while continuing to struggle with green and murky water, the swimming pool achieved consistently clear water after the ClearTech™ upgrade.
More than six years later, the ClearTech™ media remains in operation.
The project delivered several important benefits:
More than six years of media service life
The previous media required replacement roughly twice per year. The ClearTech™ media installed by IWS has now remained operational for more than six years and counting.
Clearer, more consistent pool water
Improved filtration performance resolved the persistent green and murky appearance that had affected the pool before the upgrade.
Major capital expenditure avoided
The school had been advised to replace the entire filtration system. IWS demonstrated that the existing equipment could continue to be used effectively, avoiding an unnecessary filtration-plant replacement.
Dramatically reduced maintenance
Extending media life from approximately six months to more than six years substantially reduced the frequency of filter interventions, media replacement and associated maintenance.
Existing infrastructure retained
Rather than replacing functional equipment, IWS improved the performance of the filtration system by addressing the part of the process that was limiting its effectiveness.
Better filtration does not always require a bigger filter
This project demonstrates an important principle behind the IWS approach to water treatment and filtration:
Poor filtration performance does not automatically mean that the entire filtration system needs to be replaced.
Filter sizing, hydraulic performance, media selection, fouling, backwashing and water chemistry all influence how a filtration system performs.
By understanding the actual cause of poor performance, it is often possible to optimise or upgrade existing equipment rather than incur the cost of replacing an entire plant.
For this school, changing the filter media transformed the performance of the existing filtration system and has provided reliable service for more than six years.
About ClearTech™ filter media
ClearTech™ is IWS's high-performance glass filtration media for applications including:
- swimming pools and recreational water;
- potable-water treatment;
- municipal water treatment;
- industrial process water;
- agricultural water; and
- effluent and environmental water treatment.
Its controlled particle grading and glass surface characteristics are designed to provide effective filtration while reducing biofilm accumulation and improving backwashing compared with conventional filtration media.
Is your filter media fouling too quickly?
If your swimming pool, process-water or water-treatment filtration system is experiencing rapid media fouling, poor water clarity, excessive backwashing, frequent media replacement or disappointing filtration performance, replacing the entire filtration system may not be the only option.
IWS can assess the filtration process and determine whether the existing system can be optimised or upgraded using ClearTech™ media.
Talk to IWS about a ClearTech™ filter upgrade or filtration-system assessment.
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