When one is to clean, clear, and set his/her pool ready for a swim, picking the perfect filtration media becomes all the more vital. For many years, sand was the standard in pool filtration systems. But a comparative newcomer is the glass filter media that has captured increasing favor in recent times.
Table of Contents
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- What is Glass Filter Media?
- Filtration Efficiency: Glass vs. Sand
- Maintenance: Glass Filter Media vs. Sand
- Comparison of Cost: Glass Filter Media vs. Sand
- Environmental Impact: Glass Filter Media vs. Sand
- Water Transparency: Glass vs. Sand
- Glass Filter Media vs. Sand For Backwashing
- Conversion from Sand to Glass Filter Media
- Glass Filter Media vs Sand Filter Media: Summary
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Both methods have their pros and cons, but how are you to know which is suitable for you? This article compares the two filtration methods: glass filter media and the traditional sand, intending to assist in choosing between the best working principles for your pool.
What is Glass Filter Media?
Glass filter media are made from recycled glass, primarily obtained from glass bottles and all other glass products. Media filters utilize smaller glass grains, which catch debris and dirt as water flows through it. Glass filter media allows better filtration in that it can provide even smaller pores, with an increased surface area for the capture of dirt, oils, and bacteria.
On the other hand, the sand filter media consists of the particulates resulting from naturally occurring silica sand, which are larger and hence less effective in catching the small particles compared to glass. Even though traditionally sand filters have been used in the industry, glass media is gaining its acceptance due to enhanced filtering capacity among other performance benefits.
Filtration Efficiency: Glass vs. Sand
Glass filter media also has an advantage over sand in terms of filtration efficiency. In comparison to sand, which can filter down to a minimum of 20–40 microns, glass sand for a pool filter will be able to filter down to 5 microns. Alternatively, it may be viewed that glass media trap much finer dust particles, including algae and bacteria, thus making the pool water crystal clear.
In fact, glass filters can actually capture up to 30% more debris than sand, simply because of its static charge and greater surface area. The capturing of these finer-sized particles will hence ensure the water is cleaner with less use of chemicals, hence improving the general health and clarity of your pool.
Maintenance: Glass Filter Media vs. Sand
Glass filter media requires much lesser maintenance compared to sand. Routine maintenance in the case of sand filters is done very frequently every 1-2 weeks by back-washing to eliminate the trapped debris in it. Meanwhile, back-washing of glass media is required every 2-3 months, saving lots of valuable time and saving water by avoiding wastage. The durability of glass media surpasses the one of sand, standing at 8-10 years, while the durability of sand media is from 3-5 years.
The other strong advantage of glass filter media includes the possibility of its working well for quite a long period of time. Unlike glass, sand tends to erode, clump, or form channels of passing unfiltered water. Glass, made of waste recycled glass bottles, is much harder and hence assures of a long quality performance without major deterioration.
Comparison of Cost: Glass Filter Media vs. Sand
- Price: Compared with sand, glass filter media is usually more expensive but could balance over time-possibly a few cycles of time-due to the low replacement frequency within its lifetime of service.
- Long-Term Savings: Although there is a higher upfront cost regarding the purchase of glass media, you will save money over a longer period of time.
Glass filters require fewer backwashes, saving money on both water and energy consumption. Savings on the required chemicals to maintain the best quality and clarity of the water with glass media continue to add up, translating into dollars saved on the care and chemical use regarding the pool.
Environmental Impact: Glass Filter Media vs. Sand
Glass filter media produces much lower environmental impact. Glass is manufactured from recycled material that saves the landfill waste and conserves natural resources. Though abundant, sand is not renewable, and mining for the mineral results in environmental disasters.
Moreover, since glass media lasts longer, frequency of replacement is lower, hence a reduction in environmental burden involved in the manufacture, packaging, and disposals of such filter media.
Water Transparency: Glass vs. Sand
When it comes to the aspect of clarity, glass filter media is second to none. The sizeable capturing of particles means it can keep the pool much clear for an extended period, especially in extremely busy pools or pools located in places that highly portray the occurrence of debris. This helps keep the water quality at its optimum and reduces the frequency of cleaning up and chemical applications.
It filters out larger items well but does little to remove the smaller stuff, which renders the water cloudy. Eventually, pool conditions are going to be less than ideal and may require more attention and chemical treatments to keep the water clear.
Glass Filter Media vs. Sand For Backwashing
Backwashing means reversing the flow of water through the filter to clean it. Backwashing a sand filter can be quite labor-intensive, the amount of water lost in backwashing will surely sum up over time. Most of the time, sand filters need to be backwashed every 1 to 2 weeks, which can be quite wasteful.
On the other hand, glass sand for pool filter needs backwashing at bigger intervals, such as every 2-3 months. Wherever back washing is required, it uses much less water than its sand counterpart. The contributing factor may be that glass media have a very smooth surface compared to sand and water flows through it much more smoothly without using much energy. Therefore, glass filter media is much greener to conserve the water, especially when there are concerns for pool owners.
Conversion from Sand to Glass Filter Media
It’s relatively easy to make the transition from sand to glass sand in the pool filter without having to change the entire system of filtration. All it entails is removing the old sand, cleaning up the filter tank a bit, and adding the glass media. This should be a pretty easy do-it-yourself project for most pool owners. The result will be a more effective filtration system, as it’s more durable, hence economizing money by reducing wasted time on maintenance.
Glass Filter Media vs Sand Filter Media: Summary
Glass filter media eventually proves an upgraded filtration means over sand. This will give better water clarity, less time consumed by maintenance, longer durability, and will also be less harmful to the environment. There is, however, one higher initial cost-but well worth the product if one counts in the long-term savings on water, energy, and chemicals.
From this view, if one looks at the least maintenance in a cost-effective way for the pool with crystal clear water, then the sand for pool filters will win any contest. Be it upgrading an existing filtration system or new installation, glass filter media is the answer to investing in an effective and efficient way to maintain your pool in top condition for many years.