For your pool water, do you prefer blue to green? But to enjoy crystal clear water, you need a little help: a cleaning kit, treatment products (chlorine or other), and a filtration system. And to filter well, an innovative tip will simplify your life … in the form of mysterious cotton balls. So, ready to dive into the big bath?
Insects, leaves, pollen or even hair, there are many intruders to corrupt the surface of the water in your pool. However, this waste and other heavier (such as gravel) lead to the proliferation of algae and pollute your basin.
Filter the pool water well, an essential gesture
Whether you have an above-ground pool or a buried version, it is better to provide an effective filtration system.
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This is composed:
- of a skimmer, which sucks the elements located on the surface of the water
- possibly, a bottom tank or a discharge nozzle to capture water
- of a pump, which transports the “dirty” water to the filter
- a filter that retains impurities
Filtration cycles are then launched over the day to bathe in crystal clear water.
Which filter to choose?
Choosing the filter model remains quite strategic. Returns their effectiveness, overall cost and replacement ease. Their filtration performance is expressed in microns, the size of the meshes of the sieve. The less microns, the more effective the filter is because fine stitches retain more impurities.
The less bulky are sock filters (or pocket filters) and cartridge filters. One offers filtration through a fine mesh element, to be cleaned regularly. The second consists of a cylinder and paper or synthetic filters, to wash, then change every 2 or 3 years. They are more suitable for small or above-ground basins, because they do not require a water supply for cleaning the filter.
More common, sand filters require less manual cleaning. Automatic counter was requiring a lot of water. Replace the sand with zeolite (a volcanic rock), or crushed glass for finer filtration. An alternative, the diatom filter (fossils of small algae), offers excellent filtration performance, but requires careful maintenance.
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Cotton balls: new generation filtration
They are found under the name of filter balls, cotton or fibalon balls.
Please note, these are not pure cotton balls, but fluffy balls 5 to 6 cm in diameter, composed of polyethylene or polyester fibers (generally recycled). These filter media set up directly in the sand filter tank.
They are sold by lot, by weight. FYI, 1 kg of balls corresponds to about 35 kg of sand.
Their advantages?
- Their filtration is much more effective (around 5 microns),
- no counter washing as for the sand filter,
- light and easy to handle,
- machine washable or jet
- lifespan up to 5 years
These cotton balls are quite advantageous, especially compared to water savings.
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Why not test them in your sand filter for some time and thus judge its performance?
In summary
| Filter type | Features | Filtration finesse | Replacement / accessory | Average cost (estimates) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sock or pocket filter | Compact filter media | 10 or 20 microns | 1 to 2 cleaning per week | 40 € for a filter | Lifespan 2 years |
| Cartridge filter | Round tank with paper or synthetic filter | 5, 10 or 20 microns | Regular replacement of the cartridge | 50 € for filter € 10 per cartridge | To be cleaned with a jet or machine |
| Sand filter | Round tank with 2 sand granulometries | 40- 50 microns | To couple if necessary with flocculant pads | Filter group 100 € to 300 € depending on the power (15 € sand bag 25 kg) | Very gourmet water offset (300 to 500 L) |
| Diatome | Diatomite powder | 1 to 3 microns | Regularly wash the filter and add diatoms | 150 € for the membrane | Risk of clogging |
| Cotton balls (Fibalon) | In recyclable material | 3 to 10 microns | To be cleaned in machine | 40 € and kg | Hard up to 4 years |
