Swimming Pool Filter Media for Water Conservation

Depending on where, exactly, you live in North America, your focus on water conservation will vary. There are some areas that have been suffering from severe drought conditions for longer than they can remember. Every drop of water needs to be accounted for. Other locations have never had to even think about how often they water their lawns. The concept of conservation for those lucky folks is more about "doing their part for the environment" than about real, personal consequences. 

Whatever your personal relationship with water may be, I am sure everyone understands the value of this resource - "blue gold" as many consider it.

As swimming pool owners, operators and suppliers, water is what makes our world go round. According to some studies, swimming pools will lose their entire contents to evaporation over the course of a single season. Add to that leaks, splash out and regular maintenance, and there is a LOT of water that is being consumed.

The filter media you choose may also have some significant water repercussions. If you are concerned about water conservation, you may want to pay attention to these few little stats:

The above infographic deals mainly with residential swimming pools. According to BlueScience.com, Sand filters are most prevalent in commercial swimming pools. The ability to backwash is a considerable draw, because the cleaning process for Cartridge filters is somewhat intensive and can cause the facility to shut down for longer than desirable. A solution to this problem would be to have an extra set of filters on hand at all times, so that when one set is being cleaned, the other can be transferred in. 

As you can see in the infographic, the process of backwashing either Sand filters or DE filters can be a considerable drain on water resources, and it increases operations costs across the board as well. Transferring to a cartridge filter seems to be the best choice for facilities that are in a water conscientious mood.

If that is simply not an option for you, there are other ways you can conserve water. Remember that evaporation I spoke of in the first paragraph? If you cover your pool, you can save 30 - 50% of evaporative loss. That is HUGE. If you cover your pool with a liquid pool cover like Heatsavr, you don't have to worry about extra labor, closing your pool, or entrapment issues. 

Is water conservation a concern of yours? How are you doing "your part" to reduce wasteful consumption of water at your aquatics facility or backyard pool? Please, leave your comments below! If you have any questions, the comments section is a great place to ask!