Sand to Glass Upgrade:
The Revolution in Your Filter
The filter is the lung of your pool. If the filter media is depleted, you can add all the chemicals in the world, but the water will never be perfect. At Servinmosol, we highly recommend replacing traditional silica sand (which should be changed every 4-5 years) with High-Tech Eco-Friendly Glass Filter Media. This is a definitive solution that not only solves chronic cloudiness problems but radically improves water quality and healthiness from day one.
Why Does Sand Stop Working? The 4 Hidden Enemies
Over time, silica sand suffers serious problems that destroy its filtration capacity:
Bacteria colonize the microscopic pores of sand grains, creating a sticky layer (biofilm) that clumps the media and creates "preferred channels". Water rushes through these channels without actually being filtered. Furthermore, the biofilm consumes chlorine rapidly, forcing you to spend much more money on chemicals to keep the water healthy.
The continuous friction of pressurized water polishes the sand grains. They lose their sharp edges and become completely round, losing their mechanical ability to trap and retain fine dirt (dust, pollen, or sunscreen residue).
In areas like Alicante and Murcia, the water is extremely hard. Limescale adheres to the clumped sand, creating a solid block almost as hard as concrete. This not only neutralizes filtration but dangerously increases internal pressure and can burst the filter tank.
Does your pool smell strongly of chlorine and irritate your eyes? That smell is not a symptom of "clean water", but of Chloramines: the toxic gas resulting from the mixture of chlorine with sweat and biofilm trapped in dirty, ineffective sand.
Advantages of Glass Filter Media (Eco-Glass)
The filter glass we use is "activated" or of certified quality, preventing bacteria from adhering to its surface (it is self-cleaning). It is manufactured from treated, polished, and sorted recycled glass so it does not cut. Its advantages completely transform the technical and economic management of your pool:
1. Microscopic Filtration and Crystal Clear Water
While new sand retains particles up to 20 microns, our high-quality active glass can retain particles down to 1 micron. This means it is capable of trapping algae spores and microscopic dust before they colonize the pool. The result is visibly clearer, brighter water completely free of cloudiness.
2. Massive Water and Energy Savings
Having a smooth surface, dirt does not adhere strongly to the glass. Because it doesn't clump, filter backwashes are much faster and more effective (going from lasting 5 minutes to just 2 minutes). You will save thousands of liters of heated and treated water a year, also significantly reducing the electricity bill of the filtration pump.
3. "Infinite" Durability
Unlike sand that erodes and degrades rapidly, filter glass loses barely 1% of its volume per year due to its molecular hardness. It practically lasts the entire lifespan of the filter, so although the initial cost is slightly higher, it becomes a one-time investment that pays for itself.
4. Chemical Reduction and Better Health
Since the dreaded bacterial biofilm does not exist inside the tank, the chlorine you add to the pool goes 100% to disinfecting the water, not to fighting dirt in the filter. This reduces the consumption of chemical products by up to 30%, minimizing skin and eye irritations and creating a much healthier and ecological bathing environment for your family.
| Feature | Silica Sand | Activated Glass Media |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Capacity | 20 Microns | 1 Micron |
| Lifespan | 4 to 5 years (Degrades) | +15 years (Almost Infinite) |
| Bacteria Formation (Biofilm) | High | None (Self-cleaning) |
| Water Consumption (Backwashes) | High | Low (50% Savings) |
Our Replacement Process: Engineering and Precision
At Servinmosol, we do not limit ourselves to hastily "dumping bags". We carry out comprehensive maintenance of the filtration equipment to guarantee its perfect operation in the long term:
1. Emptying and Extracting Old Sand
We hydraulically isolate the equipment and proceed to open the filter. We meticulously extract the old sand (a heavy, dirty task that requires precision so as not to damage the internal components). Afterwards, we clean and disinfect the inside of the tank with special descaling products to remove any trace of limescale or bacteria attached to the walls.
2. Inspection of the Collector and Laterals
This step is vital and many skip it. We check the integrity of the central collector and the lower diffusers (laterals or collector arms). These fragile plastic pieces are the ones that retain the glass and let clean water pass through. If they are cracked or broken by the weight of the old sand, the new glass load would leak directly into your pool. We replace them immediately if they show signs of fatigue.
3. Stratified Glass Loading
We calculate the exact weight equivalence (glass weighs 15% less than sand due to its density). We fill the filter performing a stratified load: we carefully pour coarse-grained glass at the bottom (to protect the laterals and improve flow) and fine-grained glass at the top (the active filter layer). This maximizes the hydraulic efficiency of the bottle.
4. Closing, Start-up, and Purging
We meticulously clean the threads and the upper O-ring, applying technical petroleum jelly to ensure a hermetic seal. We close the filter, prime it, and proceed to perform an initial backwash and rinse (essential to settle the glass and clean the factory dust). Finally, we put it in filtration mode and verify the optimal pressure on the pressure gauge.
It's useless to have the best filter glass if the motor has no power. A weak pump will not be able to lift the glass bed to clean it during backwashes. Take advantage of this intervention to check the heart of your pool.
View Pool Pump ReplacementIf you notice that you have to backwash the filter very often, if the pressure gauge rises to the red level quickly, if the sand in your filter is more than 4 years old, or if the water becomes cloudy a few days after cleaning it, it is urgently time to change the media.
Call us and we will check the status of your filter media and installation without obligation.