Sand to Glass Filter Media Change in Murcia

The filter is the lung of your pool. If the filter media is exhausted, you can add all the chemicals in the world, and the water will never be perfect. At Servinmosol, we highly recommend replacing traditional silica sand (which must be changed every 4-5 years) with High-Tech Eco-Friendly Filter Glass. This is a definitive media that not only solves chronic turbidity problems but also radically improves water quality and healthiness from day one.

Professional technician pouring eco-friendly filter glass into a swimming pool filter

Why Does Sand Stop Working? The 4 Hidden Enemies

Over time, silica sand suffers from serious problems that destroy its filtering capacity:

Biofilm (Bacteria Nest):
Bacteria colonize the microscopic pores of the sand grains, creating a sticky layer (biofilm) that clumps the media together and creates "preferential channels." Water rushes through these channels without actually being filtered. Furthermore, the biofilm quickly consumes chlorine, forcing you to spend much more money on chemicals to keep the water healthy.
Constant Erosion Wear:
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 residues).
Calcification (Cement Block):
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 stops filtration entirely but also dangerously increases internal pressure and can burst the filter tank.
Generation of Chloramines (Chlorine Smell):
Does your pool smell strongly of chlorine and irritate your eyes? That smell is not a sign 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 Filter Glass (Eco-Glass)

The filter glass we use is "activated" or of certified quality, which prevents bacteria from adhering to its surface (it is self-cleaning). It is made from recycled glass that is treated, polished, and sorted 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 down 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 more crystalline, sparkling water completely free of turbidity.

2. Massive Water and Energy Savings

Because it has a smooth surface, dirt does not adhere strongly to the glass. Without clumping, 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 per year, also significantly reducing the electricity bill of the filtration pump.

3. "Infinite" Durability

Unlike sand, which 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 is 100% dedicated to disinfecting the water, rather than fighting dirt in the filter. This reduces chemical consumption by up to 30%, minimizing skin and eye irritations and creating a much healthier and more eco-friendly swimming environment for your family.

Feature	Silica Sand	Activated Filter Glass
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 just hastily "dump bags" into the tank. We perform comprehensive maintenance on the filtration equipment to guarantee its perfect long-term operation:

1. Emptying and Extraction of Old Sand

Worker using an industrial vacuum cleaner to extract old and clumped sand from a pool filter

We hydraulically isolate the equipment and proceed to open the filter. We carefully extract the old sand (a heavy, dirty task that requires precision so as not to damage the internal components). Subsequently, we clean and disinfect the inside of the tank with special descaling products to remove any trace of lime or bacteria attached to the walls.

2. Inspection of the Manifold and Laterals

Detail of a clean and new manifold and laterals at the bottom of an empty pool filter

This step is vital and many skip it. We check the integrity of the central manifold and the lower diffusers (laterals or collector arms). These fragile plastic parts are what retain the glass and let the clean water pass through. If they are cracked or broken by the weight of the old sand, the new load of glass would leak directly into your pool. We replace them immediately if they show signs of fatigue.

3. Stratified Glass Loading

Pouring bags of filter glass of different thicknesses inside a pool filter

We calculate the exact equivalence in kilos (glass weighs 15% less than sand due to its density). We fill the filter performing a stratified loading: we carefully pour coarse-grained glass at the bottom (to protect the laterals and improve flow) and fine-grained glass on top (the active filtering layer). This maximizes the hydraulic efficiency of the tank.

4. Closing, Start-up, and Priming

Hand of a technician manipulating the filter selector valve and checking the sight glass

We meticulously clean the threads and the upper O-ring, applying technical petroleum jelly to ensure an airtight seal. We close the filter, prime the system, and proceed to run 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.

New filter media, but water still doesn't move well?

It is 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 Motor and Pump Replacement

✅ When should I request this change?

If you notice that you have to backwash the filter very often, if the pressure gauge rises to the red level quickly, if your filter sand is more than 4 years old, or if the water gets cloudy a few days after cleaning it, it is the urgent time to change the media.

Call us and we will review the state of your filter media and installation with no obligation.

Back to Pools Get in touch

Changing Sand to Glass: The Revolution in Your Filter