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New filtration options join tried and true commercial solutions By Veda Dante
Pool water must look crystal clear as well as be absolutely clean to satisfy customer appeal and health requirements. This is the indoor pool at the Recreation and Sport Centre featuring LiqTech filtration. Image: Waterco
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he quality of swimming pool water is closely tied to the effectiveness of its filtration. It’s a fundamental aspect of pool maintenance that not only ensures the health and safety of swimmers but also contributes to an overall enjoyable swimming experience. This is even more crucial in hightraffic public or commercial pools. When constructing a new aquatic facility, or renovating an outdated one, local councils engage aquatic engineers who not only understand local health regulations and the current construction climate but also analyse the different filtration options given the individual site and the demands that are going to be placed on it. It’s not just the filtration that must be considered of course, but also dosing and control systems, pipework, valves, the type of concrete that’s used, and even the finishes. This process includes developing specifications that integrate health department guidelines and regulations that prescribe minimum design, construction and operation requirements that are intended to protect the health and safety of the public in swimming pools and spas. Based on direct experience acquired over the past 30-odd years, the specialists at Hydrautech
October/November 2023
Designs — one of the long-standing aquatic engineering firms — have outlined three main filtration technologies they prefer for commercial aquatic applications: sand or glass media filtration, precoat filtration and ceramic membrane filtration. As Hydrautech’s managing director Ross Weight explains, each has their pros and cons and specifying which best suits a particular project depends on a range of criteria. For example, a small, family-owned swim school teaching 10 students at a time has different demands and bather loads when compared to a multi-milliondollar facility with hundreds of members. “We apply different filtration technologies according to distinct needs,” he says. “If it is a small swim school, they’re more likely to have a simple, economical filtration system versus an aquatic centre with multiple pools, splash parks and water slides that require a more sophisticated level of water filtration.” Traditionally, sand filtration has been provided for municipal drinking water treatment and for commercial swimming pool water filtration throughout Australia for more than 100 years. “The earliest swimming pools in Australia were provided with open-top gravity type sand