Filters are an important part of any pond. They keep ponds clear and healthy. In swimming ponds is often chosen for a biological filter. In recent years, the popularity of the bead filter in swimming ponds has increased enormously. We are also fans. In this blog we tell you more about the different filter systems for swimming ponds and explain why we choose the bead filter and not a sand or drum filter.
In swimming pools, a sand filter is usually used. AquaForte recommends for swimming ponds, however, a bead filter. Why? At first glance, sand filters and bead filters do not differ much from each other. Both filter systems are closed pressure vessels in which the filter medium is located. In sand filters, sand or glass (AFM) is the filter medium. In bead filters, thousands of plastic grains, beads, are the filtration medium. Where sand grains and glass sink to the bottom, beads float. The main difference between the filters is in the action of the filter media. Sand and glass provide mechanical filtration, while beads provide both mechanical and biological filtration. Useful bacteria attach themselves to the beads and break down harmful substances such as ammonium, nitrite and nitrate. Precisely that biological filtration by the beads has a positive effect on the biological balance in the pool water. Ideal for a swimming pond so!
In practice, a sand filter in a swimming pond often clogs up within three weeks. This is because biofilm (a layer of micro-organisms surrounded by homemade slime) combined with lime makes the stagnant sand stick together. The sand in the filter is therefore increasingly a block of cement, so that hardly any water can be pumped through the filter and it is difficult to rinse. A sand filter is therefore not well suited for natural swimming water. Installing a sand filter in your swimming pond costs a lot of maintenance and energy. A waste of time and money, we think!
In koi ponds, the drum filter is very popular. Although a drum filter is also fine in a swimming pond, we usually do not advise this filter. This is because a swimming pond produces much less waste than a koi pond. A koi pond with many fish gives more pollution and there is the drum filter eminently good at.
A drum filter consists of a mechanical pre-filter, often in combination with a moving bed filter. A moving bed filter can handle an enormous amount of waste by biological filtration. Pools generally produce too little dirt for the biorings of a moving bed filter to work optimally. The biorings only start moving when enough bacteria weigh down the rings with biofilm. Until that time the bio rings float uselessly on the water surface. A moving bed filter is purely biological and only functions when there are enough bacteria present. And that takes a very long time in a swimming pond!
A bead filter, on the other hand, works from the first minute. It does not matter whether there are many or few bacteria in the filter, the beads always work 100% as a mechanical filter. Slowly but surely the bead filter will become more and more biological, you don’t have to do a thing!
Another reason why we usually do not recommend a drum filter in swimming ponds is the greater risk of wear and failure. A drum filter consists of many more parts than a bead filter. A motor, a float or level switch, nozzles that flush the drum, a pump that supplies water to the nozzles, a controller that controls everything, and often a lid switch that turns everything off when you lift the lid. If any of these components fail, the entire filter is at a standstill. Koi hobbyists are often technically savvy and set up for the fact that a drum filter requires regular maintenance. On the other hand, most swimming pond owners do not have the need to be busy with the filter installation and they often need the help of an installer. In short, for carefree swimming we recommend a bead filter!
One of the biggest advantages of the bead filter is that the filter is both biological and mechanical filtering. This means healthy, safe and crystal clear water for swimming! A bead filter can filter up to 10 microns (0.01 mm)! A much finer filtration than a sand filter. For swimming ponds, this means that plants are not a must since the bead filter provides complete biological filtration. This can be a big savings in the design of the pond. You need less space, liner, plants and labor hours. Of course, plants can be used in the swimming pond, but these have more of an aesthetic function.
Previously, bead filters had a negative image because of the high power consumption of the pump. With the advent of bypass and adjustable pumps, this is a thing of the past. Moreover, a bead filter is very easy to maintain. Flushing only takes a few minutes. The water consumption is therefore much lower than with a drum filter that rinses several times an hour – often with a lot of noise. The smart and simple cleaning process of the bead filter saves a lot of water compared to sand filters. And in addition, the rinse water can be reused for your garden!
Bead filters are suitable for all types of swimming ponds. Whether it’s a hybrid swimming pond, biopool, infinity pool, natural or mirror pond: AquaForte beadfilters perform for each type of swimming pond the ideal filter work! Meanwhile, we even have several swimming pools successfully implemented with an AquaForte bead filter. We have various bead filters such as the UltraBead and EconoBead and convenient Plug & Play sets for both installers and consumers in our range. Take a look!
