Zelbrite recognised for water saving benefits

Zelbrite, the ‘smarter’ pool and spa filtration material, has been recognized by Australia’s independent water saving accreditation system, the Smart Approved WaterMark.

As Zelbrite's Australian Sales Manager Peter Rabbidge explains "the fact that Zelbrite has been assessed by an independent expert panel and been awarded the Mark should give reason to more pool owners, pool shops and service companies to take advantage of this unique product."

Many pool covers have been awarded the WaterMark, but Zelbrite stands alone as a water saving pool filter media product to gain the Smart WaterMark.

Rabbidge adds "water saving is achieved through Zelbrite having a far greater surface than any other filter media available plus its active ingredient, clinoptilolite, which is so efficient in the filtration process, there is double the time between backwashing and then it only requires half the time to clean, saving a significant quantity of water.

"This water saving means less chemical use and reduced heating costs, as much less water is lost in the backwashing process."

The Smart WaterMark is a truly national scheme and is now on over 170 products and services. It is recognised as one of the trusted labels nationally that is clearly backed by independent authoritative testing.

Smart WaterMark Chief Executive Julian Gray says being environmentally sustainable is now clearly seen as the right thing to do.

Gray explains that, in order for the WaterMark to be fairly awarded, the panel assesses each product or service on the basis of four main criteria: water saving (clearly showing that actual use is reduced and/or water is used more efficiently); being 'fit for purpose'; meeting regulations and standards and being 'Environmentally sustainable'.

As Gray explains "Zelbrite was reviewed by our panel and passed all the assessments."

Zelbrite has been shown in other independent testing by the Australian Water Quality Testing Centre that it will remove particles as small as 2 microns.

Manufactured from zeolite material formed as a result of volcanic activity, it has an extraordinary ability to capture dirt particles - just a teaspoon of Zelbrite has enough surface area to cover a football field.

Rabbidge adds "apart from its superior physical properties to sand and Diatomaceous Earth, it is also chemically active removing ammonium by ion-exchange, resulting in less need for ancillary chemical requirements to maintain water quality."

Recent major installations for Zelbrite include the Tweed Regional Aquatic Centre in Murwillumbah, northern NSW (featured in the January/February 2009 issue of Australasian Leisure Management), The Glenn Innes Aquatic Pool and the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon.

Holding 3.8 megalitres and with a surface area of 4,000 metre2, managers at the Cairns lagoon immediately noticed when Zelbrite was added as the filtration media.

As Lagoon Aquatic Supervisor Matt Roberts explains, "I was surprised at the marked improvement of water clarity after only 24 hours of recommissioning the first two filters - once all four filters came online it became evident the clarity of the pool water was the best it had ever been."

The sustainability of the product is another of its major attributes, as its physical properties give it a very long life of at least 10 years for domestic pools and five years for large commercial pools such as the Cairns Esplanade Pool.

As Peter Rabbidge adds, "water quality and the resulting health benefits, plus its environmental contribution and sustainability, mean that Zelbrite also brings economic benefits through longer life and its environmentally friendly properties.

"Zelbrite's advanced filtration technology meets all the requirements that any pool owners and commercial pool operator should be looking for to achieve best practice in these times with the added benefit of cost savings in the longer term."

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