When is it best to install a deep bed filter for your commercial pool?
Heard about the benefits of deep bed filtration, but unsure if it’s the right choice?
Deep bed filtration is an ideal solution for commercial pools with high bather loads and recurring clarity issues. It’s also a popular upgrade option when replacing old or underperforming filtration systems.
These filters use a thicker media layer (typically 0.9m–1.2m), allowing for greater dirt capacity and improved water quality, helping the facility to meet water quality standards and deliver a more enjoyable user experience.
Which factors should you consider?
When assessing whether a deep bed filter is a suitable solution for your commercial pool, you’ll need to weigh a variety of factors, including:
Filter size
Deep bed filters are available in a range of sizes to suit the size and bather load of the commercial pool. Typically, the larger the commercial pool, the larger deep bed filter you’ll require with a higher flow rate.
600mm filter: Suitable for small commercial applications, they provide flow rates around 14–15 m³/h.
750mm filter: Well-suited to large, high-use pools, they offer higher flow rates around 21–22 m³/h.
900mm–1200mm filter: Designed for the largest commercial pools with the highest bathing loads, they provide flow rates of around 20 to 34 m³/h.
Configuration type
Deep bed pool filters are also available in various configurations to suit the layout, space, and accessibility of the commercial pool’s plant room. They’re typically available in the following configurations:
Side mount filter: These filters feature a multi-port valve mounted on the side of the tank rather than the top. This allows for easier maintenance access and often allows for a taller, deeper bed, making it a common configuration for deep bed filtration systems.
Top mount filter: These filters have the multi-port valve mounted on top of the tank, rather than the side. This makes them suitable for pool plant rooms where space is limited and gaining access from the side of the filter tank would be more difficult.
Filter media
Deep bed filtration systems can use a selection of different types of filter media to trap particles throughout the entire depth of the bed. Some of the most common types of deep bed filtration system media include:
Silica sand: This specialised pool filter sand is the standard media for deep bed filtration. A type of granular media, each particle measures between 0.45mm and 0.55mm and can trap particles as small as 20 to 40 microns.
Activated Filter Media® (AFM): Developed by Dryden Aqua, AFM® is made from recycled glass and can filter water down to just 1 micron, providing superior filtration to silica sand.
Zeolite: A type of crystalline aluminosilicate mineral, Zeolite can remove fine impurities from water, filtering particles down to 2–10 microns.
Granular Activated Carbon (GAC): GAC filter media can be coal- or coconut-shell-based and is effective at removing dissolved impurities, chlorine, and organic contaminants measuring between 5-50 microns from pool water.
Cost
Generally, the cost of installing, running, and maintaining a deep bed filtration system is more expensive than a standard pool filter.
This is primarily due to the larger size of the filter, the volume of specialised filter media required, and the quality of the supporting pool filtration components.
For a more accurate idea of how much a deep bed pool filtration system would cost for your commercial application, please feel free to speak with our helpful team today or request a quick quote.
We’ll take the time to understand your existing pool plant room setup, water quality goals, and budget, then recommend the most suitable solution.
Application and bather load
The deep bed filter design is well-suited to commercial applications of various sizes – especially those with heavy usage. While they’re more expensive than standard filters, they provide superior water clarity by allowing for increased contact time between the filter media and pool water.
How can Chemsol's expertise help with that decision?
Here at Chemsol, our expert water treatment engineers can help you to determine the most suitable pool filtration system for your facility.
We support a wide range of commercial organisations across the UK – such as leisure centres, hotels, spas, and aquatic facilities - with all their pool filtration, design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance needs.
Whether you’re eager to install a deep bed filter with AFM®, simply want to learn more about your options, or need help meeting UK standards and best practices for commercial pool filtration, please don’t hesitate to contact our team today.
To arrange your initial consultation and explore our deep bed filtration systems specially designed for commercial pools, speak to Chemsol today!