zeobrite or sand???

[kellyiscoolbythepool]

So, I finally found a pool service that is coming out tomorrow to replace the broken lateral for me... whew! They suggested and I figured it was a good idea to go ahead and change the sand since I bought the house last year and don't know when it was last changed and since they're already gonna be "in there" might as well.

He suggested using Zeobrite and said that even though it's more expensive ... you don't have to replace it as often as you do sand so it works out in the long run. I told him okay but then later googled and found that 50lb bags of sand are less than $10 and I need 3 bags of zeobrite @ $25/bag plus the website says it lasts "just as long" as sand... nothing about longer.

So any thoughts on the benefits of paying so much more for this stuff or should I just have them replace with sand?

 

[X-PertPool]

I started selling "zeobest" a few years ago but then someone mentioned that some zeos are of lesser quality/hardness and can be crushed into a cement like block. This has never happened to me but it worried me that it could happen; so I switched back to sand (MysticWhite). I never really noticed a difference between the sand and zeobest filters I've sold (in terms of water quality).

 

[Cherie]

We're beginning our fourth season with Zeo(don't know if it's Bright or Best) and we've been very pleased with it. Supposedly, it filters as well as DE. It doesn't filter out the pollen. But we use skimmer socks, which help tremendously. We also use an Aquabot Turbo, which filters stuff down to .2 microns.

 

[duraleigh]

It's difficult to find consensus on the forum but my personal experience is that sand simply doesn't wear out. Mine is 7 years old and I plan to NEVER change it.

Zeo has mixed reviews but I don't recall anything definitive on the forum over the years that would indicate it is any better and it certainly CAN be worse if it's not installed properly.

The prime tenant of BBB is not putting anything into your pool you don't need. I'm not sure if Zeo falls into that category completely but I think it comes pretty close.

 

[JasonLion]

Zeo seems to be risk prone. When it works it works very well, with some people positively raving about it, but sometimes it has problems and causes the water to get cloudy all the time or clumps up.

 

[X-PertPool]

We called Hayward about this and asked what they recommend and basically they said their filters are designed for use with sand. They didn't say you can't use it but it's just not technically supported. Oh well, sand is keeping the pools clear and I definitely do not want to brick a filter; even if it's a small chance.

 

[teapot]

I used to think the same but my ideas were completely altered when I saw a commercial sand cleaning operation. Sand has been around for millions of years and it does not get worn out anymore by the occasional backwash procedure.
That said there are occasions when it has to be changed for instance hard water calcium build up takes too long to clean up so it's not economic. Indeed it may not be economic to clean in terms of time compared to the relative low cost of replacement but it doesn't wear out.

I saw 10 year old sand from a commercial pool filter which was in poor condition. Once it had been cleaned I viewed it under a microscope against new sand and you couldn't tell the difference. I have used the same technique on a domestic filter and the crud we removed was amazing.

Some zeo... is too soft so as Jason says inconsistant results, I have some Australian zeo which isn't like the ones I have seen before and is suposedly very hard so stands up well for a lond life but with any fine filter it will clog and the millions of tiny holes would be very difficult to clean despite what the marketeers say.

Lots of hiding places for bacteria in there!

 

[GreatCanadian]

I bought zeobrite simply because i couldn't find any sand!! The two local pool stores promised to ship some in for me. I waited 3 weeks and still no sand. So with our summer being short enough as it is, I decided to get the zeobrite. It works fine, no problems other than I didn't backwash enough at startup but that's my own fault. That being said, I would have bought sand if it had been available. I read a trememdous amount of material and I believe that zeobrite is just not worth the extra cost. There are POSSIBLE risks, and I see no need to take those risks if silica sand will filter just as good for cheaper.

 

[teapot]

I see no need to take those risks if silica sand will filter just as good for cheaper.

Silica sand will not filter just as good as zeolites, silica sand is cheaper and may still be all that's needed for domestic pools though.

It does worry me about people not backwashing new media thoroughly, silica dust is nasty stuff and zeolites have more free silica than sand I believe.

 

[GreatCanadian]

I do believe that after sand gets a little dirty, it will filter just as good....just a belief, not a fact! However I do agree with you about not backwashing enough. I "followed instructions" which said 2 minutes should be enough. Not even close!! But it all cleared out in the end.

 

[tjroux]

Pool store told me today and i quote "You'll be much happier with this product than sand, i hardly sell any sand... it's the start of the season, I have 5 pallets of zeo and 1 pallet of sand... gave me 20% off... 50 lbs for my 100lb filter was 47$... sand would have cost me 60$ minus 20%...

 

[JasonLion]

That is a wonderful marketing trick. Leslie's, which is not known for low prices, sells filter sand for $12 for 50 lbs. By marking up their sand ridiculously high they made Zeo look like a good price, when it is not.

 

[tjroux]

His sand was still cheaper than pool supply world by almost 20$ a bag.....

 

[JasonLion]

Where do you live? Amazon will sell you 50 lbs of filter sand for $36, including delivery anywhere in the continental US. Typical retail price in the US is around $8 to $15 for 50 lbs if purchased locally.

 

[tjroux]

I used ZeoCrap this year... filtered great for the first month... back washed WEEKLY!!!!!! and towards the end of the summer it wasnt filtering anything... SAND NEXT YEAR!

 

[toofast]

SAND - my PB "forced" me to use GLASS MEDIA and it is 100% terrible...doesn't filter anything. Stick with Sand!

 

[tjroux]

I hear sand with a splash of de works great

 

[atwjohn]

I have been using the same Zeobrite material in my sand filter for 5 years now (5 summers, as i'm in the northeast.) I made several changes at the same time, so I'm not sure which provided the most benefit, but my 27K gallon pool has been trouble free since then. i converted to salt water chlorine generator, zeobrite in the filter and new pump. The pool is almost 40 years old and has never been this clear and trouble free. I hope I'm not jinxing myself here

So, I finally found a pool service that is coming out tomorrow to replace the broken lateral for me... whew! They suggested and I figured it was a good idea to go ahead and change the sand since I bought the house last year and don't know when it was last changed and since they're already gonna be "in there" might as well.

He suggested using Zeobrite and said that even though it's more expensive ... you don't have to replace it as often as you do sand so it works out in the long run. I told him okay but then later googled and found that 50lb bags of sand are less than $10 and I need 3 bags of zeobrite @ $25/bag plus the website says it lasts "just as long" as sand... nothing about longer.

So any thoughts on the benefits of paying so much more for this stuff or should I just have them replace with sand?