Jump to content

Zeolite - how to regenerate ?


chessie
 Share

Recommended Posts

Sorry - this is in addition to earlier question.

Have done on-line checking - seen reference to 'regenerating Zeolite using Salt'.

Anyone know about this?    Reference made to salt - is this ordinary domestic household salt ?

He Who Doesn't Listen is starting to grumble about 'having to take filter apart' - if I tell HWDL that the whole load of Zeolite has to be removed - I know I won't have a pool this summer.....!!

If I can get away with the regeneration bit for a few months - then find someone who can clear out filter for me in the Autumn might make my life easier - and happier;  there's nothing worse than a 'grumbler'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes it is domestic salt but the crystals are generally larger - more like dish washer salt - or even compressed tablets.

As for the rest of your post I am bemused. If you have blocked filters, regenerating the zeolite is not likely to have much effect - unless the back wash process pushes the crud out of the filters and back into the pool.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Chessie

Following on from the previous thread.

Regeneration of Zeolite is normally done at the Beginning of EACH season.  WHY?

Because it’s done to maximise the benefits of the UNIQUE quality of Zeolites and that is Ion/Canton Exchange, which means that this material has a capacity to 'absorb' Ammonia (NH4) along with a number of other unwanted compounds and metals in your pool water.  For your wider comprehension, Ammonia will be produced in the process of Oxidisation of organic matter in the water from chlorination. Ammonia aids and amplifies the IsoChloramines which is the by-product responsible for the nasty smell and taste of pool water (often mistaken for chlorine).

So once the season is ready to start if you dose your filter with the right number of Kgs of Rock Salt (quantity depends on volume of the filter) and let it soak for 48 hours then a strange thing happens, meaning that the Sodium atoms in the Salt (NaCL) displace the Nitrogen in the Ammonia which is trapped in the Zeolite and therefor liberate the space so that the Zeolite can go on absorbing Ammonia for another year....   MAGIC!  Cleaner water and a nicer pool for another year...  all because of a gift from nature....  Mineral Zeolite!

So your job is to keep it at its best and that means - regeneration using rock salt.

O

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...
The lat time I did a regen on our Zeolite I empties a load of water out first, shoved a hose in the filter and turned the water on full. Then by moving the hose around I broke up any possible lumps that had formed and it also flushed up a hell of a lot of grunge. I filled the filter again, resealed it and gave it a very good backwash. Then, when the water on the backwash was clear I emptied the filter again and put in what I estimated was about a 10% salt solution and left it for a day. Then gave it another good backwash to get rid of the salt, what ever there was left. Clean as a whistle after that.

I have done that twice now in about 8 or 9 years, as was recommended by the Aussie producer when I phoned and asked. Before anyone asks, I have no idea what happened to the phone nuumber and if I need it again I will have to search on google..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a lovely, down-to-earth, common-sense post full of good advice.   I would probably never ever have thought of giving the Zeolite a thorough power-shower before using the salt;  very clear instruction list - and I shall do exactly the same.

Thank you Jonzjob - fingers crossed will keep Zeolite going for another few years.

Happy swimming - the sun's on it's way !!

Chessie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I forgot to say that when you get down to the bottom of the filter with the hose just be a bit careful because you will be poking about near the laterals, the laterals. They are a bit delicate and if one gets broken it means emptying the sand to change it. There are more of them than shown in this diagramme normally.

[URL=http://s47.photobucket.com/user/Jonzjob/media/Johns/Screenshot%202015-05-07%2007.52.58_zpsye7ry0l8.png.html][IMG]http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f180/Jonzjob/Johns/Screenshot%202015-05-07%2007.52.58_zpsye7ry0l8.png[/IMG][/URL]

You shouldn't have any problems, so don't let it worry you [:D]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote user="Jonzjob"]

I have done that twice now in about 8 or 9 years, as was recommended by the Aussie producer when I phoned and asked. Before anyone asks, I have no idea what happened to the phone nuumber and if I need it again I will have to search on google..

[/quote]

Despite the huge surface area provided by zeolite and dependent on how much dirt you vacuum up into the filter I would clean the filter more frequently than 8-9 years, probably half that time as domestic filters are quite poor at back washing all but the easiest to shift muck off the top of the filter bed.  Using something more powerful than regular chlorine to really break down the crud that accumulates like chlorine dioxide which is now available in a tablet form and is simply allowed to soak for 24 hours in the filter

Link to comment
Share on other sites

" have done that twice now in about 8 or 9 years" ?

Er, TP about twice in 8 or 9 year sis about half that time mate [:D] please try to keep up init [6] Well, it's late init already [Www]

As for asking in yer average local pool 'specialist' shop about something like chlorine dioxide. I remember asking for some sulphuric acid in one of ours and getting some VERY strange looks? What on earth did I want sulphuric acid for, in a pool! Why. When I said it was to drop the PH I was told NO! I needed 'PH minus'! So I took the 'ex-pert' over to the stack of PH- and asked him to tell me what the ingredient was? He told me that it was sulphuric acid [:-))] Quell horreur!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
Hi helpful people

I really think I'm stupid - so have patience please.

When I asked about how much salt to use to regenerate Zeolite - I got confused....

Took the multi-port off the filter last autumn, and drained out the water.   Now in process of opening pool again;  have looked at the top of the Zeolite in the filter and have removed a lot of the dried gunk - which was not a thick layer - that was lying on top.   The Zeolite looks as red as the day it was poured into the filter.

Next step - adding the salt.   Here's my stupidity;  someone referred to 10% - presumably a ratio of 1 part salt to 10 parts of Zeolite.   

So if we have 60 kgs of Zeolite in the filter we'd need to use 6 kgs of salt, dissolved in water, added to the filter to what - just cover the top of the Zeolite - let it works its magic for 48 hours.   Open the valves, fill the filter with water, do the backwash, rinse, backwash to clear out the salt before returning to normal filtering again ?

Sorry everyone - need everything spelled out in very simple language !!

Chessie

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...