NORFOLK, UK -- AquaKlear, Hydropath's pool water conditioning unit, has been used in a unique application at Banham Zoo, near Norfolk. The zoo is home to over 1,000 animals and the South African fur seals are one of the most popular visitor attraction. Keepers experienced difficulties maintaining water quality and pH levels in the 64,000 gallon pool due to excessive amounts of algae and organic matter from the size of the mammals and the amount of fresh fish eaten daily. Problems were also exaggerated in summer due to the higher temperatures.
The entire volume of the pool needed to be filtered every 1.7 hrs and sand filters were backwashed 2 to 3 times a week. Staff at the zoo also spent one day a week cleaning and replacing the water. During this process, the seals were removed from the pool, leaving many visitors disappointed. Another issue is that the amount of chlorine in the pool also needed to be kept to a minimum, as excessive amounts are potentially harmful to the seals.
Zoo management decided to test Hydropath's patented AquaKlear water conditioning unit for 3 months, which is used extensively for commercial/leisure swimming pools and industrial cooling towers. The water conditioner is simple to install, by attaching around the pipe work in the plant room, without the need for incision. Unlike many other systems, the AquaKlear unit works by passing an electronic signal through the water causing the particles to flocculate. This attacks the bacteria and the fixed chlorine is broken down. The result is that the chlorine is free to kill the bacteria and algae but there are fewer harmful by-products such as chloramines. The AquaKlear unit also benefits from reduced backwashing, as it improves filter performance.
Following the trial, an improvement was evident in a few weeks and tests showed that water quality within the seal pool dramatically improved, less chlorine was necessary, chloramine levels dropped, running costs were 'considerably lowered' and pH levels balanced at 7.5. Less energy is also used to operate the pool and it requires less maintenance. Staff have reduced the amount of times the pool has to be drained to once every 3 weeks. Management were impressed with the improvements following the installation of the AquaKlear unit and decided to continue to use it following the trial.
Hydropath's AquaKlear P Range is more commonly used in commercial and domestic pool applications. It is available in various pipe diameters ranging from 60 mm to 200 mm.
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