Clinobrite From Pratley Cuts Chlorine Costs In Pool Maintenance

27th August 2018

Clinobrite From Pratley Cuts Chlorine Costs In Pool Maintenance

With spring almost upon us, many homeowners will again be faced with the issue of ongoing pool maintenance. Clinobrite from Pratley is an ideal product to cut costs by reducing chlorine consumption, giving homeowners peace of mind to enjoy their swimming pools to the fullest during summer.

Clinobrite is a Zeolite mineral mined exclusively in South Africa by local manufacturer Pratley. It is a direct substitute for ordinary pool-filter sand or glass, scavenging unwanted ammonia from pool water, thereby reducing swimming-pool chlorine consumption. Renowned for ongoing innovation, Pratley touts Clinobrite as “a true 21st century filter medium, with both ion exchange and superior micro-filtration properties,” manager Andrew Pratley explains.

Unlike ordinary filter sand, Clinobrite grains have a rough surface. This means they can attract and entrap extremely fine dirt particles and algae onto their surface, and not just between the grains like ordinary sand. It is estimated that a Clinobrite pool filter can remove 40% to 50% more physical dirt than a traditional sand or outdated glass filter media

As Clinobrite is lighter than ordinary sand, it lifts better during backwash cycles, which means that these are much shorter, thereby saving water. An added benefit is that Clinobrite is even able to entrap minuscule diarrhoea-causing cryptosporidium cysts, which are a major health problem in global municipal water supply.

In addition, unlike sand or glass filters, Clinobrite acts as a filter on the atomic scale by absorbing ammonium ions (NH4+) from pool water which in turn eliminates algae. The powerful negative charge within the mineral’s chemical structure attracts and entraps positively-charged cation contaminants such as ammonia.

Ammonia and nitrates in pool water react rapidly with pool chlorine to form highly undesirable and odour causing Chloramines, namely monochloramine and dichloramine, which cause red and burning eyes. These are effectively removed from pool water by Clinobrite. This ultimately results in a lower and more efficient chlorine consumption in pool water. Being 100% natural, the mineral is also an ideal industrial pollution-control material, and has even been used to clean up nuclear disasters.

Unsaturated Clinobrite never stops working, and absorbs ammonia from pool water on a 24/7 basis. Consequently, over time, the material becomes saturated with ammonia, and needs to be regenerated. Simply turn off the pump, unscrew the filter top, drain out all the water, and add a 10% solution of brine (salt and water) on top of the Clinobrite filter medium.

The Clinobrite media should be fully submerged in the salt solution. Leave this overnight to remove all the absorbed ammonia from the chemical structure. In the morning, backwash the pool filter for five minutes to wash away the ammonia, and rinse for a further two minutes. Before switching to the filter cycle, be sure to conduct a backwash water-clarity check.

For normal bathing loads, Clinobrite needs to be replaced only every two to three years. Being completely natural, the product can even be recycled by mixing it into flowerbeds or lawns as a slow-release fertilizer. The average-sized pool filter tank uses the same quantity of Clinobrite as it would ordinary sand, translating into 2 x 25 kg bags (if using a two-bag filter tank).

Since the company was founded in 1948, Pratley has diversified into a wide range of industrial sectors. This year it celebrates its 70th anniversary, with over 1 000 products in its stable, and 350 global patents. In 2018 alone, the company has introduced four new products, with at least another three in the pipeline. This is in addition to various advances in its manufacturing and production methodologies.

Pratley’s ongoing success is a combination of its intense R&D focus and total in-house control of the manufacturing process. It even runs a mining operation to produce Perlite and Clinoptilolite (Zeolite) minerals using proprietary minerals-processing technology.

These ores form the basis of a range of highly energy-efficient and eco-friendly mineral-based products, for a wide range of applications. Products range from ultra-lightweight concrete screeds and thermally-insulating cement plasters to pollution clean-up products, water treatment, swimming pool and pond filtration, and even farming and horticulture.