Fiber filter balls or cotton balls - the crucial question
For several years there has been the Ego3 hot tub filter a completely new filtering option for whirlpools. Our filter utilizes the excellent filtering properties of 3-dimensional filter balls and is therefore far superior to the old filter cartridges in terms of filtering performance, filtering capacity, and ease of use.
And besides, these are significantly cheaper and produce no residual waste, only recycling waste, and that only very little.
Which "filter balls" are there?
Meanwhile there are various filter balls on the market. They can be divided into two categories:
Fiber balls Filterballs
These consist of recycled PET continuous fibers that are suitable for the Zero Dirt technology. There are also different variants of the fiber balls (e.g., in blue, gray, green without bacterial protection for koi ponds, green with bacterial protection = Original EGo3 Filterball). These variants are optimized for the application purpose in terms of diameter, fiber thickness, and composition. Therefore, you should only use Original Ego3 Filterballs for your hot tub. These are exactly the right size/fiber stiffness for the pressure conditions in whirlpools. This guarantees that it is the most cost-effective and best solution for you. Because just because fiber balls (such as blue Fibalon pool filter balls) are cheaper, that is not really an advantage, as the lifespan is significantly shorter due to the thinner fiber. These blue fiber balls are optimized for sand filter systems (with backwash) for swimming pools with 10 times less suction. The best combination of price and lifespan is the Original Ego3 Filterballs. Otherwise, we would use and sell other filter balls!
Cotton balls filterballs
(mostly in white) - a very inexpensive variant of round filter material. However, these are completely unsuitable for our application in whirlpools and swim Spas. Their structure is far too compact/dense and their firmness far too soft for our hot tub pressure conditions. These balls clog the Ego3 filter system within a very short time and therefore have to be replaced again within days, which unfortunately negates the cost advantage. There is also the risk that if these clump together, such high pressure builds up in the Ego3 container that the bottom or the entire container breaks. The pumps are immediately affected if these cotton balls compact, and in the worst case, the pump burns out or the container breaks, and parts of it damage the pump or clog pipes.
Cubes or cylinders made of fibers
As another special form, there are also cubes or cylinder discs made of fibers. In this case, cubes are punched out of filter mats. These consist of similar material as fiber balls but have three decisive disadvantages. First, they are not as structurally stable as filter balls and thus clog the filter very quickly. Second, due to their angular shape, they cannot be arranged in the Ego3 filter container with the intermediate channels necessary for the hot tub application, as is possible with round filter balls, which again leads to rapid clumping, and third, countless fibers detach from the filter cubes and enter the water because the edges are cut, thereby interrupting the fibers.
We have tested all variants very extensively and continuously test new Filterballs products. And so far, only the green Filterballs with disinfectant effect are 100% suitable. Unfortunately, all other variants are not even remotely suitable. They are basically just copies of the shape or the material without taking the necessary properties into account. Unfortunately, the manufacturers completely lack the know-how of what a Filterball for a hot tub must be able to do. Just being round or made of a fiber is unfortunately not enough.
Therefore, use only original EGo3 filter material!
No other offered filter material is nearly suitable for the intended use and will cost you more work and money combined with the risk of damage to the EGo3 filter container or your hot tub.
