Fiber filter balls or cotton balls - the crucial question
For several years now, there has been a completely new filtering option for hot tubs with the Ego3 hot tub filter. 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, filter capacity, and ease of use.
And besides, these are much cheaper and produce no residual waste, only recycling waste and very little of it.
What "filterballs" are there?
By now there are various Filterballs on the market. They can be divided into two categories:
Fiber balls Filterballs
These consist of recycled PET continuous fibers suitable for 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 hot tubs. This guarantees that it is the most cost-effective and best solution for you. Just because fiber balls (like the 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 are the Original Ego3 Filterballs. Otherwise, we would use and sell other filter balls!
Cotton balls filterballs
(mostly white) - a very cheap variant of round filter material. Unfortunately, these are completely unsuitable for our application purpose in hot tubs 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 eliminates the cost advantage. There is also the risk that if these clump, 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, your pump burns out or the container breaks and parts of it destroy the pump or clog pipes.
Cubes or cylinders made of fibers
As another special form, there are cubes or cylinder discs made of fibers. 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 stable in structure as filter balls and therefore 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 hot tub applications, as occur with round filter balls, which again leads to rapid clumping. Third, countless fibers detach from the filter cubes and enter the water because the edges are cut, interrupting the fibers.
We have tested all variants extensively and continuously test new Filterballs products. And so far, only the green filter balls with disinfectant effect are 100% suitable. All other variants are unfortunately not even remotely suitable. They are basically just copies of the shape or material without regard to the necessary properties. Unfortunately, the manufacturers completely lack the know-how of what a filter ball for a hot tub must be able to do. Just being round or made of one fiber is unfortunately not enough.
Therefore use only Original EGo3 filter material!
No other offered filter material is even remotely 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.
