Fiber filter balls or cotton balls - the crucial question
For several years now, there has been the Ego3. hot tub filter a completely new filtration option for whirlpools. Our filter takes advantage of the excellent filtration properties of 3-dimensional filter balls and is therefore far superior to the old filter cartridges in terms of filtration performance, filter capacity, and ease of use.
"And furthermore, these are significantly cheaper and produce no residual waste, only recyclable waste, and that only very little."
What "filter balls" are there?
In the meantime there are various filter balls on the market. These can be divided into two categories:
Fiber balls Filter balls
These are made from 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 bacteria protection for koi ponds, green with bacteria protection = Original EGo3 filter ball). These variants are optimized for their application purpose in terms of diameter, fiber thickness, and composition. Therefore, you should only use original Ego3 filter balls 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 blue Fibalon pool filter balls) are cheaper, it 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 backwashing) for swimming pools with 10 times less suction. The best combination of price and lifespan is the original Ego3 filter balls. Otherwise, we would use and sell other filter balls!
cotton balls filter balls
(mostly in white) - a very inexpensive variant of round filter material. However, these are unfortunately completely unsuitable for our application in whirlpools and swim spas. They are far too compact/dense in structure and far too soft in strength for our whirlpool pressure conditions. These balls clog the Ego3 filter system within a very short time and therefore need to be replaced again within days, which unfortunately negates the cost advantage. Furthermore, there is a risk that if they clump together, such high pressure builds up in the Ego3 container that the bottom or the entire container breaks. The pumps are immediately affected when these cotton balls compress, and in the worst case, this can cause the pump to burn out or the container to break, damaging the pump or clogging the pipes.
Cube or cylinder made of fibers
As another special form, there are also cubes or cylinder discs made of fibers. These are punched out of filter mats. They are made of similar material as fiber balls but have three decisive disadvantages. First, they are not as stable in structure as filter balls and thus clog the filter very quickly. Second, due to their angular shape, they cannot be arranged in the filter container with the necessary intermediate channels for the whirlpool application, as is the case with round filter balls, which again leads to quick clumping. And third, countless fibers detach from the filter cubes, which enter the water because the edges are cut and thus the fibers are interrupted.
"We have extensively tested all variants and are continuously testing new filter balls products. And so far, only the green filter balls with disinfecting effect are 100% suitable. Unfortunately, all other variants are not even remotely suitable. They are actually just copies of the shape or material without considering 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 a fiber is unfortunately not enough."
Therefore, only use original EGo3 filter material!
"No other offered filter material is remotely suitable for the intended purpose and will cost you more work and money combined with the risk of damage to the EGo3 filter container or your hot tub."
