I have bought the new EGO3 filters. Unfortunately, I now have cloudy water. What is the cause? Can I use the EGO3 together with Lotus Clean?
Answer:
The EGO3 filters can only be used with Lotus Clean to a limited extent. These filters are filter balls that are used instead of the normal filters.
You have to understand the background of their use. If you operate a whirlpool with chlorine or bromine, the water is purified exclusively by oxidation. This means that the fats and oils from the skin and cosmetics that end up in the water are chemically broken down. They are broken down to such an extent that they can no longer be retained by the filters. The filters are then only there to hold back larger contaminants such as skin flakes, hair or leaves. When using chlorine or bromine, the EGO3 filters are probably good and sufficient.
The manufacturer recommends that these EGO3 filters can be cleaned with a water jet for cleaning. This overlooks a fundamental problem. Fats and oils settle in the filter balls. Bacteria settle on these fats and oils. These bacteria in turn form a biofilm in which they proliferate without being killed by disinfectants such as chlorine, bromine or active oxygen. The biofilm in turn is partially torn off by the pump pressure during filtration and bacteria are distributed throughout the water. The manufacturer says that the filter wadding is mixed with silver and therefore remains germ-free. I cannot judge whether this works in practice.
In the case of branded filters with cleaning fleece, the filters can be placed in a cleaning solution. This cleaning solution is designed to remove grease, oils and cosmetics from the filters and destroy biofilm. After the filters have been in the cleaning solution for at least one night, they are rinsed out with a special cleaning spray. This guarantees that there is no dirt, biofilm or bacteria in the filter. The EGO3 filters cannot be cleaned in this way. It is said that you can clean the filters in the washing machine. I don't know if this really works.
When using the Lotus Clean system care, two cleaning principles are used in parallel. 1) The encapsulation of the dirt - with Lotus Clean Basic - so that bacteria cannot settle on it and so that the dirt can be filtered out. 2) Oxidation - with Lotus Clean Shock. This system gives you double security. If one system fails, you have the other system that works.
In general, you can say that about 50% to 70% of the dirt is encapsulated and removed from the water via the filters. And that explains why good filtration is so extremely important. The dirt must be removed from the filters. And that can only be done with proper filter cleaning. This is the reason why the EGO3 filters for Lotus Clean are only conditionally suitable or unsuitable. If you throw away the EGO3 pads every 2 to 3 weeks, then the EGO3 system would work well. If these pads are to be used for a year, as recommended by the manufacturer, then this can be problematic.
What can you do now?
1) Reduce the amount of Lotus Clean to 30% over the next 3 months. Triple the amount of Lotus Clean Shock. Make sure that you permanently have 0.6 to 1.5 mg/l Shock in the water. This will oxidise and remove the turbidity over time.
2) Solve the filter problem. Either use branded filters from Magnum, Darlly or Pleatco. Or use disposable EGO3 filter pads and replace them with new filter pads every 2 to 3 weeks. If you use branded filters, always clean the filters with the filter cleaner Lotus Clean Filter Wash Natural. This cleaner works very well and is biodegradable.