Wye Leisure, one of the largest private health and leisure clubs in Herefordshire, UK, worked with poolwater treatment specialists Gaffey Technical Services Ltd on a system to cover its three swimming poolsand steam rooms, four spa poolsand an outdoor spa pool,which attract around 8,000 bathers a week.
The Club wanted a robust, high quality system that would produce the finest possible water quality whilst reducing maintenance costs and downtime – important for an exclusive membership club where facilities need to be available to clients all day, every day.
Gaffey Technical Services Ltd installed seven Grundfos-Alldos CONEX DIA 2 controllers coupled to several Pellet-Pro calcium hypochlorite tablet feeders and 16 Grundfos-Alldos digital dosing pumps, along with five state-of-the-art Wapotec Type S multi-layer filters. The controllers and dosing systems are designed to provide easy to use, accurate and responsive control of pH and free chlorine parameters regardless of the bathing loads.
Grundfos-Alldos digital dosing pumps include the DDI 209 and 221 and DME range. They offer an optimized flow profile and integrated safety diaphragm, precise, smooth and continous dosing, and cover capacities up to 940 l/h.
The Conex DIA-2, dual measuring amplifier and controller makes it possible to measure and control two parameter groups in parallel (chlorine, chlorine dioxide, ozone and peroxide in one group and pH on the other) and to show these side by side on the display. Conex DIA-2 can measure the temperature of the water being disinfected. It features a 16 bit microprocessor system and a high resolution plain-text LCD.
The new pump and filter system replaced the current basic sodium hypochlorite dosing systems along with ageing dosing pumps. The original sand filters were of a budget single layer type with a lateral collector system, which prevented the use of air scouring. Therefore the system operators were having difficulties with backwashing and controlling TDS, as well as dosing system and injector blockages.
Easy to manage system
“We wanted quality and reliability, and that's what we've got,” said Thomas Williams, development and technical director at Wye Leisure. “If we had a cheaper system, it's likely that within a couple of months small problems would arise and after three or four years the system would need attention.
“The new system is a lot easier to manage. Grundfos Alldos Dosing pumps are wonderful – I haven't known one go wrong yet. They're totally accurate and they're safe – if there's a blockage, they will sense it and stop dosing. They can be linked to computers, so you can monitor progress even when you're not actually in the operations room and they can be alarmed to alert us to any malfunction.
“The filters are excellent too because they're built to last, and with their windows you can see exactly what's going on inside and spot any issues before they become problems.
“It's an excellent system, and everyone has noticed a difference – operators and bathers. Members have commented on the feel of water that uses the Gaffey specified system. They say it feels lighter and easier to swim in.
“Also, the plant room is a delight to work in. If there was to be a problem, you can access everything easily. Everything's visible. We're also saving around 10% on our water bills.”
