Mechanical Filtering Capacity of the Advantage Filter
Many manufacturer claim their filters will give you clear water but few, if any, ever actually test their filters to prove their claims. At Sacramento Koi we decided to test our Advantage Bead Filter to see exactly how well they filtered out particles to produce clear water. We contacted Particle Measuring Systems located in Boulder Colorado and explained what we wanted to do. They were extremely helpful and sent a representative out to work closely with us in both the setup and testing of our filters. They recommended the “LiQuilaz EZOP Liquid Particle Counter” for our application.
Laser Particle Counter: The LiQuilaz particle counter is designed to accurately sample liquids for a wide range of applications. From batch sampling to in-line monitoring, the LiQuilaz particle counter is capable of measuring particulates in fluids with various refractive indexes, viscosities and operating temperatures. The sensor is capable of detecting particle counts for fifteen channels starting at a minimum sensitivity of 0.2 um. These thresholds are completely adjustable through the software and allow an operator to properly characterize the particle sizes and concentration levels.
The sampled data from the LiQuilaz particle counter are processed using a powerful Windows-based software program, Pharmaceutical Net. This program enables an operator to collect, display, store and report in many different formats. The Pharmaceutical Net program is very flexible for use as a simple monitoring tool or as an advanced analysis package.
The test
We set up a tank to test the Advantage filter. Once it was running we then began adding dirty pond water into the tanks and used the LiQuilaz Particle Counter to test the water coming through the filters. Additionally, we increased and decreased the water flow through the filter to see if that changed the particle size passing through the filter. We tested the filters over a 30 day period to see if their was any change in the filtering ability after several backwashing cycles.
Test results
After 30 days the test results were extremely impressive. To put things in prospective, Particle Measuring Systems said that the human eye can not see particles smaller than 40 microns floating in water in daylight. The Advantage Bead Filter consistently filtered particles down to 27 microns. This explains why so many people swear by the Advantage filters if you are looking for the clearest water possible.
Conclusion
Sacramento Koi is so convinced that there is not another filter on the market today that will give you the incredible water quality combined with the ease of operation that the Advantage filters offer you. That is why we offer our “One Year Satisfaction Guarantee”. That is also why none of our competitors offer a marching “satisfaction guarantee.”