Healthy Water Solutions for Wellness Spas from Waterco

Waterco's healthy water solutions for destination wellness spa

Nirvana Spa in Wokingham, Berkshire, is one of only three resorts in the UK with its own underground reservoir of mineral-rich spring water. The luxurious facility boasts the country's largest, fully tiled flotation pool - containing 260m³ of water and 130 tonnes of salt to replicate swimming in the Dead Sea - six Romanesque baths, and a tepidarium with warming mosaic stone loungers.

It's said to be the only place where you can experience the unique sensation of floating in spring fed, Dead Sea salt water beneath a sparkling star-lit night sky.

Challenges: Limited access to replace defective equipment

The Spa's existing filtration equipment had begun to leak and malfunction and therefore required an immediate upgrade. However, entry to the spa's basement plantroom that houses the necessary filtration system and sanitisation equipment provided the main challenge for maintenance staff.

"The only option was to create a 2.1m x 1.6m access hole in one of the ground level walls, which meant it was impossible to use standard vertical tanks," explains Waterco Europe CEO Tony Fisher.

Furthermore, the pool water's high mineral content meant that the filters needed to be manufactured from the highest quality of fibreglass and hardware to ensure years of trouble-free operation.

Solution: Waterco's commercial-grade Split-tank Filters

Available with optional configurations of sight glasses and lateral manholes, Waterco's SMDT1200 Split-tank Filters provided the perfect solution as they can be delivered in two parts and assembled on-site.

"Both halves seal perfectly using a double O-ring system and are bolted together by a flange arrangement," Tony explains. "The three fibreglass filters we installed will also be used to filter the recently refurbished 30m3 flotation pool that consists of a main pool and four surrounding flotation pods."

Built by Waterco using the latest in gel coated technology and hardware, the commercial-grade pressure tanks have a number of major advantages over traditional steel vessels, including:

• Durability - fibreglass vessels have a mechanical and chemical resistance superior to steel. They do not rust or corrode when exposed to harsh water treatment chemicals.
• Lightweight construction - fibreglass weighs only one-third that of steel vessels whilst maintaining the same level of strength. This makes them easier and cheaper to transport and install.
• Easy-to-maintain materials - once installed, they are virtually free of ongoing maintenance. And, unlike steel, fibreglass does not require periodic applications of anti-corrosive coating or time-consuming repairs.

To ensure the highest water quality for spa guests, and to reduce backwashing by maintenance staff, Waterco's Glass Pearls were selected as the filtration media.

"They are manufactured from 100 per cent pure glass, which offers much finer filtration than conventional filter media," Tony explains. "Furthermore, the superior purity greatly reduces its initial backwashing requirements, prior to commissioning a filter, enabling a rapid start-up of media filters. Two additional Hydron SMDT1200 filters and Waterco's Glass Pearls media will also be installed in the same plantroom later this year to replace the existing filters on the Roman pool, further improving water quality," he adds. "This will replace the existing filters which have started to fail, further improving water quality."

Conclusion: Maintaining exceptional water quality using world-class equipment

As people from all over the UK flock to Nirvana Spa in search of the ultimate relaxation experience, Waterco's commercial filtration solutions provide peace of mind to both guests and maintenance staff.

"Over a number of years, we have installed a number of Waterco products including Micron commercial filters, Hydrostar Plus commercial pumps, heat pumps and Glass Pearls media and have always been very impressed with their quality, performance and durability," says Nirvana Spa maintenance director, Neil Phelps. "It therefore made perfect sense to install Waterco's commercial Split-tank Filters on the new flotation pool. They worked perfectly and the water quality is exceptional."