The Dilema

Over the course of many years, technicians and filter maintenance people while repacking media in sand filtration systems, have experienced dangerous septic conditions that occur inside the support gravel of filter vessels. This problem was a direct result of the lack of circulation of product or disinfection during backwash and standard operation below the conventional lateral underdrain. (see standard filtration cutaways attached). Due to an oversight in the design, water was stagnating in the voids and pockets in the support gravel, creating a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Realizing the oversight, filtration companies were suggesting a"quick fix" by pouring concrete in the support gravel portion of media filters which now put the filter potentially out of specifications as a pressure vessel. Also, due to the contracting and expanding of the vessel itself new stagnant voids created a potential health hazard to the public. That practice soon disappeared and filter companies went on with support gravel in place and hoped the problem would not draw any liability questions.

*Recreational Water Illnesses are primarily caused by human sourced pathogenic microorganisms. Current design flaws in media filtration can promote the growth of these pathogens and release them into the presumed clean effluent. The news is grim regarding health problems relating to bacterial and parasitical contaminants in public recreational water. In 1998 at White Water Swim Park in Cobb County Georgia an e.coli outbreak hospitalized seven children, one died another suffered a major stroke. The e.coli was not eliminated after several attempts until the media and support gravel were removed and replaced in the park filtration system. In 2003, in the United Kingdom, 27 cases of legionnaires disease with three fatalities were traced to pools and spas identified as the source. In July of 1994, Dr. Joseph Plouffe, famed legionella" bug hunter", traced an e.coli outbreak that hospitalized four men, killed one and left another brain damaged to a spa filter on a cruise ship. The doctor stuck his arm in the spa filter and "pulled out a stinking gob of live killer bacteria". The list, unfortunately goes on and on. Rethinking and redesigning media filtration is obviously long overdue and can reduce these threats to public safety and liability.

The Solution: Miami Filter's BacErad

Kevin Mulvey, president of Miami Filter, has been working in the filtration business since 1976 and has sold, installed and maintained literally thousands of media filters used in a wide range of applications including marine life support, aquaculture, food processing, environmental reclamation, water parks and recreational water facilities worldwide. Kevin's first hand knowledge of the design flaws that created health hazards and liabilities motivated him to re-think and redesign media filtration. The stagnation and septic conditions that occur in support gravel beds remained an unresolved issue for many years. Kevin and his company designed, engineered and patented a more efficient media filtration system that eradicates the bacterial and parasitical growth areas thriving in support gravel beds. This was achieved simply by creating a complete flow through filtration system that allows product water and disinfectants to circulate through 100% of the vessel and filter media. This improved circulation and maximized performance during normal operation as well as during back wash procedures, eliminates dangerous stagnation and enhances disinfectant contact. (See BacErad Cutaways on the next pages)

* BacErad's simplicity of design and superior engineering has brought a logical, functional answer to out dated, problematic standard media filter design. The BacErad system can be easily retro-fitted to existing media filtration and in new installations is cost competitive to comparable media filtration systems.