Before we get to the filters, who are Darlly Europe? Briefly, Darlly Europe are Europe’s largest supplier of hot tub cartridge filters. We have the largest range of quality filters, in stock, and available for the majority of hot tubs,  manufacturers and brands. 

What different types of Darlly filter cartridge are available?

Darlly manufacture three main types of hot tub filter cartridge, Standard, Silverstream and the award-winning Sanistream. 

What are the differences between these ranges and how do I know which are suitable for my hot tub?

Standard – This is the largest range of filters from Darlly, the largest filter manufacturer in the world. The standard Darlly filter has a robust very high-quality filter media suitable for nearly all applications of hot tubs & swim spas.  Standard filters.

Silverstream – Our Darlly Silverstream range of filters have a similar filter material to the standard range of filters but with the additional benefit of Silver-Ion technology Antimicrobial Protection. The filter material is impregnated with Silver-Ion technology to help inhibit the growth of bacteria. It also offers increased filter life, a cleaner filter, no mould growth, fewer odours and fewer cleaning times. The Darlly Silverstream filter material is a distinctive blue colour to help differentiate it from standard filters.  Silverstream filters.

SaniStream – The same quality filter material as the standard filter but with the added benefit of Darlly Europe’s revolutionary SaniStream® Direct Line Filtration system. This is a new and unique technology which combines the world’s finest hot tub filters with a safe, convenient, and effective in-built sanitiser dispenser (DL815 SpaPod) to give an integrated spa water treatment system. SaniStream® is suitable for domestic hot tubs and also allows compliance with Section 76 of HSG282 regulations for hot tubs installed in holiday let units. Sanistream filters.

Follow the links below to our YouTube videos to discover more about using SaniStream filters and SpaPods:-

SaniStream Video

SaniStream User Guide

Inline Chemical Dosing Page

Don’t forget your Darlly Duck to complement your filters!

Let your Darlly Duck free float around in your hot tub or place in the pool skimmer. When one side is dirty, flip it over. Depending on the saturation, it may be rinsed and re-used. The duck helps prevent a scum line forming and eliminates the need to scrub the acrylic shell of your hot tub, absorbing up to 40 times its weight in oils, lotions and cosmetics reducing contaminants from clogging the filter. 

Happy Hot Tubbing!

The Darlly Team

Today, we are looking at the efficiency and performance advantage of the SC785 Darlly Cyclone Filter Cleaner compared to a basic device.

The Darlly Cyclone Filter Cleaner brush has been designed to clean your hot tub filters quickly and efficiently. The unit attaches to a standard garden hose connector and has the facility to dispense filter cartridge cleaner directly into the water stream to penetrate deep inside the filter pleats, and at the same time removing dirt and debris with the brush.

Darlly Filter Cartridge Cleaner (SC796) can be added to the Cyclone dispenser via the screw cap on the handle.

The Darlly Cyclone Filter Cleaner separates the pleats of the filter material, brushing between them efficiently whilst spraying with water and filter cartridge cleaner dispensed by the unit. 

We can compare this with a different design of tool, pictured below, featuring hard moulded plastic fingers and without a brush or the option to dispense cartridge filter cleaner fluid into the waterstream.

As can be seen in the photo below, when inserted into the filter the fingers appear to gather several pleats together between the plastic fingers on each cleaning stroke, thus closing those pleats and with the possibility of allowing the retention of some dirt and contamination rather than separating the pleats to allow efficient cleaning of the filter and also without the option of adding filter cleaning fluid to the water to clean away the dirt, grease and grime.

To summarise, it can be seen that the Darlly Cyclone Filter Cleaner can be more effective at separating the filter material pleats with a brush to allow the water jets with added cartridge filter cleaner to work more efficiently removing the dirt and contaminants collected by the filter than a basic device without these features.

The Darlly Cyclone Filter Cleaner has two rows of brushes, a built-in detergent dispenser and water jets to help with your routine hot tub maintenance.

For more information on hot tub filter care, see our other Filter Care topics and FAQ’s.

Happy Hot Tubbing! 

The Darlly Team 

The Christmas and New Year holidays are approaching fast, just where does the time go?

Hopefully you are fully booked, and your guests are looking forward to spending some quality chill-time in the hot tub.

Holiday Lets hot tubs require a higher level of maintenance, service, and monitoring than your domestic hot tub so it is worth just spending a few minutes ensuring that not only are you compliant with the regulations but that your guests will have a most wonderful and enjoyable hot tub experience.

Remember to have enough clean filters on hand to allow a swift change between guests. It is good practise to have more than one set of filters available, to allow one set to be in the hot tub and another set in the cleaning and drying cycle.

For more in-depth information, see our filter care topic ‘Holiday Let – How should I look after my holiday-let hot tub filters?’ where you will find information about Holiday-Lets filter care, regulations and also the SaniStream® Direct Line Filtration system which satisfies Section 76 of HSG282 guidelines.

The SaniStream system, is a high quality Darlly hot tub filter, combined with an adjustable and refillable chlorine or bromine tablet erosion feeder, called SpaPod®, to make a highly effective combined, integrated hot tub water treatment system.

Have you considered Darlly Spa Cocktails for a little something

extra for the holiday hot tub experience for your guests?

Spa Cocktails are exhilarating and relaxing. Using a combination of aromatherapy spa crystals including essential oils, fine fragrances and other natural substances including Dead Sea Salts; working together to awaken the senses.
Available in 500g jars, and now available in 80g pouches which are perfect for consumers to try the Spa Cocktail experience and are perfect for the Holiday Resort sector. Spa Cocktails granules are spa safe, oil-free will not clog filters or jets, and will not affect water chemistry.

This could be a pleasant surprise for your guests!

If you have any questions about our filters, or suggestions for more Filter Care topics, please do not hesitate to get in contact, we’re always willing to help.

Happy Hot Tubbing!

The Darlly Team

(Photo courtesy of Chaletcraft)

The big day is approaching, and you are planning your exciting festive activities for your Christmas and New Year break. Just how exciting can it be?!Will you be enjoying your hot tub during the holiday? 

Do you drain your hot tub for the winter months or do you enjoy the benefits all year round? If you usually drain the hot tub for the cooler months, have you considered enjoying a few relaxing Christmas and New Year dips with your family and friends in your hot tub? String out the outdoor Christmas lights, switch on the garden Christmas tree, create the festive spirit and enhance the holiday mood to create the perfect setting to take a break away from the food, television and annoying adverts J. Read our Darlly Filter Care ‘How do I prepare my hot tub for a party?’ topic for a little help about how to enjoy great water quality and to create the best bathing experience. Don’t forget to try our Darlly Spa Cocktails, simply choose your flavour and add to the water for that little added extra! Happy Hot Tubbing!! 

The Darlly Team  

How important is hot tub water quality and how can it affect my skin? This, amongst other things, probably isn’t something that we immediately think about in the excitement of getting into the hot tub, but should we?

The simple answer is yes if you enjoy regular bathing in your hot tub.

We all enjoy the relaxation, the physical and the social benefits of our hot tubs, and with a little attention to water quality, we can also help care for our skin.

The items most important for water quality that we should be looking at are the filtration, chemicals, balance, pH and temperature.

Hot water can remove your skin’s natural body oils leaving it feeling coarse and dry. Excessive heat can harm and cause lasting damage to your skin. Water temperature ideally needs to be comfortable but without being too hot for your skin.

Skin can redden if exposed to excessive heat.

Also, if sanitiser levels are not maintained to the correct level, bacteria can thrive possibly causing skin conditions or worse.

Sanitiser levels are very important to maintaining high water quality and a healthy environment in which to bathe. 

Read our filter care topic How do I check and maintain the water quality for more detailed information and explanations about what to test, how to remedy any problems and improve water quality if required. 

Remember to shower after leaving the hot tub to wash away any bromine or chlorine remaining on your skin.

Don’t forget your dead-sea-salt based Darlly Cocktails to add just a little extra to your bathing experience.

For more information on how to look after your filters, Sanistream Filters and Inline sanitization, read our other Darlly filter care topics about how to maintain your hot tub water quality, What is the difference between chlorine and bromine, Darlly Spa Cocktails, Darlly filter care, How do I check and maintain the water quality, How to clean a hot tub filter, and of course, how Darlly Duck can help.

If you have any suggestions for other Filter Care topics that we haven’t covered, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We will see what we can do for you! 

Happy healthy Hot Tubbing!

The Darlly Team 

Most of us have heard the term ‘Hard water’ but what actually is it?  

The definition of water hardness is ‘The amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water’. This is usually formed when water percolates through natural deposits of limestone, chalk, or gypsum.

Tap water hardness differs between geographical areas throughout the country.

Our tap water usually supplied from one of two main water sources. 

One source is from reservoirs that collect water from rivers and streams and natural rainwater run-off from the hills and mountains. This is usually classed as ‘soft water’.

The other is water sourced from aquafers and abstracted from ground sources. This water has usually percolated through limestone, chalk or gypsum and absorbed some of these natural minerals. This is classed as hard water.

Hard water is usually most noticeable at home by limescale in the kettle. Limescale is the result of hardwater. In the UK, water is hardest in central, eastern, and south-east England.

Now that we know what hard water is, how does this affect your hot tub?

Hard water can lead to limescale deposits forming in the hot tub, especially around the water heating elements. Calcium carbonate deposits rapidly increase at temperatures in excess of 60 centigrade, but can also form in cold water such as cold water tanks and WC cisterns.

Soft water can be the cause of water foaming and corrosion of metal parts within the hot tub system. In addition to scaling and deposits, hard water can also be the cause of cloudy water in the hot tub

How is water hardness measured? 

The unit of measure is mg/l (milligrams per litre) or PPM (parts per million).

The ideal calcium (hardness) level in your hot tub is between 200-400mg/l.

The best time to check your hot tub water hardness is immediately after it has been filled whilst the water is still cold.

How do I check water hardness?

The easiest way is to use inexpensive test strips. Follow the instructions on the packaging. Dip the strip into the water and match the colour with the chart supplied, it really is that easy.

If you need to increase the water hardness, hardness increaser can be added.

Whilst it is not possible to decrease the hardness of the water already in the hot tub, it is possible to drain some of the water and replace with softened water from a domestic water softener, and thus reducing the water hardness by a certain amount. It is not generally recommended to fill a hot tub completely using a domestic water softener.

If you cannot change the water hardness, just keep on top of the pH and alkalinity levels to ensure that they are kept in balance. This should stop or reduce the likelihood of scale forming.

Loose limescale will usually be collected by the hot tub filters. If loose scale can be seen floating around then there is a fair chance that the filters will be collecting it and flow will become restricted. The filters will require changing and cleaning on a more regular basis and may require a deeper and more thorough clean to remove all the hard calcium deposits.

We recommend that you have two sets of filters to allow for thorough cleaning and drying of one set whist the other set is in the hot tub.

Quality Darlly filters are tough and robust enough to withstand repeated cleaning cycles without loosing efficiency or integrity.   

Read our ‘How to clean a hot tub filter’ topic for more help about filter cleaning and the Darlly Cyclone Filter Cleaner.

If you have a suggestion for a topic that we have not yet covered, we would be more than happy to receive your suggestion. Just get in touch and we will do what we can to help.

Happy Hot Tubbing!

The Darlly Team

What does it mean?

Do you ever check or compare the square-feet measurement of a filter before buying? 

We all probably check the price and that it is the correct size and fitting, but the square-feet?

What does the square-feet figure relate to?

In simple terms, if you opened up the filter and spread the actual filter material out on the floor, and then multiplied the length by the width in feet, this is the area measurement in square feet.

You might be surprised how much filter material there actually is!

There are a number of important factors that go into the making of a quality Darlly filter, the area (square feet) is just one of these.

The main items are the quality of the filter material and the amount of it. Not only is the ability of the filter material to filter out the contaminants and debris, both visible and invisible to the naked eye important, but also the physical integrity and durability are vitally important to enable the filter to withstand repeated cleaning cycles and to ensure a long and efficient service life. 

Read our ‘How to clean a filter’ topic for more information about cleaning.

Remember, if the filter material is holed, ripped or torn it will not be doing its job and must be replaced. The filters also help to protect the pumps from debris.

For a given hot tub, the greater the area of the filter material, generally the time between filter changes will be longer, thus reducing the maintenance downtime of your hot tub and making your life just that little bit easier!  

The answer, we now know, to the question ‘Is the square-feet measurement of a filter important?’ is a definite YES!

Make a quality decision, choose a quality Darlly filter and enjoy the benefits.

If you have any questions about filter care or have any suggestions for a topic that we have not yet covered please get in touch and we will do our best to help.

Happy Hot Tubbing!

The Darlly Team

If you decide not to run your hot tub through the winter months (except for your Christmas and New Year treat of course!) how might you go about it, what should you consider and how should you prepare and store the filters?

1.    First step is to turn off the mains power supply to the hot tub. There shouldn’t be any power getting to the hot tub at all, it must be completely isolated electrically.  Take note, this is for your safety!                                           

2.    Drain the water from the hot tub as normal, either via the drain point and a hose or use a submersible pump to speed up the process.    (Always refer to the hot tub manufacturer’s owners manual for information regarding your hot tub draining, refilling and maintenance). You really won’t want to miss this opportunity to give the hot tub a thorough washdown and clean to ensure that it is ready to go when you refill it.  Don’t forget to clean under the headrests! 

3.    Remove the filters and clean using a Darlly Cyclone Filter Cleaner with Darlly Filter Cartridge Cleaner and if required, leave to soak in a cleaning solution until thoroughly clean. The filters should then be rinsed and left to dry thoroughly before being stored safely in a dry location in readiness for refitting next time you use the hot tub. Don’t forget to keep two sets of filters to enable swift filter changes to enjoy continuous bathing at filter change time. Check out our How To Clean a hot tub Filtertopic for more information.

4.    When the hot tub and underside of the cover are completely dry, refit the cover ensuring that it prevents any water ingress into the tub. Any moisture remaining inside may allow mould or algae to form whilst it is closed up. A few extra minutes work now ensuring that it is completely dry will save much cleaning time prior to refilling the hot tub next time you wish to enjoy it.  

We hope you enjoy reading our Filter Care topics. If you have any suggestions for any other filter topics that you would like us to cover, please drop us a line. 

Happy Hot Tubbing!

It’s too good to miss! An opportunity to party and you have a hot tub, how do you prepare the water to be sparkling and inviting? It would be rude to invite your friends and not invite the hot tub wouldn’t it? 

Hopefully, you have allowed yourself enough time between now and party-time to get the tub ship-shape.

Where shall we start? This depends on the condition of the water currently in the hot tub. How long has it been in there? Is it cloudy? Is it saturated? Does it look inviting?

If the water has been in there a while or the quality is not tip top, it may be worth changing it. Come party time, the water and the filters will possibly have to deal with and filter out considerably more contamination than it normally would, hence why the water needs to be prepared for it.

Let us assume that we need to change the water to enjoy the best bathing experience at party time.

When was the last time you carried out a hot tub flush to clean the hidden pipework and plumbing? It is worth considering carrying out this task now if it has been a while since it was last done. 

Let’s break this down into a few simple steps.

1.    Remove the filters and any floating sponges, Darlly Ducks, chemical dispensers etc.

2.   Turn on the jets to max, or the cleaning cycle if available and add the liquid or gel cleaner.

3.    Wipe down the inside of the tub to remove any residual film or grime.

4.    Turn off the jets and the mains isolator before draining/pumping out the water.

5.   Once the hot tub is completely drained and sponged out, start refilling with fresh water. Run the hose into the filter housing. This helps to fill the pipework first and can help avoid any airlocks in the system.

6.    Fit new or previously thoroughly cleaned and dried quality Darlly filters. Also check out Darlly Sanistream and Darlly Silverstream filters for added benefits.

7.   Fill the hot tub until the water is just above the highest jets by 30-50mm or your hot tub manufacturers recommendation. Test the water using test strips. Add some chlorine to boost the levels as the water is mains tap water. 

To balance alkalinity and PH, wait until the water is up to normal hot tub temperature. 

Remember to maintain floor cleanliness around the hot tub to reduce the possibility of treading contamination into the hot tub. 
 

Add a Darlly duck or two to help collect the floating contaminants that always surface.

Arrange the party lights to add to the atmosphere and don’t forget your Darlly Cocktails to add a little extra pizazz to your hot tub!

Party on! 
Happy Hot tubbing!