Daisy is familiar to every Disney fan. However, the DAISY in the swimming pool industry has nothing to do with the comic book figure of the same name.  Although there are a couple of parallels. Just like lady-duck Daisy has several lives and goes out with Donald Duck and his cousin Gladstone at the same time, DAISY from Dryden Aqua also wears several hats.

The Dryden Aqua Integrated Systems (Daisy) is based on AFM green glass filtration material. Anyone who thinks that this is merely a green tint, however, is mistaken. AFM acts as a finer filter than quartz or glass sand.  Everything that gets filtered out is completely prevented from entering the water cycle for the swimming pool and therefore does not need to be chemically processed. This means that less chlorine is required and therefore a lot fewer chlorine by-products – such as trichloramine. Trichloramine is suspected of increasing the risk of asthma. In 2011 the German Federal Environment Bureau recommended that children prone to allergies should not use baby pools.

In order to ensure that any substances that might “slip” through the filter are also filtered, DAISY combines additional systems with this innovative filter material. These systems include APF (All Poly Floc). This breaks up potential contaminants into filterable flakes. APF is composed of six different electrolytes and polyelectrolytes to ensure that the broadest possible range of filtration is covered.

Static mixers have been added to optimise the flake filtration process. The ZPM (Zeta Potential Mixer) ensures that the APF is mixed instantly, completely and turbulently so that the coagulation and flaking processes can take place efficiently. The ZPM has an additional advantage that comes into play after filtration. It destroys bacteria – including chorine-resistant bacterial colonies protected by biofilm – and other pathogens that can accumulate in the filter, the compensation tank and the pipe system. This means that the chlorine can work more effectively. DAISY does not merely increase the effectiveness of the disinfectant used, however, it also uses the "natural cleaning powers" of ACO (active catalytic oxidate). ACO is a catalyst that heightens the disinfectant effect of sunlight or short-wave UV light.

Daisy, in the same way as its flower counterpart, is a herald of spring that reflects the mood of regeneration inherent in nature. Will DAISY from Dryden Aqua also herald the arrival of a “greener” era of water treatment in the swimming pool industry? Will it become a classic – like the comic book duck of the same name?

Why DAISY?

Preventing pathogenic agents developing at all. With over 30 years’ experience in marine biology, Dryden Aqua is a specialist in biological relations in water. DAISY is based on the principle of “as much biology and as little chemistry as possible”. Dryden Aqua therefore focuses on ensuring that pathogenic agents never even have the chance to develop and on depriving bacteria of their growth medium. If something is not there to begin with, there is no need to remove it chemically.

This means undesired by-products are no longer important. Unfortunately, any product that has an effect also has side-effects. Even though chlorine is a tried and tested effective disinfectant, it also releases harmful by-products such as trichloramine, which not only causes the familiarly unpleasant chlorine smell but has also been associated with the development of allergies and respiratory illnesses. DAISY reduces the need for chlorine, and thus the amount of chlorine by-products generated, by up to 50%.

Making sure a lot “gets caught”. At a filtration rate of 20m/h and without flaking, AFM filters out 95% of all particles of a size of 4 microns and above. All other filtration systems tested by the independent laboratory ifts could not filter any particles below 20 microns. The bottom line is: AFM filters between 30% and 50% more particles from water than sand or glass sand. AFM is additionally self-disinfecting and its filtration performance remains consistently high all year round.

Using the power of Nature. DAISY uses the environment. The ACO catalyser enhances the disinfecting effect of sunlight and short-wave UV light. Anything that can be removed “naturally” no longer has to be destroyed with chemicals.

Ensuring you can enjoy your swim undisturbed. Trust is good, but control is better. Customers should be able to fully rely on Dryden Aqua’s products. AFM is therefore manufactured to the requirements of the ISO 2001-2008 product standard. Furthermore, the principle and effectiveness of DAISY have been confirmed by the independent laboratory ifts. Finally, the over 100,000 facilities using DAISY worldwide bear witness to the quality of Dryden Aqua.