Go with the Flow

Clear-Flow brings water clarity and savings to pool operators

Clear-Flow’s electronic flocculation system offers a cleaner, more efficient and eco-friendly approach to water management. 

The system transmits a low-frequency electromagnetic pulse through the pool’s circulation system, causing both organic and inorganic particulates to combine into larger clusters more easily caught by the filter, says Kevin Brauer, Clear-Flow’s director of business development. This 24/7 process works regardless of flow rate, filtration type or pool size.

“Clear-Flow provides an easy-to-retrofit solution that addresses multiple challenges that operators are facing today including turbidity, low UV transmittance, phosphates and the constant challenge of trying to reduce water consumption,” Brauer says. 

Originally developed to protect oil wells from mineral buildup, Clear-Flow’s parent company spent 15 years adapting and perfecting its technology, deploying it in sectors like residential, commercial and industrial cooling, as well as power generation. The product’s entry into the aquatics market was supported by extensive lab and field testing, certification from organizations like NSF and IAPMO and a steadfast commitment to data-backed claims.

“Doing things the right way has presented us with an incredible opportunity to work with industry-leading design firms, operators, rep groups and service providers,” Brauer says. 

For pool professionals, Clear-Flow provides a unique and adaptable solution they can offer to their clients. 

“Pros who leverage Clear-Flow provide both their clients and themselves with an ongoing insurance policy that the pools will remain clear, stable and efficient,” Brauer says. 

Adaptable to both residential and commercial pools, Clear-Flow can benefit settings as varied as backyard hot tubs and Olympic-sized competition pools. The technology helps pool operators save on water and energy and reduce chemical usage. 

Pairing it with sand filters has reduced backwashing frequency by up to 90%. 

“This is due to Clear-Flow’s ability to create larger particulate that rests on top of the sand filter, as opposed to embedding deep within the media bed,” Brauer explains. “As this happens, operators will find that flow rates remain stable for longer periods, creating the opportunity to extend the time between necessary backwashes and even reduce their duration.”

At the University of Missouri, which began using Clear-Flow on its 50-meter competition pool in 2022, the system has saved over 393,000 gallons of water annually, extended backwashing cycles from every three weeks to three months and decreased turbidity even during high usage.

The city of Montreal and the Berthoud Recreation Center in Colorado have both seen positive results using Clear-Flow. In Montreal, the system extended backwashing intervals by 400%, cutting water and chemical use significantly in just one month. 

Brauer explains that in Berthoud’s case, the pool operator had to turn off all three of their UV systems for over a year due to extremely low ultraviolet transmittance, a crucial measurement indicating how clear the water is and how effectively UV light can pass through. Higher UVT means more UV light reaches contaminants, improving the system’s disinfection power. Low UVT suggests that water has too many particles or impurities, reducing the system’s efficiency. After two months of using Clear-Flow, Berthoud’s UVT levels improved dramatically — reaching over 94% and even as high as 99%. This allowed the UV systems to be turned back on, and combined chlorine levels dropped by 33-50% across all three pools.

Chris Hull previously worked as the University of Missouri’s assistant director of aquatics, where he piloted Clear-Flow. When he took a job at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, he implemented Clear-Flow again.

“[The technology is] plug and play once it’s been calibrated,” Hull says. 

These success stories are familiar to Brauer.

“The feedback we receive from pool pros, operators and industry experts continues to be positive,” he says. “In particular, our commitment to data collection is applauded. As a company, we love to solve headaches. Clear-Flow provides an easy-to-retrofit solution to a lot of common challenges in aquatics.”