Installing a Nature2 Express Mineral Purifier

nature2-express2

Nature² is a popular purifier, a completely natural, mineral-based sanitizer. It has proven itself a useful supplement to chlorine that many pool owners have come to rely on and enjoy.

However, this blog is not to sing the praises of the mineral purification, but rather to help answer installation questions or concerns. Easy!

The beauty of the Nature2 Express is that you only need 4″ of pipe, No plumbing involved! A drill is all that’s needed – even the drill bit is included!

The compact Nature 2 Express is for above ground or in ground pools, with a horizontal installation on the pool return line – on the pipe after the filter; before or after any pool heater, and before any chlorinator.

The Nature2 includes the entire saddle clamp assembly with gaskets and stainless steel hardware, lubricant and drill bit You only need a cordless or electric drill!

nature2-installation
  • Installing the Nature² Express

Before installing the Nature2 Cartridge, we must first make sure the pool water is balanced. The following chart serves as a checklist of what the conditions of the pool should be before installation.

pH level7.4 – 7.8
Calcium Hardness200 – 400 ppm
Total Alkalinity80 – 150 ppm


LOCATION:
Next you will want to pinpoint the location of the return line to install the clamp. A clear stretch of pipe, of about 6 inches is best. Now turn off the pool pump and close all valves. There is a degree of freedom for just where to place and install the Nature 2 vessel, as long as it is installed after the filter on the main return.

nature2-saddle-clamp-assy

ASSEMBLY: Choose the saddle clamp assembly that can fit the size piping on your return line. Assemble the two clamp halves around the pipe and loosely tighten up the screws with a Philips screwdriver. Be sure the clamp assembly is positioned with the arrow pointing in the direction of the water flow.

DRILL-THE-PIPE

DRILL: Insert the hole saw into a drill. Use the hole in the top half of the assembly as a guide and drill a hole in the pipe. Tighten up the screws for the saddle clamp tightly. Insert the flow diverter into the clamp assembly and simply snap into place. Snap outer housing into the clamp assembly.

nature2-saddle-clamp-lubricate-gasket

LUBE: Spread the silicone around the o-ring above the cartridge threads, and thread the Nature2 Express cartridge into the clamp assembly. You can set the date reminder on the cap.

START UP: The Nature2 cartridge requires that the pool be shocked – or at least chlorinated above 2 ppm, for an initialization period of 100 hours. During this break-in period, the chlorine level must be at least 2.0 ppm.

cheap-pool-shock

The fast way to initialize the cartridge is with pool shock, following label instructions, and then run the pump 24 hrs/day for 4 days. Check the chlorine level during the 4 days, to maintain the level at a minimum of 2.0 ppm. After the 100 hour cartridge initialization, the chlorine level can be lowered and maintained at 0.5 ppm.

  • Replacing the 6 month cartridge

  1. Shut off pool filter and pump
  2. Close any valves if system is below water level
  3. Unscrew and remove old cartridge
  4. Screw new cartridge into housing and clamp assembly
  5. Open valves that were closed, restart pool pump
  6. Run pump 24 hrs/day for 4 days, with chlorine above 2ppm
  • Winterizing the Nature² Express

If you close the pool in the winter, the Nature² Express is self draining, and no special procedures are required. When it is time to reopen the pool all you do is screw in a new Nature2 Express cartridge. Balance and shock the pool, and run the pump for 4 days (which you are doing anyway in spring).

  • Troubleshooting the Nature² Express

If you have no flow to the Nature2 Express, you likely have a dirty pool filter or some other flow problems. Nature2 works best with flow rates from 25-80 gpm. If the vessel starts to leak, re-lube the gasket and cartridge o-ring and make sure the nuts and bolts are tight but at the same time, not over-tight.

Other than that, there really is no maintenance or troubleshooting of Nature2 Express mineral purifiers. They are simple, and simply brilliant!

Cut your chlorine use in half with a Nature2 Express, and use the power of copper and silver minerals to purify your pool water, by naturally removing up to 99% of pool water contaminants!

12 thoughts on “Installing a Nature2 Express Mineral Purifier

  1. hello. I have lost the hole saw/ drill bit included. I can’t seem to find the size of the bit mentioned anywhere. Can you help me find this size?

    • Hi, that’s a 7/16 hole size. You can use a wood drill bit, or also a metal drill bit, to cut thru PVC, don’t need a hole saw, really.

  2. Hello,

    Can you mount the Nature2 Express horizontally instead of vertically ?

    Thank you

    • Hi Daniel, I don’t see why not! Cannot find anything saying not to do it – and I can’t see a problem that it would cause, so if you must, mount it horizontal ~

  3. Help! I disposed of my use cartridge during winterization. How do I plug. The hole while refilling and balancing during start up?

    • Davy Merino

      Hi Pam, not an uncommon problem. If you remove the Nature2 express saddle clamp completely, you could tap and thread in a bolt or plug of the right size, or you could strap on a piece of rubber over the hole with a steel clamp, or you could plug the hole with a small #1 or #2 expansion plug. Or just put in a new express cartridge, and balance and shock, it won’t hurt to do it that way.

  4. Neil Rapp

    I replaced my Nature 2 AG with the Express last year, but I still haven’t hooked it up. I have 1.5″ hoses, not PVC pipes. How do I install this so it will stand up on the ground with the hoses attached? And will I need adapters for the 1.5″ hoses?

    • Hi Neil, for the Nature2 AG Express purifier, you would use standard pool hose adapters, threaded on one end 1.5″, and barbed on the other end to slide the hose over, and then use a stainless steel radiator clamp to hold the hose tight. You can attach the purifier to a block of wood, using plumbers strapping and screws to secure it, so it stays upright, it’s ok if it leans to one side, or even if it falls over, it won’t leak.

      Looking at the picture of the Express AG kit, looks like it now comes with a foot of 1.5″ PVC pipe, Male X Female. The pipe is used to screw into your filter, and then use a hose adapter on the other end. Use Teflon tape on the male threaded hose adapters before screwing them in – wrap the threads 4-5 times, in a clockwise direction, and use large pliers to tighten snugly into the female adapters. Instructions should be included on making a hose connection in the return line.

      Here’s the instruction sheet on the Nature 2 Express:

    • Neil Rapp

      And where might I find the coupler? Yes, it comes with a piece of PVC pipe.

      • Hi Neil, Home Depot, Lowes, any hardware store – or… the PVC pipe (called the Rigid PVC adapter) is meant to screw into your filter. So no fitting needed actually if you screw the male threaded end into the exit port of your pool filter, or filter multiport valve, then connect the hose adapter into the female end, and connect the hose. Here’s the instruction sheet on the Nature 2 Express:

  5. I am considering a Nature 2 Express. The instructions say to balance the water prior to installing the cartridge. That is fine for the first time installation. When starting the pool the following summer, won’t you need to install the new cartridge prior to starting and balancing the pool since the cartridge is needed to seal that part of the PVC?

    • Hi George, you can leave the depleted cartridge (last years cartridge) in the Express ‘body or housing’, all winter, and during initial start up, and wait a few days to put in the new cartridge. BTW, these are really great – come back and post your experience, if you get one.

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