Using HydroPureTech cartridges to deal with Iron

[PoolDoc]

i am currently topping off my pool now. this is the second season using the metaltrap 6
my neighbor who has been using one for five years or so in his pool and in his rv is who recommend it to me and i am grateful.

It it works for you . . . it works for you. I'm glad it does.

But, you have to understand that, with over 25 years in the pool business, I've seen product after product be promoted as the greatest thing since sliced bread. For the first 10 years or so that I was in the biz, I ran out and tried almost everything I heard about . . . and then I watched almost all of them -- way more than 90% -- turn out to be duds. And some of those that do work, don't work well enough to make it worth using them.

So, I'm skeptical.

For example, we started tentatively recommending the CuLator product last year. It does appear to work . . . but only very slowly. I still think it may be worth using, but only as a long-term maintenance aid. It doesn't really help clean up a current mess, though it appears to help prevent a recurrence.

The Metal6 product may be as good as you say. But the website hit a number of warning triggers I've learned to recognize. It doesn't mean they are bad, but it does mean that prudence dictates even more caution than normal.

I'm not trying to prevent anyone from trying it. But we won't recommend it this year. Next year (2014), if we hear positive things from you and a few others, we may change. But for now, we're going to recommend caution.

[jeffstang]

PoolDoc i understand where you are coming from. you probably deal with people trying to promote their business and their products on this site all the time. im not affiliated with this company in any way. if you recommend caution that's your duty as a moderator and its your reputation thats at risk. i understand. however, sometime you get so frustrated with the same problems over and over and several suggestions that don't work that you have to take a chance and just try things. i just took the $125 chance on a recommendation and it has saved me so much money and aggravation i just thought i would share it with other people who are dealing with the problems i no longer have.

[PoolDoc]

Like I said, we're very open to the possibility of new products that do work . . . so I really do hope you follow up next season with a positive report.

[BJohnston]

Like I said, we're very open to the possibility of new products that do work . . . so I really do hope you follow up next season with a positive report.

Has anyone tried this since last season? Any follow up from anyone or OP? I am on well water and am looking for options to be able to use it to filter my top off water.

Background: My water has been tested 7-8 times from different water people since I moved into my new house this past Oct. with varying results of having traces amounts of iron or having none. I have an old softener (~20 yrs) that seemed to be working but I was in the market for a new one. I can attribute some of these varying results to a old hot water heater, and some iron fittings being used on my system. I have since replace the hot water heater with a new one, which has no effect on my pool fill up, and removed all (except for a couple of special fittings an check valve) of the metal plumbing between my well and softener and replace with PVC.

I have not yet performed a bucket test or had my water retested since the PVC replacement so that's something I need to take care of soon. I just got my K-2000 kit in the mail a few days ago. I'm just doing some homework and saw this post. If in fact I do still have some trace amounts of iron, I would like to filter them out before going into my pool. Currently I have orange/brown steps which I am working out a plan to fix today, hopefully to a minimal degree before a BBQ party tomorrow. I was able to remove most of it previously with HTH metal remover so I know that there is some iron in my pool, probably from the previous owner's top offs.

[PoolDoc]

Do you have a skimmer?

If you do, there's a way to use cal hypo tablets in conjunction with a sand filter to continuously remove iron and other metals.

[BJohnston]

Yes I do. I have been doing more reading and see suggestions to use both Cal Hypo or Tri-Chlor.

I am leaning towards using the Tri-Chlor because my CYA is low and needs replenished. I also have CYA I can add on its own so I'm not sure which way will be the best.

I need to retest my numbers when I get home, I did not get a chance to this morning before heading off to work. what are the upside/down side to using Cal-Hypo vs. Tri-Chlor assuming I need to add CYA anyway?

[PoolDoc]

For dealing with iron, cal hypo is much better. The only downside to cal hypo is that you MUST use it the way I instruct you to do, or your will end up with calcium that is too high. Well, I guess the fact that you may not need as much as you'll have to buy is a downside. It will keep till next year, but will be 'stinky' when you open it next spring

This is the ONLY product I've found that you'd want to use:
CCH Calcium Hypochlorite Tablets 50 lb bucket

The Arch cal hypo tablets contain 25% or more magnesium sulfate, and you don't want that in your pool.