New Pool Owner With High Iron

[labdi01]

Thanks Watermom. Woke up to coffee-brown pool this am. Several heavy sighs and serious thoughts of just draining the thing. Came to the Pool Forum, read your post, took some deep breaths and now I'm just hiding from it. I'm out of several supplies (Borax, bleach, distilled water, reliable test kit) and can't restock until this evening. I added cal-hyp just so it doesn't fester all day and, unfortunately, that's all I have in the way of chlorine right now - and I put a puck in the skimmer.

Is Pool-icide a crime??? Kidding - thanks for sticking with me and holding me up through this. The only faith I feel right now in this pool is coming directly from you guys.

[mbar]

Someone posted on the forum a while ago that had very high iron in his well water. I don't have time not to search for it - but you can look through old posts. They said every year they add a strong flocculant and after it circulates they turn off the filter and let it sit for 48 hours. Then they vacuum all the stuff that falls out on the bottom to waste. I will try to find it when I have more time, I am off to a graduation. If someone else remembers the post or wrote the post please let us know.

[labdi01]

Hi Marie.

I actually found a way to remove iron - really remove it. No more chemicals!!!

We took a 5-gal bucket (Fresh Step kitty litter, plastic bucket). My husband drilled holes all over it, he put a big hole in the lid (to accommodate a hose), got his sump pump, hooked a hose from the output on the pump, stuck the other end of the hose in the hole he made in the lid of the bucket, filled the bucket with pillow stuffing (a whole pillow's worth), put the lid on the bucket, sunk both the pump and the bucket (now connected to each other) in the pool. Some batting came out of the bucket and settled in the skimmer - and 15 hours later, we can see under water across the pool (it was opaque brown when we started this). We pulled out the bucket (and gross brown water flowed from it - it made a yucky cloud in the pool), but we rinsed the stuffing out (kept it in the bucket) and removed the stuffing from the skimmer (BROWN), cleaned it and put the bucket back in the pool and clean stuffing in the skimmer. I can't tell you how absolutely amazing this is.

We were searching for pool-water deliverers and making plans to drain/refill. It was going to cost us another $300 - and that plan wasn't perfect, because we still have to fill from our well.

We weren't sure what to expect - but I can tell you, we didn't expect this.

I'm still shocking like mad. I have to test for all my levels today at the store (no kit yet) and we continue to collect the iron.

I'm so incredibly excited - It's not clear - and it's still brown (diluted iced tea with a hint of green) - but not only can we see the bottom, we can see the bottom across the pool! I'm hoping by tonight, we might actually have clear water!!! Then I can focus on getting in it rather than finding another way to deal with the iron - and all that comes with having iron.

I'm also surprised I haven't seen this mentioned in this thread - so I'm waiting for the bad news about this method from you

[labdi01]

Further progress, comments and advice continued under thread called "New Pool Owner with High Iron Manually Removing Iron"...

[aylad]

Locking this one, so the other one can continue....

Janet