Worrying about the effects of chemicals on your pool? We’ll show you six straightforward steps on how to get iron out of pool water for best use.
Have you ever wondered how certain chemicals get in the way of making the most out of your pool?
In this article, we’ll show you how to get iron out of pool water.
While it usually is existent, excessive amounts can disintegrate your pool surfaces, impacting water quality. Remember, too much of something can be harmful.
An oversaturation manifests in a cloudy or stained pool water. Expelling iron the fastest way will save you from unwanted costs and inconvenience later on.
What Happens If My Pool Has Too Much Iron?
The first ones that will suffer from an overwhelming amount of iron are your pool, hair, and nails.
Too much of it can harm your walls, floor, and pump, leaving it all stained. Not only that, but your nails and hair will also be discolored as a swimmer. Who would want that? No one.
Eventually, the rust can corrode copper metals as well, impacting other parts of your fixtures.
Thus, it is imperative to know about the indications of extreme iron before it makes your pool rust.
How To Get Iron Out Of Pool Water?
You might be thinking if there’s a way to identify and spot iron before it causes damage. Initially, if your pool has levels of iron, it looks rusty brown, green, or even has a black hue. Note, however, that this is not the case every time. That’s why it’s crucial to follow the proper steps. In the following section, we’ll show you the best way to clean iron out of pool water.
- Test. Use a test kit to make sure that iron is genuinely what’s causing problems in your pool. About 0.2 parts per million (PPM) can start creating stains already.
- Add shock. Use chlorine or non-chlorine depending on what fits your pool type and follow the label instructions. Then, add a clarifier treatment to decrease iron buildup. Usually, you can run your pool between 6-8 hours during the procedure. Shock works perfectly in wrecking contaminants. Afterward, clean the sides of your pool to extricate iron adhered to the pool dividers.
- Add flocculent. If you’re wondering what to use to get iron out of pool water, this substance will bind itself to the metal and pull it to the base of the pool. Backwash the pump before adding the flocculent for backward flow. Use 1/4 gallons of the additive for every 6,500 gallons of pool water.
- Vacuum. Do this to expel the iron that’s now at the bottom of the pool.
- Maintain pH level. Around 7.2 – 7.6 is ideal. This amount will prevent and remove stains. Ensure that you check your water’s pH level every week and adjust as needed.
- Change the water partly. When the level of iron is above 0.5 PPM, do a water change partially.
Tips And Reminders
- Chelating agent. If, by any chance, your water source is filled with iron and you can’t find an alternative to fill your pool, you must add a chelating agent regularly, also known as “metal out products”. Doing so will make any additional metal that shows up at the source be held by the pool in an idle complex.
- Stop chlorinating. If you add chlorine regularly and your water is still rusty, stop doing so as it will worsen the staining. You have to know how to get iron out of pool water fast as mentioned in the steps above, then proceed with the rest of your pool maintenance.
- Differentiate calcium-rich from iron-rich water. Make sure to test everything to know the root cause of your problem. In contrast to iron-rich water, a pool that has excess calcium will need to be treated differently by completely draining all of the water. While for iron-rich ones, it can still be treated by merely changing the water partially.
- You can test both iron and copper in a similar way. An indication is through the colors. Rusty brown signals high iron, while green shows high copper. In this way, you can treat your pool water accordingly.
Conclusion
You have already learned how to get iron out of pool water at this point. Keep in mind that iron, just like other metals, can be extremely toxic and harmful to your health in high concentration levels.
While overexposure to certain chemicals may be cumbersome, there’s always a way to solve things efficiently and proactively. As long as you know the antidote with the right product to use, you can couple it with direct and straightforward steps mentioned above. Now that you’re fully equipped with the proper know-how, you’ll be able to achieve your goal of a pleasurable indoor activity in no time.
