Without even knowing it, there is a big chance that there is iron inside of your pool. If you think there is, here’s how to remove iron from pool water.
You may not be aware of it, but there is an extremely big chance that your pool has iron in it. This is one of the reasons as to why your pool becomes brown or discolored.
There is most likely iron and rust inside that can contaminate the water. Not only does this look very unsightly, but it is also bad for the equipment of the pool. That’s why you need to learn how to remove iron from pool water right away.
In this guide, we’ll not just teach you how to remove iron from swimming pool water, but we’ll also explain what causes iron to get into your pool and what equipment you can use.
So, without further introduction, let’s get to it:
Contents
What Causes Brown Rusty Water In My Pool?
First of all, you need to know where the iron comes from. By knowing that, you can somehow prevent your pool from getting any iron in the first place.
It’s interesting to note that iron is found in the earth’s crust. That’s why water that has had contact with earth will always have traces of iron inside. Now, when the iron mixes with the water, it will corrode. Once it corrodes, it will contaminate the pool.
So, how does fill water get into your pool in the first place?
For one, if you use bad quality pool equipment, the iron that comes from the equipment will corrode and mix with the pool water. That’s why it’s always important to use high-quality pool equipment to clean your pool.
How do you know if there is iron in your pool, anyway?
The most obvious sign is discoloration. Usually, metals have a medium level if ever your pool looks kind of green. Once it has very high levels, your pool will eventually turn brown.
However, a pool filled with an iron will not always have blatant discoloration. Thus, a more accurate way to know whether there’s iron in your pool or not is to test it.
Things To Prepare For Removing Iron From Pool
Now that you know the causes of pool discoloration and how to identify it, we can proceed with how to get brown pool water clear.
First off, you’re going to need a number of tools to help you out. Don’t worry, these tools are easily accessible or can even be found in the pool shed of most pool owners. These are basically just a few chemicals to remove iron from pool water.
If you don’t already have them at home, you can buy them in your pool store.
Here they are:
- Pool Shock
- Flocculent
- Sequestering Agents
- Iron Remover
These are some of the chemicals you’ll need for this job. Now, you may be asking whether using chemicals is the only way to get rid of iron.
How about a sand filter? Will a sand filter remove iron from pool water?
A sand filter does work in getting rid of some iron in the pool. However, our experience tells us that chemicals still work best in totally eliminating metals.
How To Remove Iron From Pool Water?
With that out of the way, let’s move on to the methods on how to remove iron from the pool.
Take a look at them below:
1. Shock The Pool
The first method is to shock the pool. You can use either a chlorine-based shock or a non-chlorine based shock depending on your pool. When the shock treatment separates the rust from the water, vacuum the rust out and let the vacuum run for around 6 hours.
2. Use Flocculants
Flocculants can attract the metal particles to the floor of the pool until the metals turn into big pieces. When they turn into big pieces, you just need to remove them.
How much flocculant should you use?
Well, one-quarter of flocculant is usually used for every 6500 gallons of water. You can use this as your guide.
3. Prevent Oxidation
In order to prevent oxidation, you need to use a sequestering agent. Once you use the agent, you can get the metals out since they’ve not oxidized.
4. Use An Iron Remover
The last method is to use an iron remover. First, drop the chlorine levels to 0 and then lower the pH level of the pool. Once that is done, add the iron remover. You should add 1 quarter of remover (one that is specifically for iron) for every 5000 gallons of pool water. Leave the iron remover overnight then raise the pH levels back to normal once it’s done.
Conclusion
Do take note that it’s important to follow these steps on how to remove iron from pool water to the dot. If you want to completely remove iron from your pool, you need to make sure that you use the exact amount of chemicals otherwise it won’t work.
So, now that you know exactly what to do, removing iron from the pool should be a breeze.
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