Filled my pool with well water and now the water is brown. what can i do to clear the water up?

Question

The pool is a intex above ground 24'x12'x48" and holds about 5,400gal of water. I put pool start-up chems in, chlorine tabs and had the filter running and it has not cleared up. Had to clean the filter 2 times already, was real brown. Some body told me to put household bleach in but nothing, what can i do?

Answer 1

Yeah chances are you have iron in your pool. Get your pH down to 7.2-7.4 and buy some metal sequestering agent to help keep the iron in solution so it wont stain or be noticeable.

Answer 2

have to shock it with muratic acid and clorine, get instructions on how much.

Answer 3

Well water with high iron content may look brown after being oxidized by chlorine. Here is a link to a page showing comments from others with a similar problem:

http://www.finishing.com/149/95.shtml

If this is the problem, it can also stain the inside of the pool. I suggest a visit to a pool supply store and be sure to take a sample of your pool's water.

Answer 4

ummm.... it sounds like it has high levels of iron and minerals so i would shock the pool with clhorine based shock and wait 12 hours and try bleach if that doesnt work then try to pump all the water out and refill it without the well water and it wont be brown. And if it doesnt work well sorry im only 11 yrs old lol. welll hope i could help bye.

Answer 5

Check the pool start-up chemicals you bought.  Did it include packages of shock? (They usually do).  If so, was it chlorine-based shock or oxygen-based shock?  The chlorine-based shock is the strongest so if the water is brown because it is stagnant or dirty then go get some chlorine shock and put it in!  

I would NOT recommend putting in household bleach, especially with your chlorine tablets running in there.  Mixing chlorine and bleach, though they seem similar, can have an effect on your health (especially if you breathe in the gas they can create).  If you want to give it the effect of putting bleach in it, USE CHLORINE-BASED SHOCK.  

If your other levels are okay (alkalinity, pH, chlorine) then it could be due to mineral deposits in the water.  You should then buy a mineral stain and scale remover and pour in the recommended dosage into your pool. Fill an old water bottle with water from about a foot and a half under the surface of your pool, and bring it into your local pool store to get your levels tested.  They can tell you a more accurate reading than just strip tests can at home.  Plus most stores offer it for free.

Remember, always give your pool at least 12 hours after you shock it before you go swimming in it, when using a chlorine-based shock.