At the start, 9 hours later, and 24 hours later, courtesy ofjenna bradford
qWhat is the specific name ofthat filter? When I click on the photo/link to Amazon, it only shows a chemical dispenser, not any type of filter.
¡Gracias!
A.barbed hand: You can do two things to remove iron from pool water:
1. Place a Mr. Skimmer if it is not too dark of a brown. It may need to be replaced several times with a new one, depending on the size of the pool.
2. Whenever you add more water, be sure to use some type of filter. We have a 5 gallon bucket with a good lid. My husband added two spigots in the bottom (both on one side, not in the middle of the bottom of the bucket). He gets a mesh bag to put in the bucket like a garbage bag in a dumpster. Be careful not to push on the bucket and damage the seal around the faucets.
Fill the bucket as tightly as possible with Polyfill (used to stuff pillows). Push the mesh bag down and close the lid tightly. Connect the well to one faucet, make sure one is open and the other is closed.
Drill 3 rows of holes in one side of the lid (opposite side where the taps are). Position the lid tightly closed so that the spigots on the bottom are on the rounded bottom of the bucket and the holes in the lid are on the rounded top of the bucket. Position it so the lid is over the water, not the faucets. Open the water slowly at first so as not to open the lid. The water will fill and run through the poly, filtering out the iron.
lily of the valley mac
-Texas
June 30, 2022
A.Hello lili. Sorry if the ad confused you. In spite oflady pondersuggested a specific device to put on your hose to purify water, sorry your link is broken.
My personal opinion is that while this device will cause no harm, it probably won't solve the problem described here. The issue is that at a low pH, as the water comes from the well or from the tap, it can have a lot of iron that becomes invisible because it dissolves; but when chlorinated, which raises the pH, this dissolved iron precipitates out as a fine brown oxide.
compliments,
Ted Mooney, PHYSICAL EDUCATION. RIGHT
Striving to live Aloha
finish.com - Pine Beach, Nueva Jersey
A.Use flocking. This will cause the rust to settle to the bottom and you can vacuum.
lily of the valley mac
-Texas
July 2, 2022
Closely related posts, oldest first...
qHelp! We just built and filled a 15 x 15 x 3.5 pool and filled it with about 4646 gallons of our terrible iron-filled city water! We tested it, we electrocuted it, we tried the clarifier, and we still have the brown rust. Do I keep incubating the thing until it disappears (if ever)?
barbed hand
-Carpentersville, Illinois
2002
Editor's Summary: Readers can read this long thread in its entirety if they have time. But dozens of users have easily gone from rusty-brown water to a crystal-clear pool with simple home filters, ranging from a pair of white socks to a pair of 5-gallon buckets with a small sump pump in one and the fill of one. couple of old pillows in the other.Go to the first publication of homemade filters.
"What color is your pool?"
sinceAbe's Books
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A.Stop adding chlorine! Until you remove the iron, the water will turn brown. You are wasting your time and your money. Go to your local pool store and take a sample of your water with you. They should be able to test it and tell you exactly what to add to your pool water. Most likely it is what the pool store calls a "pool magnet." I just had the same problem and it took me about 3 days to turn 10,000 gallons of water from dark brown to light blue-green. My next step is to clean the water. However, my pool store told me to wait at least a week before adding more chlorine. I hope this helps. Have faith in the pool store. Yes, they are more expensive, but you get it right the first time, which in turn saves you time and money.
compliments,
joe sorbellini
- Mount Tremper, New York
A.Here in the Algarve we have the same problem with the water from the well, but we do the following. Hit the pool to oxidize the iron in the solution into floating sediment. We do this with the pump turned off at night, since the sun causes currents that interrupt the settling process. This lasts for 8 hours. Then we vacuum the rust from the bottom of the pool. I hope this helps.
felipe dalston
-Algarve, Portugal
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A.We just got a blue 18 foot Intex pool and it has the same brown water after hatching it. After spending a lot of money trying to clean up the water, I finally found something that works. I have a chemical called Super Quest (made by Sun). He removes and controls iron, copper, manganese, stains, and discoloration. I poured it all over the pool and then added a Natural Clarifier.
straight into my skimmer.
Every 1-2 hours I would take out the filter and clean it. After cleaning the filter, I added more Clarifier to the skimmer. If you don't have a slotted spoon, place it right next to where the water enters the filter. My water looks so much better. I still have a little way to go, but he's getting there. I hope this helps!
glass palm tree
-Lindstrom, Minnesota
July 25, 2006
?This question is in response to a post by Krystal P from Lindstrom, Minnesota. You mentioned a product called Super Quest for your pool. Where did you buy this product? I can't locate it. Any help from anyone would be appreciated. We can't seem to clean our pool and the water is full of rust. Thank you.
Ricardo Guedón
- Punta Gorda, Florida, United States
February 17, 2017
A.Hi Ricardo. The product Krystal was referring to appears to be "Sun Super Quest". There is an MSDS sheet for this athttp://appatek.com/MSDS/SUN/Super%20Quest.pdf. It may no longer exist. So compare what you can find to the MSDS. Good luck.
compliments,
Ted Mooney, PHYSICAL EDUCATION.
Striving to live Aloha
finish.com - Pine Beach, Nueva Jersey
----
ed. July 2022 Note: Sorry, that link no longer works, but the indescribably awesome Wayback Engine at archive.org finds it:https://web.archive.org/web/20170812060328/http://appatek.com/MSDS/SUN/Super%20Quest.pdf
qWhere did you buy the Super Quest? I can not find it?
queen d.
- Michigan River Bark
July 28, 2022
A.Hello Reno. This was apparently a product of Asepsis, Inc., Suwanee, GA, dba Sun Pool Products. They might as well be out of business. But there are hundreds of pool chemical suppliers that offer similar products. You can find out exactly what it was with the Wayback Engine URL I provide just above your post.
Good luck and Regards,
Ted Mooney, PHYSICAL EDUCATION. RIGHT
Striving to live Aloha
finish.com - Pine Beach, Nueva Jersey
qHi, I have terrible well water, lots and lots of rust. We were told our salt levels were too high and we needed to drain our blue pool more than halfway and add new water. Our problem is that our water is so bad! I added it and the pump goes like crazy. Two days have passed and the water is still so brown you can barely see the bottom. We have a Jandy salt generator. Should I hatch even if it's salt water? Also, we had two different pool companies taking care of our pool, neither of them knew how to take care of a salt water pool, I saw them advertise a chlorine tablet. They should have used chlorine in this type of pool. I want to start taking care of it myself but am not sure how to tell when salt or any other chemical is needed. Thanks for any information.
lara july
-Fort Pierce, Florida
2006
| UE O UE O | A.Ok, here's some help: there is a product called "Iron[access link]" -- you need to use the big bottle. It will clean the pool. Hope this helps. Thank you. Esperanza Stockton- Hot Springs, Arizona 2007 qI read that you could add "IronOut" to pool water, it's safe to swim in. Gina GreenRegistered Nurse - Sturbridge, Massachusetts 2007 qToday my pool water turned brown when I added my muriatic acid and chlorine. After researching the problem, I'm pretty sure it's due to excess iron in the water. Are you sure that "IronOut" is safe for the pool? How long did you wait before swimming? Seems really easy and cheap to fix, I totally agree :) Last year when I filled my pool I put a filter in the hose so it wouldn't catch the iron, this year I had a brain malfunction and forgot about it. all about it now i'm kicking myself. sherry fieldInground Pool Owner - Battle Creek, Michigan 2007 2007 !Asking about internet safety is like asking a stranger to watch your bag, Gina and Sherry. to goprobablystay well. But you never know for sure, so try to get a copy of the MSDS for "IronOut" from the manufacturer. Good luck! Ted Mooney, PHYSICAL EDUCATION. Striving to live Aloha finish.com - Pine Beach, Nueva Jersey A.If you check the "Iron Out" website, .k.a. "Super Iron Out", you will find that it is not recommended for use in swimming pools. It is used to clean the pool before/after use. See the website FAQ at www.ironout.com/questions/default.aspx tom williamsChemist - Waterford, Michigan 2007 There is a product called metal out for swimming pools. The filters will have to be cleaned and changed for a few days, but it works, I have well water Demetrice Witherow- Rock Falls, Illinois June 24, 2008 |
| O | !!The clouds parted and the heavens sang! We own the Intex Easy Set Up Pool. 12' x 30" Wow wow! -Ida Grove, Iowa 2007
- HARRISBURG, OR 2007 A.I called Oxi Clean to see what they were saying and they laughed at me and told me DO NOT put it in the pool. Not good for swimming...... Iron Out Tracking. I called the company and they said they would probably remove the iron from the water, but you would have to balance the pH as that would totally mess it up. However, they do NOT recommend that children swim in the pool after placing the iron on the outside. Iron Out water has filters for in-ground pools, but nothing for above-ground pools. I'm looking for something to help as well... I think I'll go with the vacuum approach mentioned above. Lots of work but cheap and I can get close to clear water my kids can swim in. Rebeca Bates-Moville, Iowa 2007 A.I went out and bought 2lbs of Oxiclean and added it to my pool water (18x48 Intex) like many people, my water was very brown and it was going through filters like crazy. I am happy to say that my pool water is clean and the pH level is right where it should be. It's been a week since I made this and it still looks great. Last year I spent hundreds of dollars in chemicals and water trying to get clean and this year I spent $8.00. Roberto Taylor-Rolfe, Iowa May 19, 2008 !I can't imagine iron being harmful to children (except for the pH balance being out of whack until it can be adjusted). One of its recommended uses is to pour it into your water softener to remove rust buildup. I put it in the water softener all the time. I know it works great on all my other iron issues. I'm going to try it in my Intex pool. Rob Van Den Berg-Otsego, Minnesota June 2, 2008 Visit www.oxiclean.com/faq.asp for information on using Oxiclean in swimming pools - NOT GOOD. You should not clean your coffee maker with it, imagine what is ingested if it is in the pool water! Q: Can I use OxiClean to clean my pool or hot tub? Q: Can I use OxiClean instead of chlorine to treat my pool or hot tub? -Somonauk, Illinois June 28, 2008 |
We have well water with iron, when chlorine is added to it it turns brown. Came to this view from the web read about OxiClean someone wrote here: IT DOESN'T WORK IT JUST MAKES THE WATER CLOUDY NOT TO MENTION IT'S PROBABLY NOT GOOD TO SWIM NOW INSTEAD OF CLEAR BROWN WATER I HAVE THICK WHITE WATER AND MIST. I guess that's what I get for taking advice from a stranger.Super easy home filtering
A.Have a good and cheap solution that worked for us. Take a white bath towel and hang it on the steps of your above ground pool, directly in front of the pool pump discharge line. The white towel catches the rust. Let it hang for a few hours and then remove the towel and hose the rust off the towel and repeat. We even let the towel build up overnight and rinse it out the next day. Keep repeating as long as you have time. Yes, you have to keep the pump running to do this, but it will remove the rust. If you don't believe it, try it once and you'll be amazed at how much rust accumulates on that towel. We took it a few weekends and once or twice a day on weekdays (we have work), but it worked better than any chemical suggested by the local pool supply people. Continue to check the cartridge filter and clean it as well; It doesn't do a good job of collecting rust, but it will collect some and needs cleaning whenever the water is heavy.
R Jones
- Frederica, Delaware
June 3, 2008
A.To increase the effectiveness of Intex paper filters, build your own filter. A quick fix is to place an old cotton sock over the filter basket in the skimmer. Stuff the toe into the basket. Add higher levels of chlorine to release the iron and watch your socks turn brown.
Take off your socks, wash them and reuse them. Continue until the pool loses its green hue and turns blue. It works for smaller pools.
A more complex iron strainer can be made by drilling 1/4" holes in the bottom of an old 1 gallon milk jug, pack it tightly with pillow/teddy bear stuffing (the white polyester stuff from Wal-Mart) and connect it to the return container hose inside the pool If you have the Intex skimmer the hose fits snugly over the neck of the milk jug just secure with a clamp or clamp and move the hose over to the return fitting on place of departure.Keep rinsing the griddle with cool water.water when it gets dark, or throw out the jar and make another one, it only takes a few hours to see a significant improvement.
When you're done, give it a shake and enjoy the clear water.
Filtering iron is better than sequestering it; the iron is still there, you just can't see it.
Pete Dymond
-Jacksonville, Florida
June 3, 2008
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Well, here's a great solution to your (pool) iron problem.
I just used this prefilter. Many pool/spa stores have them for around $20.00. It connects to a garden hose and then fills the pool or spa with any type of water. You can get more information from the link.
www.hottubessentials.ca/1-micron-spa-fill-filter.asp
lady ponder
lela pull
- Flesherton, Ontario, Canada
June 8, 2008
I was so thankful to stumble upon this forum. My first thought was to tryIron[access link], but it seemed a little dangerous to me. After reading more, I realized that I could not test the flat iron or Oxy Clean. I wouldn't feel comfortable swimming in these chemicals, so why would I let the kids do it? I was very relieved to hear the simple method of placing the towel in front of the filter. I had instant results. I cleaned the filter, put the towel in the water and in about four hours I noticed a huge difference. Thank you!
anderson
- Fedscreek, Kentucky
June 8, 2008
So I've combined two techniques here into one and I'm getting AMAZING results. When I say amazing, my pool is 10 shades lighter than it was this morning. You see, I thought I had seaweed and started meditating on it! I just made the water more and more brown. Anyway, I used the cotton sock inside the filter compartment and all that jazz and instead of a white towel in front of the discharge port, a baby cotton sock fits snug enough that it won't fly off.
I have washed the socks three times and the pool is making DRASTIC IMPROVEMENTS! You can spend money to solve this problem, or you can save money for the gas tank and use those socks that the Gnomes stole from the partners. Trust me, THIS SOLUTION IS AWESOME!
otis anderson
- Asheboro, NC
June 10, 2008
A.Unfortunately, I learned more about this than I ever wanted to. Three years ago we moved to an area where our only source of water is well water. The first year I filled our pool and it was so dark and brown you couldn't see the bottom. I did a lot of research and found a product called "Slime Bag". This bag fits in the water return of my filter. After the first few hours, I noticed a noticeable difference. I took out the bag, rinsed and repeated. Within 2 days my water was crystal blue. The following year I used the "silt bag filler bag" while filling the pool and placed another one over the water return in the filter. The water was clear within 2 days of filling. This year I tried another approach because I wanted to avoid buying another bag of slime. So I just filled the pool 1-2" a day for 1 hour a day. The water was almost cloudy and I was euphoric. I thought the problem with the iron was solved because we had replaced the filter and pipes for our water pump. However two days after filling the pool and letting the pump run the water was still a bit cloudy so I did a shock treatment and within minutes my water turned reddish brown so I went back to using my mud bags in the water.Again, it's working.Takes a few days, but seriously, putting Oxy Clean or Iron Out in the water looks really scary.
The slime bags actually remove the iron so you can add chlorine for the rest of the summer without a problem. I've never tried the sock or towels, but you might as well give it a try. If they work it would definitely be cheaper than slime bags!
Tracie Hansen
-Newberg, Oregon
June 23, 2008
A.Well, I had this EXACT problem. We have an intex pool, and I really wanted to throw it away, but then we DID. We also have well water. Every time we hatched it turned a disgusting BROWN. The pool boy says there are too many metals in the water. We emptied the pool, this time we filled it with water, but at the end of the hose we used several coffee filters and the tightly attached sock at the end. I got this tip from the neighbors...
I think it helps filter the water. When the pool is completely full, we put 3 metal bottles in it. We also upgraded the paper filter with a better one we bought at the pool store. I waited three days, bought liquid chlorine (kind of light green), and my water is beautiful. The pool place told me not to beat up the powder that comes in the bag just to use this, and so far it's been PERFECT.
cooperative stacy
-Hammond Louisiana
June 28, 2008
qCame into this thread on a somewhat desperate search Friday night. 24 hours before my home/garden/pool was to participate in our community Garden Tour, my pool heater burped rust into my newly shimmering pool and it turned chocolate brown.
I found this thread. I tried theOxiClean[access link]route (any port in a storm, 21:00 the night before). Within 12 hours it was 75% clear again, within 24 hours it was crystal clear. It is a bit foamy, with that it goes down little by little.
I became the swimming guinea pig and everything seems to be fine.
However, since there are warnings about mixing OxyClean and chlorine-containing products, I'm still a little afraid to re-chlorinate the pool. Does anyone have experience with this trace step?
Janet Armadura
-Battle Creek, Míchigan
June 29, 2008
A.Hello Janet. I'm not a pool owner, but that's what comes to my mind. The brown color is precipitated (very small particles of) iron. Yes, it is exactly the same as rust particles. If iron is present in the water, it precipitates as particles when the water is alkaline and tends to dissolve clear when the water is acidic or if there is a complexing/sequestering agent (OxyClean or Super IronOut) dissolving it.
So it seems to me that the best approach is to filter the iron out of the incoming water. If you're not in the pool, it can't get dark.
If you haven't, the next best thing is to hurry; but then you have to filter to get the iron out of the pool. Ideas about socks and towels and such seem to work.
The third approach, dissolving the iron back into solution with Oxyclean or whatever, seems like a very temporary fix; every time you adjust the pH or add chlorine (which is too alkaline), you are again fighting to keep that newly dissolved iron from darkening the water. I would say that is the wrong approach.
Greetings and good luck,
Ted Mooney, PHYSICAL EDUCATION.
Striving to live Aloha
finish.com - Pine Beach, Nueva Jersey
July 2, 2008
qFinding this forum gives me hope! - My husband "talked" to me about buying an intex pool and filling it with well water... well water? How about "hell water"? Fortunately, as soon as I saw the pool filled with dark chocolate brown water, I jumped online and found this forum.
The idea of "filtering out the iron, rather than soaking it in chemicals" makes more sense to me - I tried the towel trick last night and was thrilled this morning with the amount of iron collected, even though there are no visible signs of improvement in the iron. water still - I feel good about approaching the problem this way. I also found my old ornamental pond pump and put it on the third step of the ladder and filled the filter housing that came with the pump with fiber (another tip on this site) - and weighed it down so it would stay in the deep pool - I'm thinking this could work like the milk jug idea. - Here's a question for you all - How about "fake" the pump that comes with the pool and use something to filter in the pump housing IN ADDITION TO THE FILTER that comes with it? with that? Any ideas?
susana gray
-Medina, Ohio
July 2, 2008
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I'm glad I stumbled upon this forum as well. I have an 18x52" intex with the salt water system. My water was BROWN! I don't add any more to my pool for fear of hurting my kids skin. I went to the pool store and added a de-planing agent and i used the sock over the outlet valve i am amazed that in 2 days i have almost clear water, and after vacuuming and cleaning the walls - tomorrow i will have nice and tempting water!my kids can keep swimming in it while the agent is on in the pool. One more tip: put in some extra filters from the pool store and you'll be very happy in 3 days. Good luck.
Jane Christmas
- Zimmerman, Minnesota
July 7, 2008
A.I made my own filter. I cut my filter paper. I drilled 4 1/16 holes at the top of the blue rubber and 4 holes in the same spot at the top and bottom of the plastic center of the filter. I reattached the blue top to the middle with steel wire. I then wrapped a 4-ply thick white towel around the center of the filter. then I put 3 rubber bands at the top, middle and bottom to hold the towel.
Change it every 3 hours if your pool is really bad. You can clean the towels with an iron, but rinse them well before using them again. I also used 3 mops from Wal-Mart, folded them in half, sewed 2 of the open sides together to make a long tube and attached it to the outlet inside the pool, changed twice a day. my pool was thick and brown and after 3 days it is now clean.
heather on low heat
-Cornell, Wisconsin
July 8, 2008
qHow did you plug the towels into the socket?
Thanks for the towel solution...hope it works for my pool
candice barry
- Middletown, Rhode Island
July 8, 2008
qI have a question. I've read all the posts and love the idea of the lint filled gallon jug...but not sure where to plug it in. Please clear up my confusion! Thank you! Missing in action
my happiness
- Elmira, New York
July 8, 2008
A.We bought an intex 10 x 30 pool that was easy to assemble. We live in an area where there is only water from a well. We started filling the pool and chlorinated it and it turned a dark brown. So we took some of the suggestions before disassembling the pool and putting itIron[access link]in the pool and it is completely clear. I also place a sock over the pumped water to collect any extra stuff the filter doesn't catch. I was worried about trying it, but it works.
Erika[last name removed for privacy by Editor]
- Jasper, Indiana
July 11, 2008
A.I also have well water and I asked a neighbor before I started filling my grandson's Intex pool and it was a god send. because your husband made a filtration system for your aboveground pool, when they have to add water, and all you have to do is think about the system you have for your home and buy one of those cartridge systems (just the container that the filter goes in, and then you buy a cheap hose and connect one end to one end and the same thing to the other, then you connect the outside hose to one end and start filling your pool and check several times during the filling process to see if the the filter needs to be changed go to your local pool store and buy some mineral and don't forget when you filter the pool use the white sock over the old filter and let the pool run for at least 12 hours and check after the sock and change it if need be and you are ready to go it sounds like a lot but buying the filter for 20.00 and filtering the water while you fill the pool trust me once you wow it you won't have 99% of the problems that m most of you have having.
donna reynolds
- Valparaiso, Indiana
July 12, 2008
A.I have a 24ft x 52" pool that was installed two weeks ago. I used HTH "mineral out" after filling (we have well water) and waited three days before turning on our saltwater chlorinator. Pool was beautiful , clear water with it wasn't cloudy I thought it had the iron wow it was just kidnapped we just had a big rain today and for some reason the iron rusted and became visible the water turned wonderfully brown once hour after the rain. I don't know why... Well, I'll remove the iron now instead of sequestering it. I'll use the milk jugs tomorrow morning and tell you how it went. Just know if he uses a sequestering agent, if anything changes in water chemistry, you may still have brown water to deal with.
sheri holmes
- Santa Fe, Texas
July 17, 2008
I have installed our 18' Intex pool for a month now and we are having the same problems as everyone else on this forum. With the short swimming season here in Wisconsin, my kids were fooled by this bad water problem...we had the same water last year with absolutely no problem (makes one wonder what happened to the wells in town).
Anyway, thanks for the solution everyone, let's try the towel/sock method. We took the sample to one of the "experts" at the local pool and they gave me a bottle of acid which didn't seem to do anything (I think it helped solidify the metal so the filter could remove it). We have been filtering non-stop for 2 weeks now and instead of looking like 6000 gallons of Coke we now have a beautiful shade of iced tea. I hope the towel works...
I spoke to someone recently who mentioned that Intex supply the lowest level cartridge filters/pumps and they are totally inadequate for the amount of water.
We go out and buy a 4,000 gallon per hour pump and see if that helps speed up the cleanup process.
Thanks for all the tips and advice on this forum... I'll update when we have results, good or bad.
erik miller
-La Crosse, Wisconsin
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