We drained our pool, although not all the way, to have tile work done. The workers were less than clean and all of the grout, plaster, and other junk fell into the water. We drained it as far as we could prior to refilling but unfortunately we were not able to get it all out. We filled it from the city fire hydrant which also appears to have thrown some rust in. The water is completely brown. We have yet to start the filter as we had to wait to fill the pool above the intakes. How can I get the water clear without attempting to completely drain it again? Help!!!
Brown Water after Tile Work Done
- Thread starter Juhnklo
- Start date
jeffbrig
0
- Sep 24, 2014
- 154
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
If the brown is from metal, it's not something you can filter out. You'd be talking sequestrants, which I have zero experience with. If it's particulates from the grout or plaster, your filter can probably pull it out once running. I don't think there's much of anything you can do while the pool is filling.
Welcome! 
Let the pH stay up high and raise the FC and all that Iron will likely settle out so you can vacuum it up and then clean the filter and get rid of it. The pool might even turn a shade of orange or yellow or green. Layering paper towels in the skimmer or packing it full of polyester pillow stuffing will also catch a lot of it. Check out the picture. A Tale of Two Filters... and Ugly, Rusty Water.
Whatever's left after a few days will probably have to be contained with a sequestrant. It doesn't remove the Iron, it just binds it up so it doesn't show and can't stain. The hard candy shell on an M&M is a sequestrant. The chocolate is still there, you just don't see it and it doesn't melt in your hand!
Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains
Let the pH stay up high and raise the FC and all that Iron will likely settle out so you can vacuum it up and then clean the filter and get rid of it. The pool might even turn a shade of orange or yellow or green. Layering paper towels in the skimmer or packing it full of polyester pillow stuffing will also catch a lot of it. Check out the picture. A Tale of Two Filters... and Ugly, Rusty Water.
Whatever's left after a few days will probably have to be contained with a sequestrant. It doesn't remove the Iron, it just binds it up so it doesn't show and can't stain. The hard candy shell on an M&M is a sequestrant. The chocolate is still there, you just don't see it and it doesn't melt in your hand!
Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains
This is great information. We are going to start working on the pool this afternoon, hoping to get the filter up and running. Definitely going to try the paper towels. I am up for anything at this point!!