Just starting - 16x32 - Well Water

[drekar42]

Just starting and filling a pool with well water. I know that my water has hardness but I'm not sure about the rest of it.

I've got a good test kit and I've read the pool basics here on the forum and I think I understand the concepts but I've yet to be able to find a forum that give me the best starting spot.


What should I add first - Chlorine??


Thanks,
Dave
16x32 vinyl - hayward cartridge - 1.5 pump (nothing fancy)

 

[Texas Splash]

For algae control, you need two things:
- Stabilizer (CYA) - Go for a starting goal of 30 ppm for now; use the sock soaking method.
- Chlorine (FC) - Add enough regular bleach for an FC goal of about 2-3ppm on day 1. After that, once the stabilizer is all dissolved and in the water, increase FC to about 4 and never below 2. From then on, balance as noted on the Chlorine/CYA Chart (link below).

For scale protection:
- Keep your pH in the mid 7s, and never let it go over 7.8. In fact, since well water typically has iron in it, keep the pH on the lower end of about 7.2-7.5 for now.
- TA can vary widely based on the stability of the pH, but look for a TA goal of somewhere between 70-100 for now. If your area has very high TA in the fill water, you will probably need to lower it over time. We'll show you that later.
- Unless you have a heater, CH can be as low as zero. If it starts to get extremely high though (400+), let us know.

I would recommend taking a non-chlorinated water sample to the pool store just to test for iron content if any. Ignore everything else they say. :blah: If you have iron, let us know.

Make sure to read/bookmark the vital links below in my signature. They will help all season long. Don't forget to update your signature as well, to include which test kit you are using (TF-100 or Taylor K-2006C).

- - - Updated - - -

Also, as you are filling, place a white t-shirt over the ends of the hose for a while. See if you get any iron/rust from the well's fill water. That will also tell us if you have iron.

 

[Texas Splash]

If you do find that you have iron in that well water, pre-filter as much as you can now. Do a search here at TFP for pre-filter and removing iron from water and you'll see various pre-filtering ideas. The more you remove now before it reacts with the chlorine the better. Also see: Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains

 

[drekar42]

So - my ph was show as 8.0 - I used the pool match calculator to see how much muratic acid to add.

I did that this afternoon - I'm guessing let that go for 24hrs and recheck tomorrow.

As mentioned, then I will add my cya and then the FC the next day our several hours after the CYA.

Does this sound right?

Dave

 

[Texas Splash]

You can re-test the pH in about 30 minutes or so. No need to wait until tomorrow. CYA is a little different. Whatever your CYA goal is, add enough stabilizer then once dissolved in the water, you should be able to re-test the CYA in a day or two and be very close to your new goal.

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And you can also add bleach (FC) at anytime and check about 30 minutes after circulating. But never add bleach and muriatic acid at the same time in the same location. They don't place nice together.

 

[drekar42]

I can't thank you enough for your help - PH is no in range and I have added the liquid chlorine and the CYA is in the sock in front of a return.

I will test again tomorrow and post the results. Also, I'm assuming that if I have iron in the water I will wake up to orange water. We will see.

Thanks again.

 

[drekar42]

Monday 4/23/2018 - UPDATE
PH 7.0
FC 5.2
CYA - Just under 30

Obviously a little high on the FREE chlorine

Any pointers?

 

[Texas Splash]

I would just make sure your CYA is a good/solid 30. If you still see the dot, maybe increase slightly. If the CYA is newly added, you can check again in another day or two to see if it increased enough. The FC is fine and it's good that to this point you don't appear to see any adverse reactions to the iron. Perhaps your iron content is low, but just keep an eye on it. Iron tends to show its ugly colors and temper when the FC gets high and also if the pH is allowed to get too high. Right now you're in a good spot. If at some point you do see unusual changes in the water color (green, brown, etc) or staining, then you know the iron is waking up and you'll need to make some changes. As a precaution, you might want to read the TFP Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains just to stay a step ahead of the game. Other than that, keep up the good work and monitor. Have a good day.

 

[drekar42]

So the number still look good and I'm continuing to monitor - especially as I learn.

Quick questions relating to hardness. I do have pretty hard well water - is there any way to soften the water in the pool?

 

[Texas Splash]

is there any way to soften the water in the pool?

About the only way to soften (lower the CH level in) a pool is to replace the existing water with softer water - either by trucking it in or by using a water softener if you have one large enough that can take the frequent recharge cycles. Other than that, we simply manage our levels as noted on the TFP Recommended Levels page (link below).

 

[drekar42]

Just an update - the pump has been running for two day and I went to vacuum and noticed that the pump took a while to prime. I opened up the cartridge filter and it was completely orange. I rinsed it off (went back to blue), put it back, and then it worked perfectly.

Is it possibly that the filter is catching all the iron?? (or rust I guess)

Also, I've seem people add salt to their pools that have hard water but does that really help or is that a horrible idea.

 

[Texas Splash]

Is it possibly that the filter is catching all the iron?? (or rust I guess)

Absolutely! Well, at least some, maybe not all. What you will find is that your water will have a fine line between clear with no problems as opposed to clear/tinted with iron precipitating effects (discolorations, staining, etc). What separates those two worlds? Basically the amount of iron in the water and the level of FC and pH. When the iron begins to precipitate, the more you catch the better. So your cartridge did some, but there's probably more. You could also consider putting some towels, paper towels, or batting material in the skimmer. That works often times as long as you can do it without starving the pump for water. As for an SWG, perhaps the biggest advantage is that because we recommend a much higher CYA level for SWG pools, they can have a relatively lower (consistent) FC level throughout the day/night. That in itself doesn't guarantee you won't see a reaction, but the FC level is a factor.

The other thing you can consider once you believe you've physically trapped all the iron you can is to start using a sequestrant on a regular basis. The Magic Jack's brand is very popular with TFP members. The sequestrant is added periodically to keep the iron "suspended" and reduce bleeding out to the pool surfaces.
Pool School - Metals in the Water and Metal Stains

 

[duraleigh]

Is it possibly that the filter is catching all the iron?? (or rust I guess)

Perhaps, but it will not catch ALL the iron and you continue to add more each time you refill your pool.

Iron will plague you constantly unless you refill your pool with softened water a little at a time or you continually apply a sequestrant to keep the iron in suspension.

 

[drekar42]

Tuesday - 4/24/2018
PH - 7.4
FC - 5PPM
CH - 425
CYA - 30

I do have a softener and iron filter for my whole house and I can do 1600 gallons before it has to recharge.

My plan is to remove some of the water and fill with that - then all my refill throughout the summer will be the good water.

Does that sound like a plan or are there better options?

 

[Texas Splash]

My plan is to remove some of the water and fill with that - then all my refill throughout the summer will be the good water.

That certainly is reasonable. We understand not everyone can drain the majority of their pool & have fresh water trucked in. So you do what you can and manage from there.

 

[duraleigh]

Does that sound like a plan or are there better options?

Sounds like a GOOD plan. In time, your softened fill water will replace your iron laden water and your issue will be over.

 

[drekar42]

So - I drained about 3500 gallons and replaced with softened and iron free water.

My CH is now right around 250 !!

What I'm having trouble with is lowering my TA (currently around 250)

I've dropped by PH and I have a aerator running for 3 days
My FC and CYA levels are all good.

Any thoughts?
Dave

 

[Texas Splash]

I've dropped by PH and I have a aerator running for 3 days

Just stick with it really. Allow the pH to climb to 7.8 before knocking back down to 7.0, aerate - repeat. Once you get down to about 100 or so, leave the TA alone for a bit and watch the pH. As long as the pH is fairly stable, you can leave the TA alone. Hope that helps.

 

[drekar42]

5/6/2018
FC - 5ppm
TA - 100
PH - aerating to get to 7.4 (just dropped it 7.0, hopefully for the last time)
CH - 150

Any other numbers that I should really focus on?

Thank you all for your help, I think I'm slowly begin to understand the correlation between the different reading. You answers and suggestions seemed to have worked.

 

[drekar42]

Looking ahead to the summer - what do most of you do when you are gone for a week or two. I'm consider putting in an in-line chlorinator just for these times but I'm curious if there's a better way.

Thanks