I would like to know if my fill water contains iron, but I really don't want to purchase a test kit unless I have to.
Alas, none of the stores in my area can test for it.JasonLion said:Also, at least half of all pool stores won't/can't test for iron.
I too have debated with myself whether I want to expend hardly-earned cash for an expensive kit that will test iron. You may want to weigh your perceived need for such a kit vs. the expense, and consider Jason's comments above regarding the too-often inaccuracy of pool store testing. That's my dilemma at the moment. If your pool store says, yes, you have too much iron, what do you plan to do about it? And, to what end? If your fill water tests high for iron the pre-fill treatment can be very costly.Beez said:I would like to know if my fill water contains iron, but I really don't want to purchase a test kit unless I have to.
In your case, I'm not sure the copper test makes sense since copper is not a naturally occuring element in pool water.I'll probably be taken to task for this, but I'm considering purchase of a combined copper/iron kit
I'm sure the chance of your being correct is at least 99% . . . but through some snooping around and talking to one neighbor I found out that the fill water for my pool is channeled through copper piping, which is installed throughout the house and close to 30 years old. They found, via a water testing service, relatively high levels of copper --but no iron -- in their tap water. Aqua Chek produces several inexpensive solutions in the form of test strips, but because of my negative experience with their salt test strips I'm a bit leary of them. Ditto for nitrates/nitrites. Of course, the discrepancy I spoke of elsewhere might be explained by an as-yet-unidentified mineral salt skewing the salt test result.duraleigh said:In your case, I'm not sure the copper test makes sense since copper is not a naturally occuring element in pool water.
If the source is your fill water you will have to trap it there or find a way to recycle your pool water using a specialized service (a big water truck with an iron filter.) So that sounds like a one-test decision that could be performed by a water testing service, pool store, test strips or kit. It seems that both geekgranny and chem geek have, in the past year or so, done the pool-wide AA treatment; their comments are contained in a thread that discusses this in some detail. Alice (gg) used a sequesterant; not sure about Richard (chem geek):Beez said:The reason I started this thread is that I suspect iron staining on my plaster. See this thread. So I was contemplating the AA treatment, when I began to question the original source of the iron. Where did it come from in the first place? I'm on a municipal supply, so it shouldn't be in the fill water, but then again my house is plumbed with old galvanized pipes. Is it possible the iron leached out of the pipes?
I was thinking of a drain/refill along with the AA treatment, but if my fill water is the source that wouldn't help. And if I don't use a sequestrant, which I don't intend to, the stains will come back, right?
I can't believe the Dallas County municipal supply would contain a significant amount of iron. If the fill water is the source I would think it would have to be coming from my plumbing. If that is possible...zea3 said:Try contacting your local water authority. They may have information available as to what is in your tap water.
Duh, feeling like a dummy again! I did know that, but thanks for reminding me!bk406 said:Water from the tap can most defnately contain dissolved iron. Water companies do not routinely remove iron. It's usually suspended in the reduced form and its harmless in terms of a health issue. But, it does stain, obviously. You can see it percipitate on your bathroom fixtures if the concentration is high enough.
Water suppliers certainly vary in their responses to consumers. In some California counties the water districts will upon request send out a team of evaluators to perform a complete analysis (for free.) My neighbor heard about this and in response to her request the utility sent her the same annual report they send everyone, along with a boiler-plate letter with the usual propaganda about how our water is the best in the nation... etc., ad naseum. Unless the water is tested at your house, it doesn't matter what the water company says is in it.Beez said:I can't believe the Dallas County municipal supply would contain a significant amount of iron. If the fill water is the source I would think it would have to be coming from my plumbing. If that is possible...
I found a pack of strips for various metals at HD once. It was cheap enough, probably the $10 range, that I picked it up. Whether it's all that trustworthy is a separate question. (I didn't find any metals. I just wasn't used to pools being blue, that's all.)Butterfly said:Seems like I read about an inexpensive kit from HD, Lowes, etc, that tests for iron & copper.