Sanitize Rain Barrels?

[Shirker]

I have high iron in my well water so we plan to have water trucked in for the initial fill. To reduce the amount of iron laden well water introduced into the pool I thought about using water collected in rain barrels. We have two now (about 40 gal each) but could easily add two or three more. I realize this is not a huge amount of water when compared to the volume of a pool but anything will help, right?

Here is my question: Should I attempt to sanitize the water before dumping it into the pool? I could run the hose directly into the skimmer so that it would hit my filter before going into the pool. I'm just thinking of all that bird poo washing off the roof and into the barrels and stewing in the hot sun. Seems like it might be a good idea to pretreat.

If I pretreat, what would be my best option? Throwing a puck in there once a month or so (CYA, I know. I can monitor this) would satisfy my lazy side... I'm fine using bleach but I worry it would degrade too quickly being in a black barrel in the sun for weeks at a time.

Thanks in advance for any shared thoughts.

 

[tim5055]

I have high iron in my well water so we plan to have water trucked in for the initial fill. To reduce the amount of iron laden well water introduced into the pool I thought about using water collected in rain barrels. We have two now (about 40 gal each) but could easily add two or three more. I realize this is not a huge amount of water when compared to the volume of a pool but anything will help, right?

Here is my question: Should I attempt to sanitize the water before dumping it into the pool? I could run the hose directly into the skimmer so that it would hit my filter before going into the pool. I'm just thinking of all that bird poo washing off the roof and into the barrels and stewing in the hot sun. Seems like it might be a good idea to pretreat.

If I pretreat, what would be my best option? Throwing a puck in there once a month or so (CYA, I know. I can monitor this) would satisfy my lazy side... I'm fine using bleach but I worry it would degrade too quickly being in a black barrel in the sun for weeks at a time.

Thanks in advance for any shared thoughts.

I wouldn't bother sanitizing the rain barrel all the time. If anything, add some bleach to it a few hours before you dump it in the pool.

When I was reducing my CYA I rigged up a system to redirect my roof gutter into the pool all the time. I just added a cloth bag to the end to remove solids and let the pool chlorine take care of the rest.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

You can put a sock over the end of the hose to collect any roofing debris that may be in the water as you put it into the pool.

I think collecting rain water and using it to top off the pool is a great idea. When we're slated to get a good belly washer, just drop your pool level an inch or so and let the rain refill it. Small steps will add up to big differences in your iron content.

Maddie