POOL WATER IS BROWN (THE COLOR OF TEA)

[paulbest]

pool water turns brown due to high iron levels. with that, if pool water is acidic, it will deteriorate metal equipment in the pool causing excess iron into the water. the known solution for this is shocking or also known as super chlorination. chlorine oxidizes the iron and turns it into rust causing it to settle out of the pool water.

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[Ditlevsen]

An old post. Still yet relavant.
I have a small 1000 gallon pool. In the philippines.
Stuff here is hard to find.
So I use what we can get.
Household items.
The water is dirty from mud and iron.
But I still manage to get it clean in about 24 hrs. when filling it up.
I use following - so far..
Some general chlorine cleaner, like clorox I think it is called. 0.1 gallon per 1000 gallon water.
Added after sun set. Let the pump run over night.
Have a 2000 gallon sandfilter pump. Filled with plain riversand.
In the morning the algae is dead (actually almost instantly), and the water is brownish from iron.
I then add maybe 1/2 a cup of white vinegar.
After 10 min it is clear. And the iron has settled on the bottom.
Will see if i killed the chlorine as well by doing so, but now I can start to fine tune the clear water in the pool.
Hope this helped someone out there.
Happy splashing.

[poolresearcher]

I'm researching pool water problems similar to the ones reported in this thread. If you could fill out this survey https://goo.gl/forms/PLpN6UrKHJMgEmAI2 that would be much appreciated.

Thank you

[dcolby]

For everyone who has shocked their pool that has been filled with well water, here's the answer....we tried everything, filtering, scale metal treatment, CYA, nothing worked..I bougt Iron Out at Walmart, according to your size pool, I put 3 quarts in my above ground pool, 18ft X 48", within 10 minutes the water was clear and I couldn't be more happier. Every site I tried really didn't have any help to offer...but this works...Happy Summer

[Ninab]

Thank you to Colby. You suggested Using "Iron Out" (purchased at Walmart) to clear up the brown well water caused by the iron in the water when adding chlorine. It was amazing. Easiest and cheapest problem solver. Within 3 hours, our 15,000 gallon pool was crystal clear.

[Robwyso]

I am not a pool expert but i can tell you about my experience. I have a intex above ground 4 x 20 pool. The last 2 years i did not cover my pool but had clear water in 8 days this is what i did. First i scoop out the leaves by attaching a leaf basket skimmer to vacuum pole i scoop out the leafs for about an hour usually there are very few left at this point. Next i vacuum the pool with out using a cartridge filter i only use the bag that goes in the skimmer. This gets a lot of the thicker stuff off the bottom i vacuum the pool about 30 to 40 times. At first you will only be able to vacuum for a minute or 2 and will have to wash out the bag then you will be able to half the pool before the bag needs to be cleaned. This will take 6 to 7 hours. Next i pour in 1 gallon of liquid chlorine the water will turn from green to greyish black first 12 to 24 hours then it will turn a rust color. I believe this rust color is not metals but the burnt slgae from excessive chlorine. Over the next 7 days i will vacuum the pool 2 times a day with the filter cartridge in. I will wash the cartridge every 8 hours and i will leave the pump running for 8 days straight. NOTE YOU MUST SCRUBB THE WALLS OF THE POOL ATLEAST ONCE A DAY ( IT TAKES 20 MINUTES) WITH A BRUSH I USE AN ATTACHMENT THAT CONNECTS TO THE VACUUM POLE. In 8 days i have clear water..... test the chlorine level before going into pool as it still maybe high but i doubt it.

[Nurschik]

Well water is usually hugh in metal content adding chlorine is a mistake it oxidizes the iron levels and turrns the water briwn almost instantly there are a few products in the market one is "the pink stuff" another is clotix scale, metal,stain remover it is a sequestial agent that attracts the iron and settles it at the bottom of the pool if adding to already briwn water it will take about 2-4 days with filtering and chnge/clean your filters every couple of hours or uf your like me and dont want the hassle just drain the pool and start iver adding the metal remover at the start while its filling and you get crystal clear water just remember wait several weeks prior to adding any chlorinated agents ph up and alkalinity agrnts are ok its also recommended to treat the pool monthly with the metal out agent.

[Nurschik]

Mispelling. Its clorox brand scale metal stain remover

[Fisiosike]

I saw no solution to my brown/ferrous water problem that actually worked for me. I admit not trying any that were way out of my meager budget range.

This method works, remarkably so. It does not costs much; It does require some patience. And if your pool is much bigger than my 10'x32" Intex, you may or may not want to use this method.

Keep in mind, I had attempted many of the suggestions made in this forum with no satisfactory outcomes.

My pool, on sale, was around $75 and it came with the standard weak pump. There was another pool with the same dimensions for around $50 which did not include the pump. In hindsight, the second pool would have been an excellent ADDITIONAL investment as my method calls for a "holding pool." Instead, I purchased a small $18 pool that holds approximately 250 gallons of water. The pool that I now swim in holds a little over 1000 gallons, I believe.

My larger pool is set up on carpet and carpet padding that I already had. Out of padding, I put the cheaper/smaller pool just on carpet and have had no issues yet. The pools are side by side, relatively near to where the pump is placed while running.

I put 250 gallons in wading pool, treated it generously with a pool shock powder/crystal, and stirred this together with a broom. Now, the patience. Wait until near the end of the second day (48 hrs or so.) If ample enough shock treated was stirred in, the rust should have now settled to the bottom of the pool. The water on top of the rust may not appear crystal clear, but I think you will be pleasantly surprised by it.

You have probably figured out by now that I am going to transfer this good water over to the big pool. To clarify, had I purchase the $50 pool the same dimensions as my big pool, I would only need to transfer the treated water one time. As is, I had to transfer about 4 separate loads. I cannot say that a larger treating pool would work as well for sure though. There may be a working value to treating smaller batches. I just do not know for sure.

Using the pump that came with my original pool, I pumped the water from the treatment pool and began the process again. The little treatment pool I have is only about 18 inches tall. Pumping water out of that pool, without getting the iron sediments mixed back in is a little trick. I took either my had or a broom and gentle brushed a clear area. It doesn't take long for the heavy iron to sink back down. Using slow motions, and after priming the pump, I let the pump first draw in water directly to the hose. As soon as possible, once I knew the pump was drawing, I tied the cut-off end of a sock around the entrance of the hose. The sock material adequately prevented any suspended iron left in that area. I also tied a rather heavy lead weight to keep the hose in the position I wanted it. The closer to the bottom, the better.

Once your transfer(s) is/are through, treat your large pool water as you normally would. Same process is used for topping off.

[Faith T]

Just filled out pool for the first time with well water. It looks like a huge brown mud puddle. Haven’t tested it but according to everything I’ve read it’s iron in the water. Pool store said to put MetalFree in and it’ll clear it right up. Will be trying it this weekend.

[Teapot]

Why did you use well water?

[Spradley.ms]

I'm aware that this is an old thread, but just in case someone is having this issue and finds this forum.
My pool water was from a well, as soon as we shocked it, it turned brown like tea.
We found our solution on youtube and it didn't cost extra money.
Our pool is 3x12 feet with a filter and pump.
Take the return tube off the filter that connects to the pool wall (the one that pushes water back into the pool after going thru the filter).
Layer three socks on the end of it, don't do anymore than three because it will put to much backflow on your pump.
We zip tied our socks on, you can use a rubberband tho.
Make sure the tube is going back into the pool with the socks attached to it.
The socks will act as an extra filter and pull the iron out of the water.
I cleaned our socks every couple hours, just rinse the iron out of the until the water runs clear off them again, the reattach them.
It will take a few days for the pool to come clean but I promise it does work.
It worked on ours and saved us some $$$.