biologically sourced metal

[purplegirl]

My pool water was green upon fill; apparently I have iron in my water due to corrosion in my pipes (brought to my attention by Pool Doc). I am wondering if anybody has any clever ways of oxidizing the iron so I can vacuum the settled rust? My pool is very green and I can't bring myself to let my kids swim in a green pool no matter how sanitized and safe it may be.

Metal removers don't work, I have an Intex pool and therefore an Intex filter (aka: useless) and I'm desparate. I was thinking Vitamin C but I don't know how much and if that would even work.

[PoolDoc]

Uh-h-h, purplegirl . . . you and your family bathe in that water. You cook with it. You brush your teeth with it.*

I'm a firm believer in the idea that folks -- myself included -- cause themselves all sorts of problems by allowing themselves to believe they live in a different world than the one they are really in. We have medical problems, in part because people like to imagine doctors can do something, when they can't. So the people demand antibiotics, and doctors prescribe to them rather than gently insist that people live in the real world. So, we have MRSA (flesh eating bacteria) and so on. It's not *quite* that simple, but almost.

Iron is NOT toxic, except to a few men with some rare blood disorders. Even then they have to drink it, to have a problem.


Why wouldn't you swim in it? I'm pretty sure your kids won't mind. And it won't hurt them. So Mom, man up, and let 'em in!


-- But, to answer your original question, I don't know of a magic wand to de-green your pool --

PoolDoc



* Even if you have some sort of softener, a lot of iron is probably still getting through. Look inside the tank in of one of your toilets: if it's dark brown . . . you are eating and bathing in iron water.

[purplegirl]

Pool Doc you make me laugh. When I saw you responded to my thread I laughed imagining how you were going to reprimand my desparate attempt to find a "magic wand" as you put it. lol

You are right my toilet tank is dark brown, which is funny because I just assumed everybodies tank was brown. But I do not eat with that water I use bottled water for all my cooking, I even use bottled water to make ice cubes. We do bath in that water but my neighbors don't see it. I know it's lame but I guess I am more worried about what my neighbors and whatever company I may have think about us swimming in a green pool.

I just want a clear pool like everybody else has. I don't think that's too much to ask. :)

But I do appreciate all your help and guidance. If it weren't for your insight I would still be battling with this pool with no answers and a lot less money in my pocket.

[CarlD]

Ben,

Is there a way to precipitate all the iron OUT of the water so it falls to the bottom? Then it could be vacuumed to waste and be gone.

[PoolDoc]

I know it's lame but I guess I am more worried about what my neighbors and whatever company I may have think about us swimming in a green pool.

I just want a clear pool like everybody else has. I don't think that's too much to ask. :)


+ So, don't swim in it -- just let your kids swim in it.:)
+ Tell your neighbors you are trying to stamp out iron deficiency.:rolleyes:
+ Tell your neighbors that, even though you aren't one of Al Gore's floozies :eek:, you are trying to be green.;)
+ Get a fence and tell your neighbors not to peek: you've decided to be "one with nature" and lose the suits.:eek:
+ Get a piece of plastic sign board, and a big magic marker, and put up a sign that says, "It's NOT algae, it's iron! The Pool Doc says so. So there, you nosy neighbors!":mad:
+ Tell your neighbors it's a high tech / dual use pool. You keep your fresh fish in it between swims, so your family can avoid that nasty week old grocery store fish.

I might think of more later.

PoolDoc

[purplegirl]

Hysterical!

[mbar]

You made my day:D

[Watermom]

Marie,
Isn't this situation kind of like what the poster named labdi01 had where she rigged up some kind of system using buckets and a fluffy material of some sort to try and remove the iron?

[waterbear]

There may be ways to precipitate the iron but I think the point Ben is trying to make is "why bother, it's not worth the work and effort".
The point of a pool is to enjoy it.
IMHO, if you want to play around with strange homebrew filters:eek:, ORP and pH controllers:eek:, Zeolite filter media:eek:, etc. then set up a few aquariums! That's how I got it all out of my system!:D

(Not saying that there aren't times when "extreme measures" are needed but lets not lose sight that a pool is to enjoy, not lose sleep over. If the water is safe go swimming, I say!)

Watermom, that homebrew filter will work with brown iron oxide (rust particles) that have precipitated out, which is a different situation than this.

Ben, not trying to put words in your mouth either but I don't believe you will disagree with me.

Purplegirl, just tell the neighbors that you had the pool water tinted by your decorator to offset all the lovely purple designer pool furniture and pool toys then go get a purple pool noodle to float on the water and a purple chair to put next to the pool.;):D

[mbar]

Waterbear is right, the filter she made was to catch the brown sediment that was going into the pool. The only other thing I can think of is to add a little calcium to the water. One time my water was tinted green and when I added calcium it turned blue - I still can't figure it out, but I saw it with my own eyes:confused: Maybe someone can tell me why this happened. I was shocked, but I added it to my "things that night work" list:D

[CarlD]

I was shocked, but I added it to my "things that night work" list:D

the wife: "Think it'll work?"
Miracle Max: "It'll take a miracle!"

[Watermom]

Yeah, but I'd be like Purplegirl. I'd want my water to be pretty like everybody else's. Yeah, they can swim, but..... how disappointing to want a sparkling blue pool and have to be satisfied with green water. :(:(:(

Purplegirl, you're being a real trooper with your attitude about this. I'm afraid I wouldn't be handling it as well as you are. I would be totally and I mean TOTALLY bummed out.

Well, have fun swimming anyways!

[sturev]

Since your pool is only 5,000 gallons, you could probably get water delivered that wasn't green? :) That would probably only be temporary as you have to add water over time to compensate for splash out and evaperation... :( At least you'd have 'blue' water for a while...

I personally think the decorator water idea from Waterbear is a good one! Hey, it might even catch on and you could market/sell it :eek:

[waterbear]

You could also tell eveyone that your liner is chartreuse!:cool:

[purplegirl]

Watermom I AM totally bummed out but I'm starting to accept the situation and I'm crossing my fingers that it will eventually precipitate out. Pool Doc is right my kids don't care it's just me and my husband that are hung up on green water :(

From what I've read here, there is usually a solution to any pool problem and I feel so defeated that I can't fix my pool problem.

sturev I thought about ordering water but I didn't have much luck locating a company (I didn't try that hard to find one). It only costs me about $20 from the tap I can't even imagine what they charge to deliver. Plus one pool store told me (I know I shouldn't even listen to them) that shipped water comes from a well and I will have metal problems from that water as well. I don't know if that's true?

Marie, how much calcium are we talking here? I don't know anything about calcium, I have an Intex filter would adding calcium cloud the water or anything? Would there be any negatives to trying calcium? I'm willing to try anything as long as it doesn't give me another problem.

BTW I think I might be having a problem with my FC, I will post numbers tomorrow morning.

[mbar]

Not much calcium. I put enough in my pool to take it to about 125 to 150 ppms when the water turned blue. I have no explanation, I just watched it do it. The water was tinged a slight green and I thought I was going to do the stain treatment so I wasn't too worried about it. Five minutes after putting the calcium in the water turned blue. I hesitated to say anything about it cause it just may have been a fluke, but I thought I would mention it because you really hate your water being green:D As Kermit would say "It's not easy being green";)

[PoolDoc]

Marie, purplegirl, be sure to email or PM me if the calcium helps. [ poolforum AT gmail DOT com ] I'd like to know, and I'll be sure to pass it on to Richard (Chem Geek).

Of course, if it does work, it will probably keep him up at night, till he can think of a possible analytical explanation for 'why' and 'how'. :D:D Me, not quite so much, but I'd still like to know.

PoolDoc

[mbar]

Me too! So much of what I learned about getting rid of stains came from you and by trial and error. I don't know much about chemistry, so I don't have great explanations for how or why some of the chemicals work, but I am keeping track of what works together. The problem is sometimes they work, and sometimes they don't, because the combination of what is in the water is always different. I would really be anxious to see if calcium works for purplegirl - that is why this forum is so great, we all learn from each other:)

[Watermom]

BTW Marie, glad to have you back. We missed you while you were gone. Hope you had a great vacation!

[purplegirl]

My calcium was at 80ppm so I added 6lbs. which would bring it up to 180ppm. I put it in about 10 minutes ago and nothing so far. I think my green pool is hopeless :(

Every morning I wake up and there is rust dust on the bottom of the pool, I guess EVENTUALLY it will settle out. I was just hoping there was something I could do to turn the iron to rust QUICKER!

If there are any changes I will post.

[purplegirl]

I spoke to a neighbor who says he has the same problem with his hot tub, he told me if the green water is coming out of the cold faucet it is the water companies corrosion problems, not my pipes. So I called the water company to complain and they are going to investigate the situation. If only you all could see the green you would know why I am sooo miserable.

I'm going to try to post a pic.

[mbar]

Thanks Watermom for the kind words.

Purplegirl, I'm sorry you are having such a hard time, and I am sorry the calcium didn't work. Maybe they can figure out something for you.

[purplegirl]

just out of curiosity, how would calcium react to metal remover?

[mbar]

A lot of times the metal remover will cause some of the calcium to precipitate out.