Dark Brown water - NOT IRON!!!!

[CarlD]

Ben is, of course, right. And, yes, I did run an Intex Donut for a few years before installing a FantaSea 40'x16' pool. Intex filters are fine for clean clear water, but not so good when you have problems...been there, done that.
I seem to remember somebody inventing a contraption using a submersible sump pump and a capped 5 gal bucket filled with cotton()? that acted as an adjunct filter. It sucked the metal out and it stuck in the cotton...does anyone else remember this gadget? Real Rube Goldberg but it worked. I'm not sure what else might work for you. If, in fact, it's metal (and I'd bet it is) the more you can filter out the better.

When I had my Intex I jury-rigged a vacuum that went through the filter cartridge. I had to be creative to find a way to use the drain for the vacuum but it did actually work.

[aylad]

Carl, is this the one you mean?
http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...cally-for-Free

Janet

[CarlD]

Jan,
No, but it's a GREAT idea none-the-less! And if it works it's as good as the one I was thinking of, with a sump pump to a covered 5 gal bucket filled with the same kind of stuff.

Carl

[madwil]

one big key- look in your toilet tank; if it is black or orange, you definitely have metals in your well water, regardless of other tests!

[Watermom]

I bet this is the one that Carl was thinking of:

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthr...Removing-Iron&

[CarlD]

Yup! That's it, Lisa!

Also madwil's idea about the toilet cistern's a good one, although on a 20 year old commode even very low amounts of metal in the water will have accumulated, even with city water.

Carl

[cans25]

Thank you everyone! I tend to agree with the assessment that we have metal in the water. I know we have hard water but have never had it analysed (we've only been here since the fall and have a filter on our drinking water, but the brand new toilets to get a dirty tinge pretty quick. And am a little annoyed that the pool store is telling me we don't have a metal problem and selling us other products that are not working. I am going to try the sock and batting and see if that helps just because I don't have a sump pump on hand. I'll keep you posted!

Cheryl