Advice Needed

[PoolDoc]

Phosphate removal works in well water filled pools, just like it does in any other pool. But well water often contains dissolved metals which lead to stains, which lead to the use of phosphate based (phosphonate) stain control products. Virtually every effective pool stain control product contains chemicals that ultimately become phosphates.

Basically, on pools with staining problems, I just can't trust the owners to NEVER use a stain control product.

But, you've been here a long time, and have a K2006. If you're interested, I'll work with you IF your well is a limestone or karst well OR if you have a certified lab test showing no metals.

But keep in mind, phosphate control is VERY dependent on consistent testing, treatment and follow-through. Also, if you don't do phosphate removal correctly, it has ZERO value. What most people seem to find hard to understand is that removing SOME phosphates is completely useless if you don't actually achieve levels below 0.1 ppm phosphates!

Over time, once we know your water, your chem use patterns, and so on, the treatment interval could probably stretch to 2 weeks between test & dose events.



Salt is just a chlorine delivery system . . . which I presume you know. Before you get one, carefully inspect your pool for elements that may be corroded by salt: heaters, aluminum ladder anchors, any sort of steel deck anchor (slide, d-board, etc), some types of natural stone.

[lstinthot]

I have not added any kind of stain control to our pool since we have been here (7 years) and don't really plan on it. I am OK with the spots here or there. Its an outside pool in a natural setting. I can work on getting the water tested. Our well is a bored well, concrete liner.

I will look up a testing center and see what I can come up with.

Mike

[PoolDoc]

Actually, if it's a limestone well, it should be OK. Do you know what kind of rock the well is in?

The liner doesn't matter, except to keep out water or materials from strata other than the one the well terminates in. What matter is what the water is running through on the way to the bottom of your well.

[lstinthot]

I do not know what the soil system is the water goes through on the way to our well. We are located in central Virginia. Lots of red clay for yards. Not sure what's down deep.

[PoolDoc]

Then an analysis, with phosphate, nitrate, iron, manganese, etc levels would be a necessary starting point.