Poolside Chat Episode #34: Filling Your Pool With Well Water

• Is it safe to fill my swimming pool with well water?

Now here’s your hosts – Matt and Rob.

I’m filling my pool with well water. Are there special procedures that I should take into consideration?

What is the difference between regular tap water and well water?

The main difference is that well water is not treated. You’re getting it straight from a ground, it is rich with minerals and metals and a whole bunch of other gunk you do not want in your pool. These metals and minerals will stain your pool wall and they can possibly turn your water brown.

Hose Bobby

The first thing we recommend is filtering water before it gets into the pool; we recommend the Hayward Bobby which screws onto a suction hose and filters out the iron and any other metals that lurk in well water. They come in two different sizes, a 10-inch bobby for up to 20,000 gallons or a 20-inch bobby for up to 40,000 gallons.

Metal Control

You can also control the metal in your pool water by using a cleverly named chemical called Metal Control. Basically, it’s a metal sequestrant that keeps the metal suspended in solution preventing it from leaching into the walls or the pool surface to prevent staining.

Water Clarifier

And if the water is still a little hazy, you can use another chemical that has an obvious name – Water Clarifier. Water clarifier simply makes fine particles clump into larger particles so they are easily caught by your pool filter. After the unwanted parts of your pool water are caught in the filter, either backwash or wash off the cartridges and you’re water should be a-ok.