Built a pool but only have access to well water? Don’t worry, filling a pool with well water is a fairly common practice. However, there are several things to consider before, during, and after you do it.
In this guide, we’ll tell you how to fill your pool with well water. We’ll also compare filling a pool with city water to using well water, give you some tips on the best filters for well water, and much more.
How to Fill Pool with Well Water
Below are instructions on the easiest way to fill up your pool with well water:
Materials:
- Garden hose
- Biocide
- Five-gallon bucket
Before filling your swimming pool, you’ll need to run some testing first to see if your filter can adequately clean the water. For starters, well water is much rawer than water from a local municipality center. Moreover, more metals and ions are in well water, making it more difficult for filters and pumps to clean the water.
Once you’ve tested your water, you can begin filling your pool. However, if the water isn’t suitable, you have a couple of options. The easiest option is to filter your well water using a filter system. If this doesn’t work, you may have to contact a water company to arrange a delivery of clean water.
Follow these steps to fill your pool with well water:
- Test Your Well Water
Take your bucket, fill it with water from your well, and add biocide. You can buy biocide from your local store and just follow the directions on the packaging.
Afterward, wait between five and ten minutes. If the water turns green or brown, it suggests a high level of metal ions is present in the water. In this case, you might need a sand filter to remove the ions. Or, you could consult a pool professional for expert advice on how to treat your well water before using it to fill your pool.
- Connect Hose to Well Water Pump
Take the hose and connect it to the tap closest to the well pump. Alternatively, you can connect it to a faucet inside your home.
- Place the Hose inside the Pool
Take the open end of the hose and place it inside your pool. Next, turn on the water and ensure that the hose remains in the pool.
- Wait for the Pool to Fill Up
Now, sit back and wait for your pool to fill up. How long this takes depends on the flow rate of your well water and the size of your pool. For instance, if you have a 15,000-gallon pool and the flow rate is 10 GPM, it would take around 10.4 hours to fill.
Filling a Pool With Well Water vs City Water – Which is Better?
Of course, many homes in the US have access to both city water and well water. Which one is best for filling up your pool? Let’s take a look.
City Water
The main benefit of filling your pool with city water instead of well water is that it’s less likely to have a high mineral or bacteria content. This is because city water is treated before it’s distributed.
Still, it’s always best to test city water before filling up your pool. In some areas, water is treated to have a high pH, which can create scale in the pool and cause the water to change color. If the city water you’re using has a high pH, it’s best to consult a pool professional as they may need to add muriatic acid to adjust the balance.
The biggest downside to using city water to fill a pool is the cost, as you’ll have to pay for thousands of gallons of water. However, if your only other option is to arrange a water delivery, it will still be cheaper to pay for city water.
Well Water
The biggest drawback of using well water for your pool is that it tends to contain high levels of minerals and metals. This can lead to a number of issues if you use it to fill your pool, such as staining and scaling.
Plus, excess minerals and metals can present a problem when balancing and sanitizing your water. Iron, copper, and other metals can stain and damage your liner, while sulfur compounds keep your shock from working correctly. This means the chlorine won’t be able to sanitize your pool water effectively.
You need to exercise caution and test your well water for contaminants and excessive amounts of metals such as copper, hydrogen, iron, and sulfide.
If your water has a high iron content, put it through a pre-filter before it enters your swimming pool. You can also use a product designed to remove iron from pool water, such as Ferri-Iron Tablets.
Another downside of filling a pool from a well is that the well might not have the capacity for the volume of water required. To avoid your well running dry, you might need to fill your pool in stages. Here’s how to do it:
- Start running the well water at half its potential speed.
- Allow the pool to fill for around an hour.
- Stop running the water and wait for an hour.
- Repeat these steps until the pool is full.
This will allow enough time in between the filling stages for the well to be replenished.
The biggest benefit of filling a pool with well water is that it’s much more affordable than filling it with city water as you don’t need to pay for the water you use. Since city water is expensive, this will save you a lot of money.
What Is the Best Well Water Filter for a Pool?
Before you filter well water, you need to determine which contaminants are present with a well water test kit. You can easily find these online or in a local store. Once you know what contaminants need to be removed, you can start filtering them out.
If your well water contains high levels of hard water minerals like calcium and magnesium, then water softener is the best option.
If the main issue with your well water is sediment, dirt, and sand, then a sediment filter should suffice. These filters are low maintenance and relatively inexpensive. The iSpring WSP-50 Sediment Water Filter is a great option for reliably removing sediment from well water.
If you need something more powerful, you should opt for a whole-house well water filter system. It’ll come with a sediment filter, a carbon block filter, a CTO membrane, and other special features. These filters are able to remove sediment and a huge array of other contaminants.
Why is My Pool Water Brown?
If you notice that your pool water is brown after filling it from a well, the culprit is most likely a metal such as iron oxidizing in the pool water. Oxidized metals can turn a rusty brown color in water and discolor the entire pool.
How to Fix Brown Pool Water
Here’s how to get your water clear if it turns brown:
Step 1: Ascorbic Acid
The first step to cleaning your pool is using ascorbic acid, which dissolves the iron and metals in the water.
Take one pound of ascorbic acid, apply it to the pool water, and wait one hour for it to circulate. You’ll see an immediate result.
Step 2: Shut Down the Pool’s Pump
After about an hour (wait an extra hour if the color isn’t changing yet), you’ll notice the brown color fading. At this point, turn the pool’s pump off.
Step 3: Use Revive (16 oz)
Now, the iron will be sitting on top of the water, and this is when you use a bottle of Revive (16 oz). This substance pulls the iron to the bottom and transforms it into sediment.
Wait one day before you use the pool again.
Step 4: Clean the Debris
Use a pool vacuum to clean the debris from the pool bottom. These devices are designed to work underwater. Just remember to turn on the waste setting, or you risk damaging the system. If you don’t have access to a pool vacuum, hire a pool cleaner to complete this step for you.
