Pool with iron-rich water

[Skogsgurra]

Hi,

I am just popping in here from the electrical part of the Eng-Tips world. My problem is that I did set up a small 10 000 litres) plastic pool and filled it up with water. I then added the prescribed amount of chlorine tablets and that seems to have reacted with the water in some way and turned brownish-yellow. The nearest chemical I can think of is Ferric Chloride (used to etch printed circuit boards).

My question: Is it possible that there is such a large content of iron in our (drinking) water? It doesn't taste iron, but it does leave brown ("rust") traces in the bath tub.

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

 

[orenda1168]

Gunnar:

Yes, it's not that uncommon to have an iron content in either well or municipal water that will oxidize with the addition of chlorine, for example, and discolor the water. You may be able to filter this out as it is probably present as the hydroxide, but if this isn't doable, buy a metal sequestrant/chelant from a pool store and dose generously...this will get the iron back into solution and eliminate the discoloration issue.

Orenda

 

[Skogsgurra]

Thanks orenda,

So my suspicion that it was a reaction between iron and chlorine producing ferric chloride is not correct? That would be good because I have seen what the Fe3Cl does to organic matter.

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

 

[bimr]

Iron in amounts of over 0.1 mg/l can cause "red waters'. The iron is present as a soluble ferrous bicarbonate, that is oxidized by oxygen or chlorine to the reddish brown precipitate of ferric hydroxide. The chlorine remains in solution as the chloride ion.

 

[nbucska]

Wouldn't EDTA help?


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