Everyone wants a swimming pool in their home. If you wish to refill your pool or build a new one, there’s one question you must have: Where should the water come from?
Many people opt for tanked pool water delivery, but it’s expensive. The best cheap alternative is well water. But can you fill a pool with well water?
Yes, you can fill a pool with well water. So, if you are thinking about filling the pool with well water, you might wonder if it’s safe. Well, it is, but it comes with its own list of issues.
This article will explore everything you need to know about filling pool with well water for your swimming pool.
What Will You Learn
- There are two main ways to fill your swimming pool and hot tub: you can get tanked water delivered, or you can fill the pool with water from the water supply system.
- You can also fill your pool with well water, especially if you live in a home with no municipal water supply.
- It is not pretty common for people to fill pools with well water. But you can, and it is also safe. You just need to consider some things first.
- Pool water often contains metallic compounds like arsenic, calcium, nickel, cobalt, chlorine, and copper. So, you must treat the well water before filling it in the pool.
- You will also learn how to fill a swimming pool with well water.
- We will also tell you the advantages and disadvantages of filling a pool with well water.
Filling Pool With Well Water
Filling a pool is not as simple as it may seem. All you have to do is fill the pool with water, so what could be so challenging about that? Well, you need to figure out the water source and the type of pool water you want.
There are three main types of pool water:
- Chlorine
- Mineral
- Saltwater
However, first, you need to pick the water source. You can choose pool water delivery, fill it up with a home water supply or get well water.
If you want to fill your pool with well water, you need to decide between the following two options:
Well Water Options
- Filling the pool with well water: If you have clean well water, then you can fill your pool with it. This is an excellent option for homes without a municipal water supply.
- Filling pool with well water from a softener system: You can also get treated well water that passes through a water softener or purifying system before reaching the pool.
Related: 10 Best Sediment Filters for Well Water (Budget Options)
Is It OK to Fill a Pool with Well Water?
Nowadays, it is pretty uncommon to have wells for water supply. However, some lake states in the US still have many counties where the majority of residents still use wells. These include Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina, and Northern Florida counties.
If you have access to well water, filling pool with well water is okay. However, make sure that your town laws allow it.
Filling your swimming pool or hot tub with well water is much more affordable than filling a pool with a water truck service. Also, make sure to test the well water before filling your pool with it.
What To Consider When Filling Pool With Well Water?
Before you choose to fill a pool with well water, here are some things you need to consider:
Size of the pool
The size of your pool matters a lot because you need to know if the well can provide enough water. You need to know the well’s flow rate or the number of water gallons it produces within an hour.
Anything lower than 150 gallons an hour is a low flow rate, while 500 to 600 gallons per hour is a high flow rate. The higher the flow rate, the quicker the pool fills up.
Quality of Water
Nobody wants contaminated water in their pools. This is why it is essential to check the water quality. Although most wells are drilled very deep into the ground, it is highly unlikely that the water has any contaminants like human waste, bacteria, or viruses.
That said, most well water does contain minerals and metals like iron, arsenic, lithium, copper, chromium, calcium, cobalt, magnesium, molybdenum, manganese, nickel, vanadium, selenium, and zinc. The presence of these trace metals and minerals hardens the water and creates different problems.
For example:
- Calcium produces limescale which can cause clogged pipes and filters.
- Iron and manganese can lead to the growth of bacteria and algae.
- Iron also stains the pool and gives the water a yellow-brownish color.
Read More: Why Is My Well Water Brown? Causes and Effective Solutions
So, always run a test to check pH level, alkalinity, free chlorine and minerals, and trace metals in your pool water before diving in for a swim.
Treating Water
You need to check the water quality and get it treated if it contains a significant number of contaminants, minerals, and bacteria. You can obtain test strips for this and treat it with chemicals yourself.
If you don’t know how to treat a pool filled with well water, contact a professional pool cleaning or water purification service.
You don’t want to leave the pool filled with bad water as it can lead to severe damage and even cause health issues. So, get the well water treated to prevent your pool from bacteria growth and damage like staining and clogged pipes.
Read More: 5 Best Reverse Osmosis Systems for Well Water (In Budget)
How to Fill Pool with Well Water?
Depending on the size of the pool and the water pressure, you can fill a swimming pool within a couple of hours or one to two days. When it comes to filling a pool with well water, it usually takes about two days, even with a high flow rate.
Now, follow these steps to learn how to fill a pool with well water:
- Your well equipment should be in good condition before you start filling the pool with well water.
- Attach a garden hose to the faucet near the well pump.
- Now, put the other end of your hose in your pool.
- Run the water at max speed and let it fill the pool for an hour.
- Stop the water so the well can replenish itself.
- Now, continue following the pool for another hour.
- Now, stop the water flow again.
- Continue this process until the pool is full.
- Test the pool water to check the pH level.
- Treat the water if needed.
NOTE:
If multiple households share the well, the well will not have enough water to fill an entire swimming pool and also supply water to different houses. Therefore, you need to ensure not to impact your neighbors’ water supply.
To mitigate this issue, fill up the pool little by little over the course of a few days. It will take longer to fill the swimming pool this way, but you won’t be disturbing your neighbor’s water supply.
Pros of Filling Pool With Well Water
Here are the main advantages of filling up pool with well water:
It’s cheap:
Using well water is much more pocket-friendly than using a water delivery service.
No additional water bills:
Well water is not metered, so you can use it as much as you want. You won’t be charged any additional water charges.
Cons of Filling Pool With Well Water
There are good and bad sides to everything. Let’s take a close look at the cons of filling pool with well water:
Using up all the water:
There is always a risk of using up all of the well water when filling a swimming pool with well water.
Requires treatment:
Most of the time, well water contains high amounts of minerals and metals, leading to staining and discoloring of the water and the pool itself. So, you need to treat the water to remove them.
Related: What is the Cheapest Way to Remove Iron From Well Water?
Water treatments are expensive:
If you have a large pool, then treating the pool water can be costly as water treatment chemicals are not that cheap. Even water-softening and purification plants are expensive.
It’s time-consuming:
Filling an entire pool with well water often takes a couple of days. It may take longer if the well is shared with other houses.
Summing Up | Can You Fill A Pool With Well Water?
If you are wondering, “can I fill my pool with well water?” you can.
You can fill a pool with well water if you have a well in your area. It is safe and cheaper than getting truck pool water. Ensure you don’t run the well dry while filling pool with well water.
Once you have filled the pool, check the water and treat it to avoid murky water. You can treat the water yourself with chemicals or get a water purification system to get treated water directly from the well.
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