Sarasota pools are susceptible to a lot of damaging conditions. Rain, sun, wind, and debris—not to mention people using your pool year-round—can cause chemical imbalances that quickly lead to pool problems like algae blooms, equipment breakdown, and staining.
But what happens if the water you fill your pool with is bad from the start?
Well water is always a tricky scenario for pools, since it can vary widely by region and even neighborhood to neighborhood and well to well. Sarasota well water brings its own unique set of problems that we’ve seen a few times over our 10-plus years in business as a Sarasota pool care company.
What is the difference between well water and city water?
A lot of the drinking water and tap water in Florida starts off as well water. Wells are how we get freshwater from our aquifer, or the underground water supply. Water gets into the aquifer from underground springs and also from rain and other surface waters that seep down through the ground. The Floridian aquafer is actually a large, connected system of underground freshwater that extends under our entire state and the southern portions of Georgia, Alabama and part of Mississippi.
City/Municipal Water
Sarasota and Manatee city water (or “municipal water”) supplies draw from the aquifer (using wells at Duette Preserve), as well as surface water from the Peace River and Lake Manatee.
From those original sources, city water is then extensively treated. A municipal water treatment plant runs our water through an activated carbon filter and sometimes a biological filter. Water is also slowed for “settling” to remove particulates. City water that was drawn from wells will be treated with aeration and Electrodialysis Reversal to remove minerals and compounds like sulfur, calcium and sodium. The treatment process also adds chlorine to kill off live contaminants (like bacteria).
Residential Well Water
When you use a private well on your property, you get pure aquifer water—the good and the bad. On the bright side, well water is free from potential contamination that some people fear could occur throughout the municipal system. After all, well water comes from right in (or under) your own back yard.
Well water is also cheaper, since you just have to pay for the electricity to operate the pump, and not the water itself.
But on the other hand, Sarasota well water contains all sorts of minerals that naturally occur in the Floridian aquifer. Your well water could also potentially contain other contaminants like fertilizer or animal waste that soak down into the ground. And those minerals and contaminants are what can cause big problems for your pool.
How does Sarasota well water affect pools?
It largely depends on the well, but we have tested Sarasota pools refilled with well water that have contained copper and iron. These minerals are unsightly to say the least. They leave rust-colored stains throughout your pool’s surface. Sometimes those stains are the first sign that your well water is an issue; but they’re not your only problem.
Mineral deposits, as well as salts like phosphate, and TDS, or Total Dissolved Solids, interfere with your pool’s chemical balance. And as any pool owner knows, chemically unbalanced pools can become unsanitary, unhealthy, and unsafe.
Can I still use well water for my pool?
In short, yes. But you have to be aware of the risks. At the very least, you’ll need additional pool maintenance visits and chemical usage to keep these issues in check. While we’re always happy to help out, you’ll be spending all the water money you saved on maintenance and chlorine instead.
Alternately, you can get a pool refill filter—especially one for filtering iron as well as TDS—that will greatly improve the life of your pool and its ability to maintain chemical balance.
Your first step? Give Sarasota’s best pool company a call today to talk through your options and schedule a visit to test your pool water.
Deckard & Company |