On a greasy surface, both teams relied on long passes for much of the first half, but it didn't get either of them very far as the ball continually skidded off the pitch.
There was a flurry of action with just over half an hour gone when James Brown ran at the Scunthorpe defence before his low 20-yard shot was parried by keeper Josh Lillis.
A defender hacked behind for a corner, and when that came over Sam Collins' goal-bound shot hit Brown almost on the line and as the ball ran loose, Joel Porter's shot was well saved by Lillis.
At the other end, Grant McCann ran well for Scunthorpe, but his low shot was well saved on the ground by Arran Lee-Barrett, and just before the break another good Collins header after a corner was equally well covered by Lillis.
After the break, two quick goals put Hartlepool in a strong position as Scunthorpe lost their way at the back.
First on 51 minutes, Porter glanced in a close-range header from opposite the near post after Alan Power's right-wing corner.
And on 58 minutes, Porter made the running on the right before pulling the ball back from the goalline for David Foley to run it into an empty net from close-range.
The best goal of the game arrived on 76 minutes when Gary Liddle's quick pass sent Brown running at the Scunthorpe defence and, after side-stepping a defender, he produced a brilliant finish from the edge of the area as his shot hit the top corner of the net.
Scunthorpe were well beaten now and Hartlepool finished the game coasting.