I have a very similar situation to this. Last fall I ran out of Baquacil and was having trouble with water mold. Thought about converting to chlorine this year to give it a try. Last fall I was not trying to do the conversion but maybe I have already. I can’t remember exactly how much chlorine I put in. So if the baquacil level was low and I put in approx 10 - 15 gal (guessing) of the 12% over the course of a few days, have I maybe pretty much converted it already? It went through some interesting color changes and in the end was crystal clear. No testing was done other than some test strips I had laying around. They showed a high level of chlorine but it was gone by the next day and that is when I added more. Kept it up until it was nice and clear. I dumped my sand this fall. I actually have it in a trash can. Am I ok to just use my new sand or do I run the risk of gumming it up still. I’m thinking it is a hard thing to answer as I was not really testing and all that good stuff. I could put some of the old sand back in, maybe 1/3 full just to be safe, shock the pool, and then replace it after a week or two. We all know how much of a pain changing sand can be so what do you think? If I had the pool looking clear, can that be a good indicator of a complete conversion and to just go ahead and put the new sand in for this year?

It sounds like you may have already converted.
Tell us more about your pool & equipment?
What does your pool look like right now?
You need a good test kit, so you might as well go ahead and get one if you don't already have one.

I just signed up so I need to get my info in my profile don’t I!! 16 X 32 AG Doughboy. Deck all the way around so it looks like an IG pool. Deep end to about 6’. Approx 15000 gallons. 160 SQ FT solar. Been using Baquacil from the beginning in 2006. Worked great for a year or 2 and then water mold. Switched to CDX but still had water mold in late summer. (Does this sound familiar with anyone??) We have stairs that go in the pool. Treads are hollow with a few holes so they can fill with water. These stair treads being hollow are a great place for the mold to grow. They were basically completely filled up with the stuff. After the last 2 years of this happening and just being disgusted over this, I plan on switching. I have to do this right because I’m promising my wife that we will not have the bad chlorine smell!!! No pressure on my or anything…. Pool is still closed and won’t be opening until mid May or so probably. Plan on purchasing the TF100 test kit. Been reading quite a bit out here and I just got to thinking about the sand and not wanting to put my new sand in just to dump and replace after a week of operation. I’m thinking I probably pretty much converted by what I did in the fall but was just looking for reassurance. Anyhow, full speed ahead this year with the BBB method. When I open and have the new test kit, will post numbers and make sure I am on the right course. Great site!!

Don't worry about the "chloriny" smell. Several people have commented more than once how our pool has no smell at all. It's all a matter of maintenance.

We'll be waiting when you're ready to proceed.