I am starting the conversion from Baqua to BBB....... HELP!!

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pawncntrl

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Jul 9, 2010
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First I have a 27' roung ABP pool that is 54" high... Approx 18500 gallons. I started with:

PH 7.3
Baquacil 29ppm
TA 93
Calcium 180
Baqua Oxidizer 3
Dissolved Solids 0
Sat Index -.35

The Pool temp is nearly 90.

I Put 4.5 gallons of 6% bleach in and it immediately started turning green! I know that is good. I unfortunately only have the Walmart test kit so I can only test to 5ppm for Bleach. About every thirty minutes I have been testing and adding another 3-4.5gallons of bleach each time. I am concerned that this is too much? How much bleach can I expect to use through the conversion? I have the next couple of days to babysit this and do it hourly as suggested.... Can I expect to have this done in 3-4 days?

Thanks...

I am taking pics and documenting want I am doing so when it is done I will post everything!
 
I agree with Richard, you need the kit to complete your conversion.

In the meantime, use 2 parts distilled water and 1 part pool water and then multiply the results by 3. This will test up to 15 which is where you should be shock level wise.
 
I went to the pool atore to have my water tested and they asked what I was doing. When i told them I was switching to chlorine they said instead of pouring in bleach to nuetralize the baqua..... they had a product that would have done it WITHOUT having to replace the sand or dealing with the baguagoo. Is this true? I have spent $100 dollars on bleach for the change and have about 8 hours of work. Was the pool store correct about the other product?
 
Thanks.... I thought it was odd that if there was something that worked that it wasn't described here. I am about 24 hours and 40 gallons of bleach in and I can see the bottom of the pool again! But I ma having trouble getting all of the goo out. I am about to get in and scrub the walls (yuck). BUt I can see that in a few days this will all be behind me! Unfortunately my test kit probably won't arrive till Wed. Until then it is all a bit of eduacted guess work. But.... So far... So good!
 
I just vac'ed the pool and I can see the bottom more clearly than I ever thought I would after only one day! I got in and scrubbed the walls and ladder when the chlorine was low. I just added another 4 gat of 6% bleach...... now it is just a waiting game. I wish there was a way to speed up the filtration..LOL. By the time the test kit arrives on Wed... Hopefully I will be ready to start testing for overnight chlorine loss. I think by the time I am done I will use nearly 70 gal bleach, but I have been very aggressive since I started yesterday.
 
For what it's worth, I'm in the ending stages of conversion of my pool and I've burned thru about 175 gallons of bleach so far. Sizewise, your pool is about 90% of mine and you started with roughly the same Baq levels that I had. While your mileage may vary, I wouldn't be surprised if you use 100+ gallons of bleach before it's all over. Keep in mind, it's still way cheaper than Baq and eventually your conversion WILL be finished.

In the early (green) stages, the keys are:
1) Hit it hard and often with the bleach. Conversion will be quicker if you can keep the levels at 15ppm.
2) Clean that filter! You'll be amazed at the amount of "goo" that gets trapped.
3) Brush and vacuum at least once a day. A lot of the Baq will simply precipitate out and fall to your pool floor. Vac it to waste if at all possible. Otherwise, vac and then clean out your filter.
4) If you have a DE filter, rather than backwashing, break it down and clean it out "the hard way". Yes, I know it's a pain - I had to do it five times over the span of 3 days -- but your bleach should be going into destroying the Baq in your pool water and not any leftover crud in your filter.

In the later stages, the keys are:
1) Patience. I'm paraphrasing Jason here: In the early stages, the chemistry occurs quite quickly, but in the later (clear) stages, the reactions slow down and it just takes time.
2) Once your water is clear, add bleach only in the evening or when sunlight isn't directly shining on your pool. Direct sun on an unstabilized pool will burn your chlorine off very quickly. You want that chlorine working on the Baq (and the CCs) and not just burning off.
3) More patience. After my water cleared, it took almost a week before my pool passed the overnight FC loss test. I'm still working on killing the last of the CCs.

Finally,
I suggest that you add your pool specs and equipment to your signature. It will make it easier for all of the great people on this board to help you.

Good luck!
 

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Thanks for all the support. My test kit arrived yesterday. I get to check all the levels. On the third day of the conversion it was sparkling clean! I was shocked at the piles of goo on the bottom. I have spent a couple more days scrubbing and cleaning. It looks better than it ever has! I will post my pics of the conversion hopefully later today. I believe it was because I was adding 4 gallons of bleach EVERY hour for the first six hours and almost as much the second day..... That made the process go quicker!

I went back to the pool store and traded in my left over chemcals for shock since they do not do refunds!

Levels and pics to be posted later today!

Thanks again!

Jim
 
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