Friends,
I just joined this group to post this message to help those of you struggling with Baquacil. I wanted to pass along what I've found to be an absolutely tremendous solution. But read thru my note to get the backb=tround.
I've been a home pool owner for more than 40 years -- two pools at two homes. I'm a native Californian living in Missouri. So, without an ocean to surf any more, I've got to have a pool. Having struggled with maintaining pool chemistry and water clarity, I wanted to share with you what, after decades, I've found to be the perfect solution.
I'd converted our first pool from chlorine to Baquacil after years of expensive, traditional chlorine treatment. It worked great for the first few years. But after a couple of years, I found I kept having to add more and more stuff to keep the pool clear.
Ultimately, we had to go back to chlorine. What my pool support folks told me (and I've had it confirmed by others) is that because of they way Baquacil essentially works, algae can develop an immunity. It happened fairly quickly in our area. In other areas, less hot, I get a sense it takes longer.
Anyway, we spent few years of expensive chlorine treatment at our second home (the original owner put it had it on Baquacil until it stopped working in our area and converted it back to chlorine).
After well more than $1,000 in chemicals per summer (we open our pool pretty early and it's heated), our pool service person suggested a solution that has cut our cost to nearly zero -- and eliminated the maintenance problem.
It's a salt chlorinator. It cost about $1,500 to install. Takes about 10 40-pound bags of salt to start (for a pool of something more than 20,000 gallons). After that, its maintenance free. No algacide. It took me a few years to accept my pool guy's recommendation to stop the algacide, but I'm on the second year without any adverse consequence.
Just need to add a bag of regular water-treatment "solar salt" every couple of months -- cost of about a few bucks per bag.
The only drawback is that the water does have a very slight salt taste. Supposedly at the same level as eye tears. So, there's no eye irration we had with traditional chlorine, nor smell, nor ruined bathing suits, etc.
I cannot exaggerate how great this system has been. It's brought down to zero (literally) both the costs of maintaining the pool as well as the drag on our own time.
And don't get fooled by folks who try to sell expensive bags of component chemicals to maintain a salt pool. You just need salt and the salt chlorinator device (an electric thing that connects to your pool piping) takes care of everthing.
And, in case there is any doubt. I'm neither a pool supplier or contractor. Rather, I'm a reporter who has absolutely no financial interest in this matter.
I just joined this group to post this message to help those of you struggling with Baquacil. I wanted to pass along what I've found to be an absolutely tremendous solution. But read thru my note to get the backb=tround.
I've been a home pool owner for more than 40 years -- two pools at two homes. I'm a native Californian living in Missouri. So, without an ocean to surf any more, I've got to have a pool. Having struggled with maintaining pool chemistry and water clarity, I wanted to share with you what, after decades, I've found to be the perfect solution.
I'd converted our first pool from chlorine to Baquacil after years of expensive, traditional chlorine treatment. It worked great for the first few years. But after a couple of years, I found I kept having to add more and more stuff to keep the pool clear.
Ultimately, we had to go back to chlorine. What my pool support folks told me (and I've had it confirmed by others) is that because of they way Baquacil essentially works, algae can develop an immunity. It happened fairly quickly in our area. In other areas, less hot, I get a sense it takes longer.
Anyway, we spent few years of expensive chlorine treatment at our second home (the original owner put it had it on Baquacil until it stopped working in our area and converted it back to chlorine).
After well more than $1,000 in chemicals per summer (we open our pool pretty early and it's heated), our pool service person suggested a solution that has cut our cost to nearly zero -- and eliminated the maintenance problem.
It's a salt chlorinator. It cost about $1,500 to install. Takes about 10 40-pound bags of salt to start (for a pool of something more than 20,000 gallons). After that, its maintenance free. No algacide. It took me a few years to accept my pool guy's recommendation to stop the algacide, but I'm on the second year without any adverse consequence.
Just need to add a bag of regular water-treatment "solar salt" every couple of months -- cost of about a few bucks per bag.
The only drawback is that the water does have a very slight salt taste. Supposedly at the same level as eye tears. So, there's no eye irration we had with traditional chlorine, nor smell, nor ruined bathing suits, etc.
I cannot exaggerate how great this system has been. It's brought down to zero (literally) both the costs of maintaining the pool as well as the drag on our own time.
And don't get fooled by folks who try to sell expensive bags of component chemicals to maintain a salt pool. You just need salt and the salt chlorinator device (an electric thing that connects to your pool piping) takes care of everthing.
And, in case there is any doubt. I'm neither a pool supplier or contractor. Rather, I'm a reporter who has absolutely no financial interest in this matter.
