Just started conversion last night (complete 2011, so happy)

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Rick Lohr

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LifeTime Supporter
Aug 5, 2011
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Pittsfield, MA
Day 1:
First post. Looks like a great forum. My friend referred me.

I have a 24' round above ground pool with a sand filter that I have been using Baquacil in for the last 10 years. I have been progressively having a harder time keeping it clear and free of green algae. I started the conversion last night. Unfortunately, I had normal Baquacil and BaquaShock levels when I started. PH was about 7.4.

I have 10 gallons of 12.5% chlorine the pool store sold me. They told me to put in one gallon every 12 hours. I put in one gallon last evening (first chlorine to start conversion 8/4/11). I tesed it with Aquachek test strips they sold me. The Free Chlorine did not even register. I added 1.5 gallon this morning after using the pool calculator. Again, the Free Chlorine is too low to register. I'm a bit concerned since the pH reads 8.4. My pool is bright yellow, by the way.

Am I on the right track?
How often should I add chemical when I get no FC readings at all?
Should I be trying to bring the pH down?

Thanks
Rick

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Re: Just started conversion last night

Welcome to TFP!

There are two possibilities. Your chlorine test might be bleaching out due to high FC levels, causing the PH to read false high, or your FC level might be zero and PH is too high. It would be nice to know which it is, since high PH should be lowered. Everything will be much simpler if you get a real test kit. I recommend the TF100 with the XL option. In the short run, an in expensive OTO chlorine test will be enough to distinguish zero chlorine from very high chlorine, but eventually you will need a FAS-DPD chlorine test, such as the one in the TF100.

If FC is really zero, then yes you should lower the PH back down to around 7.2 to 7.4. As long as FC is actually zero, you can add more chlorine as often as hourly.

It is quite common during a baquacil conversion for all of the chlorine to vanish in under an hour for the first several rounds of chlorine addition. Entertaining colors, including yellow, are also common.
 
Re: Just started conversion last night

I converted my pool 2 years ago, it is the same size as yours. I only used bleach at 6% because we didn't have a pool store in the area that sold 12.5%. I can say that at that 6% it took me well over 50 jugs, so you might want to stock up on some more, just in case. A good test is a must. I ordered the TF-100 and it came in about 2 days. The key to a quicker conversion is testing and adding chlorine hourly if you can. The chlorine burns off very quickly as it is killling the baquacil.
 
Re: Just started conversion last night

Thanks for the quick responses. I ordered the TF-100XL kit. Should I wait for the kit and do 1.5 gal every 12 hours, or find a better test kit locally. Unfortunately, our Walmart is out of the HTH kit.

Rick
 

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Re: Just started conversion last night

Well, I just kind of flew blind the first couple of days waiting on my test kit. I had read the most of the chlorine was used up within the hour of adding it, so every hour I just dosed it back up from 0 to 15 using the pool calculator. Because I added so often, my conversion was done fairly quickly, in about 5 days or so, but every conversion is different. Make sure to watch the pressure readings on your filter and to clean if necessary.
 
Re: Just started conversion last night

Should I wait for the kit and do 1.5 gal every 12 hours,
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Welcome to the forum :lol: Yes, I would do just that. Your kit will be to you in three days and the 1.5 gallons each day (put it in in the evening) will help you make progress without overdosing.

Don't waste your money on an interim kit. They won't do the FAS/DPD test that you need to complete the conversion.

One other note....

Based on past experience on the forum, if you blend the advice from the forum and from the pool store, you are likely to end up with "blended" results. (that's not good!! :lol: :lol: )

Two sets of instructions is almost always counterproductive. If you stay with the conversion advice offered here, you will follow the path of literally hundreds of folks who have made the conversion succesfully.
 
Re: Just started conversion last night

so every hour I just dosed it back up from 0 to 15 using the pool calculator.
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I'm pretty sure pepsiholic did not do that during the entire process. Yes, the FC may get used up within an hour on the first couple of doses but, over time, that is not the case and then the dose should be from whatever the current reading is (say 8ppm) back up to 15ppm for a dose of 7ppm.

To put 15ppm in your pool each hour until your water is clear will result in a serious overdose of FC and may very well bleach out your liner. Testing for your existing FC level and then dosing up to your target is the best way to proceed safely.
 
Re: Just started conversion last night

pepsiholic said:
Well, I just kind of flew blind the first couple of days waiting on my test kit. I had read the most of the chlorine was used up within the hour of adding it, so every hour I just dosed it back up from 0 to 15 using the pool calculator. Because I added so often, my conversion was done fairly quickly, in about 5 days or so, but every conversion is different. Make sure to watch the pressure readings on your filter and to clean if necessary.
Click to expand...
Thanks. How often did you end up backwashing? Did it hurt your grass or did you dump it elsewhere?

Rick
 

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Re: Just started conversion last night

Thanks, just to clarify, is it 1.5 gal each day in the evening, or 1.5 gal each 12 hours.
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Either is acceptable for the short three days you will need to but I would suggest evening only. Because the sun will voraciously consume your FC, dosing more heavily at night is cost effective.

If you have the time and determination to do it, (and when you get the kit so you can test) I think dosing on a schedule something like this would give you maximum benefit and cost effectiveness.

6:00PM dose up to 15ppm

10:00PM again

5:00AM again (yikes! :shock: )

10:30AM again

Repeat daily, testing each time and adding only enough chlorine to get BACK to 15ppm
 
Re: Just started conversion last night

Thanks much. So for the next few days, lets say I dose 1.5 gal at 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM. Does that make sense?

Also, will it hurt the grass, and I assume I will need to add water as I backwash to keep the skimmer level up.
 
Re: Just started conversion last night

I would rather you stick with one dose. With no CYA in the pool, You can bleach the liner with an overdose and that's irreversible. I think your safe staying with 1.5 (or even 1) gallon of 12.5% each evening.

The backwash won't hurt the grass.
 
Re: Just started conversion last night

Duraliegh is correct about adding to much at once, so I wouldn't recommend doing what I did, I was impatient and hadn't learned POP (Pool Owner Patience) yet and I did fade my liner a little. So just follow his advice, he and the other got me through it just fine.
 
Re: Just started conversion last night

Rick Lohr said:
duraleigh said:
I would rather you stick with one dose. With no CYA in the pool, You can bleach the liner with an overdose and that's irreversible. I think your safe staying with 1.5 (or even 1) gallon of 12.5% each evening.

The backwash won't hurt the grass.
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OK. I hope I didn't already bleach it. I think I put in closer to 2 gal this morning. I used a small bucket and am not exactly sure where the gallon mark is. I wasn't worried because I had been reading of people putting in 6 or 7 gallons of the 6%. Must have been larger pools than mine.

I'll do 1 gallon of 12.5% each evening till my kit arrives. My wife is a bit impatient so I was trying to quicken the pace.

I had the pool store check my water. FC was about 1.5. pH was high at 8.1. My Baqucil level is very low, but my Baquashock is still above 50. They recommended not to mess with the pH till I get the Chlorine more stable, but to your earlier point, I will follow what this board recommends. So far, there has not been much conflict.

Rick
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Re: Just started conversion last night

You should be fine, I went on bleach overload and even though my liner faded a little, you can still see the blue swirly pattern, it's just a lighter blue is all.

Yeah, I jumped into the conversion process before I joined this sight, just read what I thought I needed to know, but once I joined and asked a few questions, they walked me through the rest of the process the correct way.
 

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