My Baqua to Chlorine Conversion Adventure...

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Jun 16, 2012
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Marydel, DE
After lurking on the "Baqua - Use and Conversion" bbs for about a week, and after seeing all the support that the admin and other users give through this process, I began my own conversion to chlorine today! I'm going to post my experience in the hopes that others can learn from my mistakes (that are bound to happen!) and makes the process easier for them.

So far today: I started with a very low Baqua level (never added any since uncovering the pool and getting the sand filter running about a week ago). I started with fresh sand in the filter (D'oh! I realized only after looking into the conversion that I will have to change out the sand after...). I used the Pool Calculator to tell me how much bleach to add.

At 3pm, I added 824 oz of 6% bleach - the water went from pretty clear to cloudy, but still mostly blue.

At 4:30p, my hth 6-way strips from Wally World told me:

FC - 0
ph - 7.2
TA - 80
TH - 200
CA - 0 (maybe 30? The color is not much different for 0 and 30...)
At this point, I added 824 more oz of the bleach. The water turned a murky grey-green with some brown swirls...scary and swamp-looking!

At 6:30p, the tests said the FC was at zero again, and everything else was the same. The water looked less grey-green, but still cloudy blue-green. I added 824 more oz of bleach.

At 8:15p, I tested again and the FC was at about 5, the other levels were the same, and my wife described the water as "milky sea-foam green" :-D (Beautiful description...I love this woman...) I used the Pool Calculator again, and added 550 oz of bleach. I'll check again first thing in the morning before going to work, and add bleach accordingly. So far, so good - I guess?? : )
 
For now the strips will lead you somewhat, but your progress will be slowed greatly using them
I highly suggest a good test kit as in the long run it will save time and cash.

Good luck....we're here for any questions!
 
Sounds like you're on your way! As Leebo noted, a good test kit is definitely an investment in your long term success! I Highly recommend the TF100 - with the speedstir and XL option - for the testing you will need to do during the conversion - it's well worth every penny.

Keep the same schedule for adding chlorine. Test, add, wait - if possible every hour or so.

One last thing. Brush to ensure you're getting everything out and into the nice chlorine bath. If you've been reading the forum, you've probably read NikiBelle's posts - but here is the revelation post - help-i-m-in-a-complete-mess-and-don-t-know-which-way-to-turn-t44455-260.html#p388976 Brushing is critical to the process!

Good Luck!
 
Just wanted to send you some "adda way to go" strength. Your pool was clear at first, mine wasn't. I'll bet yours will go faster. That TF 100 kit has been my life preserver. Well that, and the peeps here.

Don't forget to brush!!!! Way more than you even think is needed....

Hang in there and you'll do awesome!!!!!
 
Congratulations on your decision to convert! You will not regret it.

Test strips are usually not accurate at higher chlorine levels.

You could dilute your pool water 2:1 or 3:1 with distilled water to get a more accurate FC reading until your test kit arrives. Don't use tap water to dilute, it has chlorine in it!

Good luck!
 

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This evening's progress:

At 5:30p, the FC was 0, and ph has dropped to 6.8. I added 824 oz. bleach, then brushed and vacuumed as much as I could (my vacuum works poorly). The water is transparent, with a greenish hue. It's lost the cloudiness, and I could see the sediment on the bottom of the pool. As I brushed, I could begin to see little bits of stringy white goop floating throughout the water - the baqua goo I assume? Checked FC again at 8:15p after brushing all that time, and it was at 2, so I added 714 oz. bleach, then went to Wally World to get more. Now, this is no joke - I've seemingly single-handedly cleaned out the Walmart's bleach section. I bought 11 jugs Saturday, 16 on Sunday, and tonight I bought the remaining 5 jugs! That will only be enough to get me through the morning's dose - hope they have more by tomorrow afternoon! : )
 


We filled ours with water and used them to hold down the winter cover last year. :) Now that I think of it....wonder what we'll use this year?
 
HA! :-D I love it! That's what my garage looks like now! But the results are showing - this morning the FC was 3, so I added more bleach, and the water is getting very clear. The pool is looking inviting! The ph is at 6.8 - should I start to address that now?
 
OK thanks Leebo - when I started the process, it was at 7.2. and it's now gone down to 6.8. I'm only using hth test strips until the TF100 kit arrives, which test for FC, ph, TH, TA, etc. If I'm hearing you right, I should go ahead and work on bumping up the ph?
 
I would as I never wana see a ph below 7, but using strips I wouldn't worry about it much. If you don't feel 100% positive with your results on PH then just wait.

At this point the FC level is still your biggest worry.
 
Well, the water is still nice and sparkling clear! The FC this morning was about 3-5 (the strips are really hard to read), so I split the difference and added the appropriate amount of bleach for 4 FC.

Am I ready now to begin the next steps? The wife and kids are looking at the pool and seeing how clear it is, and they are ready to swim! I get looks of confusion and disappointment when I tell them "not yet". Where do I go from here? The TF100 can't get here fast enough!! : )
 

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