Baquacil to chlorine conv. question...

[new2pools]

Hello!
I am a new pool owner. We have a 27 round above ground pool that was just installed last week. Our pool guy sold us on the Baquacil. I literally just poured in the first bit this morning. I did have a few concerns and truly felt more comfortable with chlorine but the pool guy said this was better, etc, etc. so we went ahead with it. Well, I just came in and started reading on the net all about the problems people have with it and I am convinced I don't want to use it. If someone can help me I can tell you what all the readings on our water were from the pool co. and what all I've added so far. (sooooo mad I didn't read first!!! I had perfectly untouched, no chemicals added, clean water until this morning )

Also, we have the 2hp filter, not sand.




Thanks for any help anyone can offer!

 

[new2pools]

Also, why do the pool stores say I have to drain my pool? (that I just got finished filling!) I am told the 2 chemicals can NOT be mixed???? Definitely HAS to be drained. (emphasis on their words)

 

[duraleigh]

DO NOT DRAIN YOUR POOL. You are not getting good advice.

It's fairly simple to ditch the baqugoo and get back to Cl. I have not done this conversion (others will be along for more sprecifics soon) but here's the principle:

You essentially treat the goo like it is algae....putting lots and lots of Cl in your pool and running your filter 24/7. It will probably scare the heck out of you because your pool may very well turn some pretty amazing colors, but simply stay the course. Keep adding Cl and cleaning your filter very frequently. I will wait for someone else to help you thru the specifics. but I wanted to get back to you quickly so you don't drain....it's just not required.

Since you just started with it, your conversion should be relatively painless.

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

First, take a deep breath... the conversion is a fairly painless process!

Ok, Get yourself a good test kit here. An HTH 6 way from Wally world will do for now. Also get a bunch of bleach.

Next, download the BleachCalc. It is an invaluable tool.

If your water is 3.5 feet deep, you have about 15,000 gallons. it will initially take about 3.75 gallons of ultra bleach (6%) to raise your FC to 15ppm.

Get your chlorine up to 15 and keep it there. Check it as often as you can, and add the proper amount of bleach. 2 or 3 times a day, or even more, will help you clear the baquagoo faster. Run your filter 24/7 and backwash often, to waste.

Hang on tight... your pool will turn many shades of green and orange before it is all over. When your pool will hold a FC reading of 15 overnight , you are done! You will then need to change your filter sand (bummer, I know, but at least it is pretty cheap!) and begin balancing your water - pH, CYA, etc.

If you have baqua products you did not use, see if you can return them for some CYA (stabilizer) skimmer socks, or even store credit. You will need to go to the pool store occasionally!

Feel free to ask for more advice, or if you don't understand something I've said!

Welcome to TFP!

ETA bleachcalc link

 

[JohnT]

Maybe an easier, better option. Most people love Baquacil the first couple of seasons, so don't be in a huge hurry to convert. That's especially true if the pool company gave you a bunch of chemicals with the install as they often do. The best time to convert is when you open the pool in the spring. The Baqua will be at its lowest level, and usually the pool is too cold to swim in for a couple of weeks anyway. If you switch now, the pool will probably be unusable for a week.

 

[duraleigh]

Maybe an easier, better option. Most people love Baquacil the first couple of seasons, so don't be in a huge hurry to convert. That's especially true if the pool company gave you a bunch of chemicals with the install as they often do. The best time to convert is when you open the pool in the spring. The Baqua will be at its lowest level, and usually the pool is too cold to swim in for a couple of weeks anyway. If you switch now, the pool will probably be unusable for a week.

It seems I've read that the difficulty of the conversion depends on the level of goo in the pool. Gooing the pool for a whole summer would seem more problematic (i.e. use lot's more chlorine and time to convert) than getting it out now while there's a single dose. It's not clear to me that it dissipates over the winter.

I may very well be incorrect, that's just what my memory is telling me.

 

[new2pools]

Thanks SO much everyone but all is well!!!!! :-D I didn't realize until I went to a pool store for help that I had not actually added any of the actual Baquacil product to my pool so I am fine and starting straight out with chlorine! Yay!

My sample of water was 0 for Baquacil and after some back and forth discussion came to the realization that I had only added Alkalinity Increaser and Calcium Hardener but not the actual Baquacil sanitizer yet, whew!.....I had no clue since both of the previous containers said "Baquacil" I just assumed that was it! I was following directions that Rec Warehouse gave me and hadn't gotten to the Sanitizer part yet (leaving several hours in between additions) when I came in and read up on it and decided to go with chlorine. So, I'm good to go with a brand new pool with good clean water. So, I'm about to go out and add a bit of PH decreaser, than a bit later stabilizer and finally the shock(per the other pool store I visited-not Rec) and we are good to go! Learning soooo much about all of this pool stuff quickly but I'm sure I will have many more questions as the season passes since this is our first experience in owning a pool!
Any advice or tips on keeping it up and testing, etc, would be welcome!

Thanks so much again for the really quick responses and help!!

 

[JohnT]

It seems I've read that the difficulty of the conversion depends on the level of goo in the pool. Gooing the pool for a whole summer would seem more problematic (i.e. use lot's more chlorine and time to convert) than getting it out now while there's a single dose. It's not clear to me that it dissipates over the winter.

I may very well be incorrect, that's just what my memory is telling me.

Well, looking at some of Ben's comments on PF, he talks about baqua chemicals building up after about three years of use, so I don't know if you'd be better off to wait or not. My thinking was that the biguanide level may never be higher than on startup, but if some residual builds up that may be a different issue. I don't think the residual is actually the biguanide itself. I don't know if it affects the conversion process or not. The downside to converting now is the loss of use until the conversion is done.

 

[The Mermaid Queen]

Thanks SO much everyone but all is well!!!!! :-D I didn't realize until I went to a pool store for help that I had not actually added any of the actual Baquacil product to my pool so I am fine and starting straight out with chlorine! Yay!

My sample of water was 0 for Baquacil and after some back and forth discussion came to the realization that I had only added Alkalinity Increaser and Calcium Hardener but not the actual Baquacil sanitizer yet, whew!.....I had no clue since both of the previous containers said "Baquacil" I just assumed that was it! I was following directions that Rec Warehouse gave me and hadn't gotten to the Sanitizer part yet (leaving several hours in between additions) when I came in and read up on it and decided to go with chlorine. So, I'm good to go with a brand new pool with good clean water. So, I'm about to go out and add a bit of PH decreaser, than a bit later stabilizer and finally the shock(per the other pool store I visited-not Rec) and we are good to go! Learning soooo much about all of this pool stuff quickly but I'm sure I will have many more questions as the season passes since this is our first experience in owning a pool!
Any advice or tips on keeping it up and testing, etc, would be welcome!

Thanks so much again for the really quick responses and help!!

Ok, here's a phrase you will hear often: Shock is a verb, something you DO to your pool, not a product you buy. You can shock your pool with Clorox just as easily, without adding anything unnecessary.

Secondly, with a vinyl pool, you don't need to worry about calcium.

Thirdly, get that stabilizer in the pool. It takes a long time for it to dissolve, so put it in a sock and hang it from your ladder, or in front of a return. You can add other chems while waiting for the CYA to dissolve. don't bother checking the CYA level for a week after you put it in.

Lastly, (for now! ) as I mentioned before, if you are going to take charge of your pool, which it sounds like you are, you need to get a good test kit and learn to use it. Don't rely on the pool store to accurately test your water. There are a few pool store guys who have a clue, but most don't!

 

[duraleigh]

[

New2pools,

My first purchase would be a test kit so you can quit relying on the pool store and the questionable advice. Of course, I'd like you to buy mine, but there's plenty of options out there to help you....I would consider any pool store's test as a last, worst option.

You can use muriatic acid instead of pH decreaser. but in order to do either, you have to know what your ph currently is.

Stabilizer (CYA) you can get from a pool store or Lowe's/HD and you'll need it.

Shock is not a product, it's a verb....even tho it will seem like a product at the pool store. Right now, you don't need to shock your pool. What you need is Chlorine....the sooner the better. You need to get Cl in your pool somewhere around 3-5ppm. If you'll put in one large jug of unscented Clorox this evening it will protect your pool from an algae growth.

The fact that you put in alkalinity increaser and now pH decreaser is a little counter productive. If you could post test results for CL, pH, Alk, and CYA, you would get much more precise advice and you can save some money.

Please don't construe this as harsh, but throwing in pool store chemicals when you have no test results (or are relying on pool store to interpret them for you) is simply guesswork and frequently sends you down a path of spending money and chasing your tail.

In this order, I would suggest:

1. Putting in a large jug of Clorox this evening (You'll have to add more later, how much depends on your test results)

2. Go ahead and put in the stabilizer (CYA)

3. Post up some test results so we can help you get your water perfect for the summer without spending much money.

 

[new2pools]

Well, I've got your test kit on order so just waiting on that to get more accurate results. I have the ph strips that I've been using though and everything "looks" okay but who knows.
I don't notice any chlorine smell (until I get out and the bathing suits do have a slight chlorine smell but not much). I posted that on another thread and apparently that is good. I guess I am just used to the neighborhood pool that always smells of chlorine!

Are there other additives in the Clorox that Ineed to be concerned with? The clorox and the "shock" that I am supposed to add every week (per the pool store) are the same thing?

Plus, I'm not using the tablets I bought from the pools store. (in the skimmer basket) Seems like I should be putting something in the pool though or is it okay for now? Am I just supposed to test and then add as needed?

I'm guessing the test kit will help me alot.

 

[new2pools]

BTW, I vacuumed the pool for the first time today. (that thing has got some awesome suction and did a wonderful job!) I had stuff on the bottom of the pool that looked like, well, the best I can describe it is sort of like dryer lint. Grayish colored, fuzzy-ish stuff scattered across the bottom of the pool. Was that some sort of algae??

The pool water is beautiful and crystal clear. Let's hope I can keep it that way.

 

[JasonLion]

If you get either unscented or original scent bleach then all it contains is chlorine, salt, and water. Both the bleach and the "shock" contain disenfecting chlorine but the "shock" contains other things you probably don't want in addition.

Just test the water daily, add bleach as needed, and keep an occasional eye on your other numbers, and you will be fine.

 

[new2pools]

Just test the water daily, add bleach as needed, and keep an occasional eye on your other numbers, and you will be fine.

Okay, sounds easy.....but how do I know how much bleach I need to add? (my test kit will be here tomorrow! :-D )

 

[JasonLion]

You can use BleachCalc, there is a link to it in an earlier post, to figure out how much bleach it takes based on your most recent measurment. For tonight it is pure guesswork, half a gallon should be safe.

 

[SeanB]

Thread moved to new more appropriate area of the site by SeanB.