Baquacil Conversion (Starting 5/31)

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pflaherty3 said:
Is sending the FC to 15 in the morning and then in again in the evening sufficient at this point of the process? Or should I try to do it 3 times a day as I did during the first part of the conversion?
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The more still you can bump the level up to 15, the quicker it will go. At this point however it appears you're coming to an end and most of the chlorine added during the day will be consumed to the sun. It's a personal call at this point (speed vs cost) however if it were me I'd start only dosing at night and early morning.


pflaherty3 said:
Is there a "best" time to test CC? Once my CC's are 0.5 or less for 2 days in a row, I can stop maintaining FC at 15 as the conversion is considered complete, correct? I can then get the chlorine to the recommended levels. Is there a preferred order to bring the pool to recommended levels? FC, pH, then TA? And then after a week, I can test to see if my CYA is in an acceptable range.
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There really is no "best" time for testing the Combined Chlorine. Just keep testing overnight until your lose is 1ppm. Again, you're very close. As for the other levels, after the FC lowers below 10 you can run a full set of tests to see if anything needs adjusting.

pflaherty3 said:
Is there anything I should be watching out for, or anything that I may be missing in these next few steps of this conversion?
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You've got the process down, and will quickly find how easy pool care is! I can tell by your posts you understand your water now. Just get ready to enjoy your pool. Keep brushing as often of you can, including every little nook you see. The stairs, skimmer, lights, returns.........all perfect hiding spots for the Baqua-goo. I used a toothbrush even during our conversion to really scrub all I could. Every bit of manual labor really does help the chlorine do it's job.
 
Day #8

I was only able to treat the pool twice today….Father's Day duties called.

Used ~3 jugs (121oz @ 8.25%)

Up to ~34 jugs overall.

7:30am: FC was down to 12.5; increased to 15
10:30pm: FC was down to 0.5; increased to 15.

I did some brushing tonight.

The pump has been continuously running since yesterday. The pressure hasn't changed all day, so I am going to continue to filter overnight and backwash tomorrow. Note that I did not backwash today. I think I am going to take a small brush to the skimmer tomorrow to loosen up any residue that may be on it.

I put a couple toys and several plastic balls in the pool today that had previously been in the Baquacil water. I cleaned off the ladder and then placed it in the pool as well. I need to securely fasten it tomorrow.
 
I only lost 1ppm overnight. My process at night has been:

1) test chlorine in evening after sun goes down
2) input amount in PoolMath calculator
3) add necessary bleach
4) [open slot]
5) test chlorine in morning before sunlight hits pool

At this latter part of the process, should I be testing the water 30 minutes after I add the bleach at night to get a true chlorine reading (slot #4 above) to compare to my morning reading? I have just been operating with the thought that I am increasing FC to 15 when I add the necessary bleach, which I think is fine at the beginning of the process. However, should I be more diligent now to ensure I didn't actually increase FC to 16 or 17 at night and therefore am still losing more than 1ppm when I test in the morning? I am asking this question based on the directions included regarding "Performing an OCLT."

Pending the responses I receive, I may or may not be cleaning the filter and changing the sand after work and beginning to add CYA.

Thanks in advance!
 
Day #9

I was only able to treat the pool twice today.

Used ~3 jugs (121oz @ 8.25%)

Up to ~37 jugs overall.

6:30am: FC was down to 14; increased to 15
9:45pm: FC was down to 0.5; increased to 15 (per PoolMath)

OCLT - Initial Reading
10:45pm: FC was 16

I did some vacuuming and brushing tonight.

The pump has been continuously running. The pressure hasn't changed all day; however, I backwashed after I vacuumed this evening. I didn't end up cleaning the skimmer out tonight, so will try to take a small brush to the skimmer tomorrow to loosen up any residue that may be on it.

The water is still clear. The picture isn't the best as it was overcast.
 

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Day #10

I only treated the pool once today.

Used ~2.5 jugs (121oz @ 8.25%)

Up to ~39 jugs overall.

Performed OCLT. I lost <1ppm.

6:45am: FC was down to 15.5; did not add any chlorine
10:00pm: FC was down to 0.5; increased to 15 (per PoolMath)
11:30pm: FC was at 16; CC was at 1.0

I changed out the sand tonight after work (before I added chlorine). It was a more tedious process than I imagined. The small opening on the top of the filter and the filter pipe limited the container size I could use. It takes some time to empty 150 lbs of wet sand one small peanut butter container at a time. I used the drain at the bottom to empty the water; however, it wasn't designed to allow sand to empty through the opening, which was disappointing! I then hosed out the filter and sprayed off the laterals. I then added water before adding the new sand. I immediately backwashed the filter once the new sand was added.

After I added the chlorine, I then added ~48oz of CYA to bring it from 0 to 30. I put it in a dress sock in front of the return jet and it was dissolving it pretty quick. I then placed the sock in the skimmer to slow it down a little, but even when I checked an hour later, it was mostly dissolved. I wasn't sure if it mattered how quickly the CYA was introduced into the water. From some of the items I've read, I should make a point not to backwash the filter for the next week in response to adding CYA.

Around 11:30pm, I did my first Combined Chlorine (CC) test and it registered at 1.0. Does that mean I should be getting it down to 0.5 or less in the next day or so, or could it hover around 1.0, or even increase, before finally dropping to 0.5 or less for two consecutive days?

I did some brushing tonight. Since I won't be backwashing the filter for the next week, should I not vacuum the pool either? Just brush it? I was always under the impression that you needed to backwash the pool right after vacuuming. Is that true, or does it depend on how dirty the water was and how much the pressure increases? Would it be fine to vacuum a little and then not backwash?
 
Day #11

I treated the pool twice today.

Used ~2 jugs (121oz @ 8.25%)

Up to ~41 jugs overall.

7:30am: FC was down to 14; increased FC to 15; CC was 1.0
6:00pm: FC was down to 7; increased to 15; CC was 1.0

I did some brushing tonight. Since I won't be backwashing the filter for the next week, should I not vacuum the pool either? Just brush it? I was always under the impression that you needed to backwash the pool right after vacuuming. Is that true, or does it depend on how dirty the water was and how much the pressure increases? Would it be fine to vacuum a little and then not backwash?

Note this morning my CC was 0.5, so I will hope it will be 0.5 again tomorrow so I can mark the completion of this conversion and start balancing my other chemicals.
 
Day #11
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Day #12

I treated the pool twice today.

Used ~1 jug (121oz @ 8.25%)

Up to ~40 jugs overall.

6:30am: FC was down to 14.5; increased FC to 15; CC was 0.5
6:00pm: FC was down to 9; increased to 15; CC was 0.5

I did some brushing tonight. Since I won't be backwashing the filter for the next week, should I not vacuum the pool either? Just brush it? I was always under the impression that you needed to backwash the pool right after vacuuming. Is that true, or does it depend on how dirty the water was and how much the pressure increases? Would it be fine to vacuum a little and then not backwash?
 
Is that true, or does it depend on how dirty the water was and how much the pressure increases?
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I see your point and it has some merit but I have ALWAYS thought of backwashing and vacuuming as two unrelated operations. Brushing as seperate, too.

I vacuum to clean the pool floor. The trigger to vacuum is visible dirt in the pool.

I brush pretty infrequently...almost as an afterthought. If I had a plaster surface, I would feel the need to brush more frequently.

While brushing and vacuuming may stir up additional debris for the filter to catch, I think it makes VERY little difference in the backwash process. I simply do that at +25% psi and pay no attention to whether I have brushed or vacuumed.
 
How did you add the CYA? If it was added via a sock in front of the skimmer, I see no reason why you aren't able to backwash if needed.
 
The easiest way to change sand is to drain filter and leave the top open for a day or so and let sand dry. Then it easily sucks out with a shop vac. Hard to do when you need circulation in this situation though.

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Day #13

6:45am: FC was down to 13.5; CC was 0.5

I did not add any bleach because this was my second consecutive day with a CC reading of 0.5.

Based on Pool School, my conversion is COMPLETE!

I ended up using ~40 jugs of bleach (121 oz at 8.25%).

Initial Test Results:
- pH: 7.7
- TA: 90
- CH 100

These results put me within the recommended levels, other than the FC which I will continue to let fall to the 3-7 range.

Day #14

- FC: 5
- CC: 0.5
- pH: 7.6
- CH (not tested)

I have not tested CYA. I was planning on waiting a week to make sure it will show up on the test. I put the CYA into the water via a sock. I had the sock in front of the return valve for the majority of the time, and part of the time is was in the skimmer basket. Should I still wait a week to test CYA, or should I test sooner because I used a sock?

Based on the responses, I will not worry too much about backwashing. As of now, I don't think I will need to backwash anyway as my pressure has remained steady. However, I will vacuum the pool as necessary. Usually I am vacuuming because some dirt has simply congregated in the center of the pool.

I have not included a picture as it has been rainy and overcast and doesn't do the pool or conversion justice. It will be coming in the near future...
 
Woohoo! Looking like you've got it under control. You could test for CYA sooner than a week to see if it's where you targeted. Some will see it in a day, some a week. Week is just safer and prevents people from over adding when they may not see it right away.

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