We just bought a house last fall that has a 24 ft AG pool. The prior owners were nice enough to close the pool for the season before they moved out. When I open the pool this weekend, I will be transitioning from Baquacil to chlorine.
My confidence level waivers hourly as I read more information on this website, and the weekend quickly approaches. So, any input would be greatly appreciated.
I was at the local pool store a couple times this week. I took a sample of water for them to test. Since the pool is still covered and the filter isn't operating, would the numbers still be reliable? Here are the test results I received:
- pH: 7.4 (told me I want it between 7.2-7.8)
- Alkalinity: between 80-120 (didn't write an exact number, but said it was in range)
- Baquacil: 30 (told me that was a good amount still in the pool)
I did not get any test results for all the other chemicals I have since read about on this site.
When I looked under the cover tonight, as much as I could tell the water looks very clear. I could easily see the bottom of the pool (all 4 feet down); but I could easily see out into the middle of the pool as well.
Here is the advice I received from the pool store for my conversion:
- Add chlorine until the Baquacil is gone!
- I mentioned that I had bought some Chlorox (8.25%), and he told me I would have to buy a lot of that to do the conversion. He also said that the bleach would discolor my liner. He recommended buying granular chlorine (90+%). So, I bought a 25 lb container. He said it will probably only take half of the container for the conversion, but then I'll have chlorine to use for the rest of summer.
- He instructed me to throw 2 lbs of chlorine in the pool every other day. He did say it could take a couple weeks to get rid of the Baquacil. He said I only really needed to test for Baquacil at this time until I get it down to about zero. Then I need to start worrying about getting the chlorine to the correct level and adding stabilizer (CYA).
- He also said I would need to backwash the filter, but probably only once a day.
So, he made it sound like this transition is not that tough of a project (confidence rising).
And then I decided to do some more research on the process, and came across this website which contains a wealth of information. And information that does not necessarily coincide with my local pool store (confidence shrinking).
Questions:
- Does it matter that my Baquacil level is at 30? Does it just mean I will need more chlorine for the transition?
- Once I hook up the filter and pump, should I run it for an hour or so before I begin the transition?
- In addition to checking Baquacil levels daily, I should also buy a test kit for chlorine so I know when and how much chlorine I need to add to keep getting it back to 15ppm. I will be testing that every couple hours the first few days of the transition. Correct?
- Chlorox (8.25%) vs. granular chlorine (90+%); Does it matter which item I use? Is it fine to use the granular chlorine? Is is safe to add more than 2 lbs every other day if I am testing the chlorine and it is below 15ppm? Is it fine to use both Chlorox and granular chlorine?
- I should expect to backwash the filter multiple times a day, especially in the beginning. Should I be concerned that I may not be able to have someone backwash it during the day while I am at work? Should I try to have someone stop over to do that for me?
- How will I know when it is time to backwash?
- When I read about brushing and vacuuming, is brushing just using the vacuum brush to scrub the liner, or is there another type of brush that is recommended?
Well, that is at least a start….I am hoping my confidence will start rising again once I receive some feedback from you guys. I will take any and all advice!
Thanks in advance,
Patrick
My confidence level waivers hourly as I read more information on this website, and the weekend quickly approaches. So, any input would be greatly appreciated.
I was at the local pool store a couple times this week. I took a sample of water for them to test. Since the pool is still covered and the filter isn't operating, would the numbers still be reliable? Here are the test results I received:
- pH: 7.4 (told me I want it between 7.2-7.8)
- Alkalinity: between 80-120 (didn't write an exact number, but said it was in range)
- Baquacil: 30 (told me that was a good amount still in the pool)
I did not get any test results for all the other chemicals I have since read about on this site.
When I looked under the cover tonight, as much as I could tell the water looks very clear. I could easily see the bottom of the pool (all 4 feet down); but I could easily see out into the middle of the pool as well.
Here is the advice I received from the pool store for my conversion:
- Add chlorine until the Baquacil is gone!
- I mentioned that I had bought some Chlorox (8.25%), and he told me I would have to buy a lot of that to do the conversion. He also said that the bleach would discolor my liner. He recommended buying granular chlorine (90+%). So, I bought a 25 lb container. He said it will probably only take half of the container for the conversion, but then I'll have chlorine to use for the rest of summer.
- He instructed me to throw 2 lbs of chlorine in the pool every other day. He did say it could take a couple weeks to get rid of the Baquacil. He said I only really needed to test for Baquacil at this time until I get it down to about zero. Then I need to start worrying about getting the chlorine to the correct level and adding stabilizer (CYA).
- He also said I would need to backwash the filter, but probably only once a day.
So, he made it sound like this transition is not that tough of a project (confidence rising).
And then I decided to do some more research on the process, and came across this website which contains a wealth of information. And information that does not necessarily coincide with my local pool store (confidence shrinking).
Questions:
- Does it matter that my Baquacil level is at 30? Does it just mean I will need more chlorine for the transition?
- Once I hook up the filter and pump, should I run it for an hour or so before I begin the transition?
- In addition to checking Baquacil levels daily, I should also buy a test kit for chlorine so I know when and how much chlorine I need to add to keep getting it back to 15ppm. I will be testing that every couple hours the first few days of the transition. Correct?
- Chlorox (8.25%) vs. granular chlorine (90+%); Does it matter which item I use? Is it fine to use the granular chlorine? Is is safe to add more than 2 lbs every other day if I am testing the chlorine and it is below 15ppm? Is it fine to use both Chlorox and granular chlorine?
- I should expect to backwash the filter multiple times a day, especially in the beginning. Should I be concerned that I may not be able to have someone backwash it during the day while I am at work? Should I try to have someone stop over to do that for me?
- How will I know when it is time to backwash?
- When I read about brushing and vacuuming, is brushing just using the vacuum brush to scrub the liner, or is there another type of brush that is recommended?
Well, that is at least a start….I am hoping my confidence will start rising again once I receive some feedback from you guys. I will take any and all advice!
Thanks in advance,
Patrick