Need to change sand after conversion

[JoyfulNoise]

Test, dose, brush, vacuum, repeat, test, dose, brush, vacuum, repeat....I think you get the drill

Were you able to procure more bleach? I know it feels weird when you're in the check out line with a shopping cart full of bleach bottles. Just mess with the people looking at you and tell them you're cleaning up a murder scene and then say nothing else. They'll take a step back and leave you alone you gotta get that FC up and hold it, it's the only way to oxidize all the baquacil in your pool.

If you find that you can get some of the goop to pool in the center, try vacuuming it out to waste.


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[Pcrider]

ready for clear water

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Looks a lot better than the frothy pea soup color. You're making progress. It'll go faster if you can get the chlorine up.

I'm not sure what others might think, but maybe try dosing it a little harder. 18ppm instead of 15ppm. It won't hurt the liner.

Others please chime in? If the dose is a little higher, does anyone think we'll get to holding faster.

Also, how's you sunshine?


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[Leebo]

Looks a lot better than the frothy pea soup color. You're making progress. It'll go faster if you can get the chlorine up.

I'm not sure what others might think, but maybe try dosing it a little harder. 18ppm instead of 15ppm. It won't hurt the liner.

Others please chime in? If the dose is a little higher, does anyone think we'll get to holding faster.

Also, how's you sunshine?


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I absolutely would NOT advise to raise to 18ppm. You are already at VERY high chlorine levels with no CYA in the water, and by raising the FC levels higher you are starting to toy with liner damage. Had this been at the start of the conversion where the FC levels will drop rather quickly, then maybe......however at at this stage where the OP is starting to hold some chlorine, I would STRONGLY suggest sticking to the 15ppm level.

During the Baqua conversion you are going to use up alot of bleach. Don't be discouraged by seeing a drop of 13ppm during the day. In honesty, the fact that you've held 1.5ppm chlorine during the day is a very promising sign. Keep in mind during the Baqua conversion not only are you fighting a chlorine loss to the Baqua, but you're also fighting a chlorine loss to the sun. With you holding any chlorine during the day it hints that you are going to see some improvement in the water clarity shortly and that the Baqua is close to being broken down. Keep adding chlorine to maintain the 15ppm FC level, and keep brushing frequently. While I know it seems like this process is taking forever, you are making GREAT strides. Keep following the steps outlined in Pool School and you will see improvements soon.

 

[Pcrider]

At 1.5ppm (this afternoon's reading), PoolMath suggested 4 jugs so that's what I did a 1 1/2 hours ago. Just tested and my FC is at 20!!!! Now I'm worried about my liner:/ I'm assuming at 20ppm I'll hold tight and do some vacuuming to waste and then test again in the morning. Thanks for the posts; it's very "inspirational" at this point to hear that I'm getting closer! I'm going to go ahead and mentally prepare for the changing of the sand

Weather - It has been very cloudy here throughout the entire process, which seems in my favor.

 

[Leebo]

I wouldn't worry about a short term increase above 15 damaging the liner, however prolonged levels above 15ppm can cause damage. For now, brush often, vacuum as mentioned, and sleep well. Soon you will be enjoying your "new pool."

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Hmmm...that's quite a bit of overshoot. Did you have the correct bleach percentage and bottle volume sizes in PoolMath?

On a positive note, it seems like chlorine is not getting consumed as fast if you did overshoot like that. And, yes, the heavy sun not being out helps.


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[JoyfulNoise]

Oh, and by the way, how's your filter pressure doing? Back washing as needed, right?


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[JoyfulNoise]

I absolutely would NOT advise to raise to 18ppm. You are already at VERY high chlorine levels with no CYA in the water, and by raising the FC levels higher you are starting to toy with liner damage. Had this been at the start of the conversion where the FC levels will drop rather quickly, then maybe......however at at this stage where the OP is starting to hold some chlorine, I would STRONGLY suggest sticking to the 15ppm level.

Thanks. I should have been more specific when I wrote that post and meant more of a transient spike up to 18ppm rather than suggesting a permanent change in procedure. But I totally understand your point that, with no stabilizer, the FC is very high and protecting the liner is very important.

Thanks for the reply.


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[Pcrider]

Rechecked pool math and did another check since I was doubting the big spike. Dosage was right and I just got a reading of 16ppm so I'm just going to consider it a blessing

It might not be a good idea, so correct me if so, but something that really seemed to help ours is backwashing TO WASTE. Our filter handle has that option and then one that just says backwash. As the skimmer would get full of goo, we'd backwash TO WASTE, then backwash (which lowered the pressure) then rinse. We did that 4-6 times over the weekend when we were able to go full force. We also scooped with the net when it was at it's worst, as well as a lot of brushing. We're going to do a good vacuuming tomorrow.

I'm anxious to see my count in the morning. Doubt it's possible, but we have sunny warmer days forecasted for the weekend so a clear pool would be nice.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Rechecked pool math and did another check since I was doubting the big spike. Dosage was right and I just got a reading of 16ppm so I'm just going to consider it a blessing

It might not be a good idea, so correct me if so, but something that really seemed to help ours is backwashing TO WASTE. Our filter handle has that option and then one that just says backwash. As the skimmer would get full of goo, we'd backwash TO WASTE, then backwash (which lowered the pressure) then rinse. We did that 4-6 times over the weekend when we were able to go full force. We also scooped with the net when it was at it's worst, as well as a lot of brushing. We're going to do a good vacuuming tomorrow.

I'm anxious to see my count in the morning. Doubt it's possible, but we have sunny warmer days forecasted for the weekend so a clear pool would be nice.

I fully admit that I am NOT a sand filter guy but I think you don't have the lingo quite right. BACKWASHING is always TO WASTE. The water is run through your filter in the reverse flow direction which means a good amount of crud in the sand is getting flushed out. The only place you want that crud to go is to waste.

I believe when the multiport valve says "TO WASTE" it means vacuuming to waste. That is, the water flow is from your pool, through the pump, by-passing the sand filter and then directly out the waste port. If you do not have your vacuum hooked up (either through a dedicated vacuum port or the skimmer), then the water coming from the skimmer (surface water) is just being ejected to waste.

You can also put the multiport valve into RECIRCULATE. All that does when the pump is running is to completely bypass the filter and return the water from the pump right back to the pool through the return line.

And, as always, you never adjust the MPV while the pump is running.

As for your chlorine loss, I eagerly await your morning report.....

 

[Pcrider]

So I'm STOKED at how the water looks!! But I'm SUPER confused about my reading. This morning it was at 9ppm, so my husband (yes, he's on board now that we've lost the pea soup affect) vacuumed and added 1 gallon at 9am, then it was brushed and another gallon added at 12:30. When I tested at 5:30, my ppm was 1. Water didn't even turn. Something had to be wrong with the test. I vacuumed again (because there was yellow sludge on the bottom), added 3 gallons, and tested 45 minutes later. My FC is at 18ppm. Filter's running and we're sitting tight to see what kind of drop we see in the morning. I'm really hoping for a small one!!

Some questions - At this point, do I still need to wait until I see less than 1ppm decrease before changing the sand or adding other chemicals? The water is almost clear so should I run a full test? Still dreading the sand change but we are going to do it anyway.

Btw- I LOVE the smell of bleach and it's a good thing, because you can now smell it in a 100 yard radius of our house

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Yup, sorry, no shortcuts.

1. Sparkly beautiful water;
2. CCs < 0.5ppm
3. OCLT < 1ppm

Then you can flex your filter mechanic muscles.

Oh, and FYI, your pool water should not smell of bleach. What makes pool "smell" are the combined chloramines (monochloramine, dichloramine, etc). Those are the oxidation products of chlorine and organics. Once your water is all set, it will have no smell whatsoever....well, it might smell like the margaritas you're drinking while lounging in your floaties, but that's up to you...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the awesome pics!!!!


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[Pcrider]

1ppm drop overnight and water is even clearer. We are at 17ppms for FC. My CCs are 6. I'm sorry, but not sure what you mean by OCLT. Can you advise? Thanks-

 

[JoyfulNoise]

OCLT - Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

You can look it up on TFP PoolSchool. Basically you set your pool water to shock level after the sun is down and make sure all your pumps are running. Then you go to bed. When you wake up BEFORE there's any sun on the pool, you measure FC. If you lose less than 1ppm FC, then you pass.

Sounds like your CCs are still a bit high but your maintaining fairly well, so I'd keep it at shock level today and get ready to do an OCLT tonight.

Yay for super sparkly water!!


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[Pcrider]

My water is CRYSTAL CLEAR but the FC reading is 0.5. So do I put in bleach to get back to 15ppm, or just make sure it's the same tomorrow?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Hi. Been tied up all day.

You must be at shock level for the OCLT.

What's your CCs?


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[Pcrider]

my cc is 2

 

[JoyfulNoise]

my cc is 2

Then definitely get the water back up to 15ppm FC. If your CCs are still high at 15ppm FC, then doing an OCLT is not worth it.



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[Pcrider]

Okay. Chlorine is in and we'll check in an hour. Its been very sunny today.

Is there any point in the process that the pool is safe to swim in? What should all levels be for safe swimming?

Thanks!