There is an article in pool school on how to PROPERLY clean cart filters. Washing the aquabot bag and skimmer sock in bleach is fine.
Baquacil to Chlorine Conversion - need reassurance!
- Thread starter mrsklement
- Start date
Thanks for the info, duraleigh. I've added TSP to my next pool shopping trip list so I can chemically clean the filter. I don't know where I can get it, but I'm going to check at the pool store first.
I've added CYA now. Thanks for the tip to get it at Meijers, mitzelfamily. I wouldn't have even thought to check there. That's very handy.
It sure is nice to not have to add bleach non stop. I haven't added ANY since last night at 9 p.m. The FC has only dropped from 19 FC to 16 FC in almost 24 hours. CC is still at 1, so I'm getting close to being done with the conversion!
I'm getting excited to get the SWG hooked up, but my husband is out of town this week and he's the one who's going to hook it up, so I have to be patient (I'm not good at that!!). I've calculated we're going to need 17 of the 40 lb. bags of salt, so I need his muscle and his pick-up truck to go get the salt.
I just put enough CYA to get to 40 ppm, but it looks like it should be between 60 - 80 ppm for my SWG. Should I raise it to that level now, or should I wait a week until we're about to hook up the SWG?
Also, I'm planning on adding borates. Should I do that now or wait until after the SWG is hooked up and running?
I've added CYA now. Thanks for the tip to get it at Meijers, mitzelfamily. I wouldn't have even thought to check there. That's very handy.
It sure is nice to not have to add bleach non stop. I haven't added ANY since last night at 9 p.m. The FC has only dropped from 19 FC to 16 FC in almost 24 hours. CC is still at 1, so I'm getting close to being done with the conversion!
I'm getting excited to get the SWG hooked up, but my husband is out of town this week and he's the one who's going to hook it up, so I have to be patient (I'm not good at that!!). I've calculated we're going to need 17 of the 40 lb. bags of salt, so I need his muscle and his pick-up truck to go get the salt.
I just put enough CYA to get to 40 ppm, but it looks like it should be between 60 - 80 ppm for my SWG. Should I raise it to that level now, or should I wait a week until we're about to hook up the SWG?
Also, I'm planning on adding borates. Should I do that now or wait until after the SWG is hooked up and running?
Add CYA a step at a time. It is easier to put in than take out. That is a good first step.
Wait until you have the SWG hooked up AND your levels balanced for a little while before you add borates.
You have come so far and done a great job! It is nice to see someone learning and doing what needs to be done!
Kim
Wait until you have the SWG hooked up AND your levels balanced for a little while before you add borates.
You have come so far and done a great job! It is nice to see someone learning and doing what needs to be done!
Kim
Thanks for the advice, kimkats. I'll just wait until the SWG is hooked up to add more CYA and to add borates. For now, I can just enjoy looking at that beautiful, sparkly pool out in the yard. Sure wish I could actually SWIM in it, but it's been raining all day today and it's supposed to be a high temperature of 52 tomorrow (sigh). Figures - as soon as I get a swimmable pool, the weather won't cooperate. Well, that's Michigan for you!
As soon as the CC level is staying between 0 and 0.5, I can let the FC go back down to 3 ppm, right? Anything else I should be doing right now?
I've spent so much time reading on TPF that I feel like it's taking over my life, but I do feel like I understand what my pool needs and how the different chemicals react and affect the water more than I have ever understood it in the past. For the first 15 years of pool ownership, I was just blindly doing whatever the pool store told me to. I'm actually glad my pool store decided to close or I might never have taken the plunge to convert over to chlorine and the TFP method.
Thanks to everyone who gave me such great, timely advice. I sure wish I had done this a LONG time ago, and I couldn't have done it without all the help. I'm looking forward to a really good swimming season (if it ever decides to warm up, that is!).
As soon as the CC level is staying between 0 and 0.5, I can let the FC go back down to 3 ppm, right? Anything else I should be doing right now?
I've spent so much time reading on TPF that I feel like it's taking over my life, but I do feel like I understand what my pool needs and how the different chemicals react and affect the water more than I have ever understood it in the past. For the first 15 years of pool ownership, I was just blindly doing whatever the pool store told me to. I'm actually glad my pool store decided to close or I might never have taken the plunge to convert over to chlorine and the TFP method.
Thanks to everyone who gave me such great, timely advice. I sure wish I had done this a LONG time ago, and I couldn't have done it without all the help. I'm looking forward to a really good swimming season (if it ever decides to warm up, that is!).
With your FC use the CYA/FC chart to see your range.
When I put in my FC at night I aim for the upper end of my range. I have found that it falls to just at my lower end of my range during the day. That has kept me algae free for this long!
Kim
When I put in my FC at night I aim for the upper end of my range. I have found that it falls to just at my lower end of my range during the day. That has kept me algae free for this long!
Kim
Thanks, kimkats! I'll do that.
One more question tonight. I've been reading up on adding borates, and it sounds like boric acid might be easier than borax, since then you don't have to add muriatic acid to re-level the PH. I have already bought all the borax I need (darn it!), but I could always return it since I only bought it a few weeks ago. Would it be worth the trouble to return the borax to the grocery store and use boric acid instead? I haven't bought any muriatic acid yet, anyway, so it would just be a matter of hauling the 20 boxes of 20 Mule Team borax back to the store. Anyone have any advice about this?
One more question tonight. I've been reading up on adding borates, and it sounds like boric acid might be easier than borax, since then you don't have to add muriatic acid to re-level the PH. I have already bought all the borax I need (darn it!), but I could always return it since I only bought it a few weeks ago. Would it be worth the trouble to return the borax to the grocery store and use boric acid instead? I haven't bought any muriatic acid yet, anyway, so it would just be a matter of hauling the 20 boxes of 20 Mule Team borax back to the store. Anyone have any advice about this?
you can find TSP at home depot. Its used a lot of cleaning concrete and in the HD where I am, its in the section with muriatic acid, and cleaners for cleaning home siding and things like that. Generally it will be close to the paint department.
SAVOGRAN 1 lb. Box TSP Heavy Duty Cleaner-10621 - The Home Depot
Any decent hardware store should have it too.
there are products at the pool store that contain TSP, for cartridge cleaning, but they charge a arm and a leg.
SAVOGRAN 1 lb. Box TSP Heavy Duty Cleaner-10621 - The Home Depot
Any decent hardware store should have it too.
there are products at the pool store that contain TSP, for cartridge cleaning, but they charge a arm and a leg.
You should be able to wash the filter bag and skimmer sock, just run them through the washer without detergent. I'm not sure but I think you have to discard the cartridge.