For anyone wanting to successfully use baquacil....

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Not having vacuum-to-waste is undoubtedly a disadvantage. For that reason, I've been in discussion with a local repair guy (whom I've used before and throughly trust his work) about revising the plumbing after the pump to provide a means of doing it. I think there'd be some value in being able to allow for this option.

I wouldn't say I'm going through any greater amounts of oxidizer than previous seasons. What I AM going through in unprecedented amounts is DE. That's what's so weird about whatever is going on - that everything else pretty much seems the same as in recent years with the exception of the rapid filter pressure increase and very short cycles. Next step is to try the Line Clean (without doing any sort of floccing). I'm also ordering a new set of grids to replace the ones I have now. I have two sets - so that I can always use one and chemically clean another without having to temporarily shut down the pool. It seems the one set of grids is pretty well clogged up even though it has been chemically treated.
 
anthonypool89 said:
That's what is so weird about whatever is going on - that everything else pretty much seems the same as the past several years with the exception of the rapid filter pressure increase and very short cycles
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Is it the same brand of DE that you always used ? Maybe the manufacturer changed the slightest thing and it’s no longer good for you. Or the new plant in China mixes it with something else to increase the profit margin. If nothing else changed, I would blame the product, and products change all the time without us knowing.

If you were ‘one of us’ and had filter problems that fast it would be Algae. Noob after noob after noob comes hear swearing they have clear water and it’s a filter problem. Time after time after time it’s the start of an Algae outbreak and they just can’t ‘see’ it yet. It clogs up the filter which does its job perfectly, but the filter gets blamed without green water as proof. On ‘our’ side the testing and chlorine loss can prove the outbreak once the noob agrees to listen, but those don’t work for baqua so I dunno how you’d prove it.
 
Newdude....I think you were the one that referred to a possible algae issue awhile back (?) Might have been someone else. I could certainly try a larger (beyond the typical maintenance amount) dose of algaecide. Can't hurt. It'll generate huge amounts of foam but I have anti-foam that takes care of that. How weird that there are products specifically designed to cancel out the unwanted effects of other products that are designed to cancel other sorts of issues....sort of like the dog chasing its own tail??!!
 
anthonypool89 said:
How weird that there are products specifically designed to cancel out the unwanted effects of other products that are designed to cancel other sorts of issues....sort of like the dog chasing its own tail??!!
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It’s not weird at all when they sell you both. They can charge you to mess it all up *and* charge you to fix it. What other industry can do that ? Heavy weapons maybe where you can sell to both countries fighting each other...... but yeah, Win or lose your wallet looses.
 
anthonypool89 said:
OK...first, please know that anything I mention is based on my personal experience with chlorine - which seems to run contrary to what TFP users are reporting. This, alone, is most intriguing to me - but that leads into a slightly different subject matter which has pretty well been covered in replies I've gotten

I like the overall softer feel of the water, with no chlorine odor on skin. I liked not having to work with those very strong odor chlorine "stingy" sticks and the other granular "burn-out" product that I was told to use. (Remember, I was pool-store-driven all the way during most of my pool years). And so, I liked the idea of all-liquid chemical treatment (and, now, of course, I'd be looking at using liquid anyway if I convert). So, overall, it seemed like the ABC chemical treatment system just seemed easier (no more chlorine sticks to cut in half!!!). My wife liked the idea of easier on the hair than chlorine is said to be. Please know I was told in the very beginning already that I "will need to work with the filter more", and sort of blew that off - until now. I can deal with a filter change every 2-3 weeks (have sometimes had cycles as long as a month), but every few days is sort of pushing things a bit. I was also told biguanide is more stable in sunlight than chlorine. So I guess a main appeal was that biguanide was purported to be an overall less 'harsh' chemical treatment system. You have to keep in mind that it was originally billed as "soft swim". The connotation of that term alone appealed to us. I only started using the actual baquacil chemicals a few years ago - since it did seem like they worked a bit better. Hope that helps answer the question.
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Thanks for the answer. I certainly can appreciate your aversion to the harsh powdered chlorine. I use them sometimes when my stabilizer needs to increase and they are quite unpleasant to use.
Feel of the water is going to be very subjective but I can understand you not liking the feel of a traditionally managed chlorine pool. I can confirm for you though that there is a substantial difference between the feel and experience in a TFPC pool vs the once a week shock pool store pools. I swam yesterday in almost 20 ppm FC and couldn’t smell chlorine in the pool nor on my skin.

anthonypool89 said:
Not having vacuum-to-waste is undoubtedly a disadvantage. For that reason, I've been in discussion with a local repair guy (whom I've used before and throughly trust his work) about revising the plumbing after the pump to provide a means of doing it. I think there'd be some value in being able to allow for this option.
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depending on how your plumbing is set up this should be a very easy thing to accomplish. If you’re even a little bit handy we could walk you through it and save you some $$$$
 
anthonypool89 said:
How weird that there are products specifically designed to cancel out the unwanted effects of other products that are designed to cancel other sorts of issues....sort of like the dog chasing its own tail??!!
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The entire industry is built around this. Being “pool stored” and selling BS chemicals to fix the problems caused by the BS chemicals they sold you to fix the problems caused by the BS chemicals they sold you to...... well you get it.
 
LOL...yeah...I got it alright - and have lived it! Guess we all have at one time or another! Most intriguing about your reports of not noticing any particular feel or odor. I'm certain that I'm unfairly anticipating what a NEW experience with chlorine would be like (according to how it's done here) by basing it solely on my experiences of 20 years ago where I ONLY used granular / solid chlorine.
 
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JimMarshall said:
Thanks for the answer. I certainly can appreciate your aversion to the harsh powdered chlorine. I use them sometimes when my stabilizer needs to increase and they are quite unpleasant to use.
Feel of the water is going to be very subjective but I can understand you not liking the feel of a traditionally managed chlorine pool. I can confirm for you though that there is a substantial difference between the feel and experience in a TFPC pool vs the once a week shock pool store pools. I swam yesterday in almost 20 ppm FC and couldn’t smell chlorine in the pool nor on my skin.



depending on how your plumbing is set up this should be a very easy thing to accomplish. If you’re even a little bit handy we could walk you through it and save you some $$$$
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I do consider myself fairly handy in some areas of mechanical work, though have done virtually nothing with pool plumbing. Took apart my '72 Cub Cadet tractor - removing the engine - putting a new one back in along with everything else that needed to come apart first - had the transmission apart, etc. - BUT I need to take pictures and write copious notes prior to embarking on a project of that scope. So....yeah...guess I could tackle this but probably prefer to have the guy I know who is in the pool industry - already has all the parts, tools, etc.

Sorry Jim...quoted the wrong post - meant to respond to the one about doing the plumbing (vacuum to waste) work myself.
 
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Jim...I had uploaded a few on one of the other threads- not sure which anymore. Here you go. The one pipe I circled (right after the pump) is where I was told the best place would be to tap into and run a line right to the discharge tube at the base of the tank.



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pooleman9 said:
I wish they would make separate "Use" and "Conversion" forums to avoid the inevitable scolding we get from the Chlorine Crowd.
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This.

Being a new (to me) pool owner over the winter I began desperately searching for information on all sorts of pool related topics (when and how to open the pool, robot cleaners, filters, pool maintenance, etc.) including pool chemicals And their use (muriatic acid, test kits, etc.) and yes even the dreaded B-word (Baquacil). I feel lucky to have found this forum. There are a lot of very intelligent, friendly and helpful people on this forum who have a lot of experience that I appreciate and have already learned a great deal from. But for now Baquacil (the system the previous owner used) is working for me — for the most part — and I am not looking to switch. I do need advice from time to time and having the majority of answers be “switch” is not helpful and makes it more difficult to search the forum for relevant information. I do understand this is not the purpose of this forum but right now there isn’t much else out there.

I intend to keep an open mind and may choose to convert at a later date... just not this season. So I thank you in advance for any information on the successful use of Baquacil.
 
I finally sprung for a ColorQ kit this year. As others have mentioned, may read a bit low on Biguanide but I mainly look at the Shock. A dive in the shock level seems to be the best early warning for a possible water mold/pink slime event.
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Poolman, are you using the ColorQ 2062? Just purchased one a week or so ago and am still trying to determine its accuracy and whether or not I can trust the readings. Have you found it to be reliably accurate outside of the low biguanide reading?
 
Well, everyone here will likely fall over in disbelief when they read this post; however, if I can't find a resolution to these short filter cycles, quickly increasing pressure, and the near constant (though somewhat subtle) presence of mold on the walls, I'm very likely converting next spring. I think I've "paid my dues" in fighting the good fight - to varying degrees - for 20+ years. I've won battles but seem to be losing the war. Seeing this white stuff float along - even minuscule pieces of it - while I'm swimming - has gotten more than old and actually a bit repulsive.

I've tried several different products over the last few years - had high hopes for "Ahhsome", but, from where I sit, I'd have to say it has not been a successful product for me from the standpoint of eliminating mold - it hasn't done it - and I haven't read about anything new that seems to be dedicated to fighting mold in a baquacil pool, so at 64 years old I think I need to know when it's time to try a different approach, at least as a one-year experiment. I wrote to baquacil just recently and never heard anything back from them. My go-to repair guy who knows his way around pools just said again he doesn't like it (biguanide) at all. My pool store said they don't like it - at least for DE filters and somewhat dubiously claim they've been telling me to switch to a sand filter for years (if such is the case - how come they never said anything every spring when I order in the neighborhood of 75 lbs. of DE?) Hardly anybody here at TFP likes it. If I wind up doing the conversion, I'd really like to go long enough to also try SWG. I don't think a fair evaluation of chlorine would be one that doesn't also try SWG (at least for me) - especially since I have enjoyed the softer feel of the biguanide water. I hear nothing but good things about SWG from people here.

Please understand, I would LOVE to be able to stay with biguanide, since I'm so used to it - and don't like the thought of sort of 'starting over', but really don't prefer to switch to a sand filter, though I'll have plenty of time to consider this option as well during the winter. I still have the Line Cleaner to try, and IF some miraculous thing takes place that does not have me backwashing every 3-5 days -as is basically the case all season so far - I could consider hanging in there, but otherwise, no. At my age starting to look for LESS work, not more. After wire-brushing today and then, just a few hours later doing the whole pool again with my regular bristle brush and STILL getting mold to come off the walls...really...what is there left to do??? The stuff apparently grows back in literally minutes. I'm worn down and, in the final analysis, feel somewhat defeated.
 
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anthonypool89 said:
Well, everyone here will like fall over in disbelief when they read this post; however, if I can't find a resolution to these short filter cycles, quickly increasing pressure, and the near constant presence of mold on the walls, I'm converting next spring. I think I've "paid my dues" in fighting the good fight. Seeing this white stuff float along while I'm swimming has gotten more than old. I've tried several different products, and don't read about anything else that seems to be dedicated to fighting mold in a baquacil pool, so at 64 years old I think I need to know when it's time to try a different approach, at least as a one-year experiment. If I wind up doing this, I'd really like to go long enough to try SWG. I don't think a fair evaluation of chlorine would be done without also trying salt - especially since I have enjoyed the softer feel of the biguanide water. I would LOVE to be able to stay with biguanide, but really don't prefer to switch to a sand filter, though I'll have plenty of time to mull this over during the winter.
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I just can't imagine swimming in a swimming pool knowing there was mold, I con't imagine that being enjoyable/relaxing at all.
 
Jim...gotta say...you learn to somewhat ignore it. "Out of sight, out of mind" in some respects. It has not been the problem that it is end of last year and now all of this season. And, it's actually rather EASY to ignore when the water looks as clear as mine has. I really believe what has been happening is that a fine layer of mold spores (while increasing the pressure and all that) is also almost acting like a second filtration layer - on top of the DE - resulting in the clear water even though there is still this haze of mold in the water - you lave to look for it pretty hard - extremely small pieces - almost can be confused as bubbles (some are). I know I'm guilty of having NOT brushed the pool near enough over the past few years since, subconsciously, I KNOW what I'll see. It has come and gone somewhat in varying intervals - periods of weeks or even almost a whole season at times - so that has made it easier to accept. But if it's there all the time - and I'm aware of it - nah...can't do it. Once again, when the Softswim "Assist" product was still around, that pretty well got rid of it for a period of weeks to months. NO product, IMHO, has taken its place as being anywhere near as effective. What worries me is, even if I convert, will there still be a fine layer of mold, etc. on the walls that will CONTINUE to give problems, or will the chlorine cut it and get rid of it? Have to explore that question.
 
Just brushed for the THIRD time today..no different. More mold coming to the surface. So a reasonable assumption is that the bacquacil problem-level (high dose) algae treatment does nothing against mold. Didn't actually expect it to. All I did was waste algaecide (well, at least in terms of what I was hoping to accomplish). Tomorrow is the line cleaner - last resort. After that, it's just a haul to make it to the end of the season. I love swimming, but at this rate October can't come soon enough, figuring that I may well wind up doing around 25 more filter cleaning this season yet...roughly twice per week the way I'm going. This is nuts.....

UPDATE: Just got a reply from Baquacil. I was told that I "need to contact my filter manufacturer" regarding the issues I'm having with pressure increase. LOL!!! Granted that my filter probably hasn't been manufactured anymore over the past 20 years most likely, I'm sure it's be really helpful to contact Anthony pools - which is not really even Anthony pools anymore after it merged with Sylvan.
 
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