OLCT not happening

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pamski

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Jul 18, 2015
6
New Kent/VA
Hi,
Thanks so much for all of the information on this site. Our pool has been Baquacil from the beginning. But after opening to white mold again this year - and not yet been able to swim in it (and it is mid July already) I decided it was time to switch. I went from Baquacil to Chlorine via the instructions here and everything has happened as expected so far. I started this past Sunday. Went through the green, then goo stage. Removed all of the goo via skimming, brushing and vacuuming to waste. As of Wednesday evening my pool has been totally clear. It's been that way for three days now - sparkling clear - but I still am not maintaining the chlorine levels overnight. I've cleaned the baskets, I have no stairs or ladder so nothing inside the pool to have remnants of Baquacil. Been brushing in am and pm. This morning there was a tiny bit of substance at the bottom that I vacuumed to waste. I'm wondering if I should just go ahead and change the sand in the filter. Perhaps there is a lot of Baquacil there yet? I've only had to backwash twice since starting the process based on pressure. Yesterday the FC was 9.4 in the morning and today it was 9.5. So still loosing considerable chlorine. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? Thanks again!
 
Thanks so much for the quick response. My numbers are:
FC 6 (just got home and it was sunny a bit today). Will be topping off now. CC negligible - .5. PH 7.0, TA 60, CYA - I think 0 - it did not get cloudy so I wasn't able to do the test as directed. Thanks,
 
The one thing I see in your readings that stands-out is the lack of CYA (stabilizer). That's what protects your FC (free chlorine) during the day. So it's very possible that all your good bleach is getting lost during the day, and at night something is over-taking your water. That's why your are not passing an OCLT and that's when a SLAM is needed. Also, your PH is slightly low and could be raised at least to 7.2 in preparation for a SLAM.

I would raise your PH to 7.2 and get prepared for a Pool School - SLAM - Shock Level And Maintain. :)
 
Pamski,

Welcome to the forum. :wave:. We don't see many baqua-goo conversions any more. It has really fallen out of favor.

I think I am going to agree with you that it's a good move to change the sand now but let me ask a question first....How much FC are you losing overnight when you perform the OCLT? If it's minimal, I suggest the sand change. Let us know.

PS - sounds like you are about to finish up. GREAT job! Bye-bye baqua-goo!
 
Pamski,
I'd like to start off by welcoming you to TFP! First off, I'd like to quickly address this comment below,

Texas Splash said:
The one thing I see in your readings that stands-out is the lack of CYA (stabilizer). That's what protects your FC (free chlorine) during the day. So it's very possible that all your good bleach is getting lost during the day, and at night something is over-taking your water. That's why your are not passing an OCLT and that's when a SLAM is needed.
Click to expand...

We need to remember that the OP is converting from Baqua to Chlorine. During the conversion we want zero CYA in the water, which is what the member has at this point. Do NOT add CYA or change the sand until you pass the OCLT as described in Convert Your Baqua Pool to Chlorine

The first thing about your numbers that worries me is that you are only at a 6ppm Chlorine level. This should first be raised to 15 and maintained as often as you can. The more you can do this, the quicker your conversion will go. Before I make some other suggestions, I'd like to ask these two questions.......
1. How much FC are you losing overnight?
2. Can you post a photo of your water?

After we see these answers I can better make some recommendations to assist you further.
 
Hello,
Yes I try to keep it at 15 but during the day I usually loose a bunch. I will raise it back to 15, test again tonight before bed to confirm, and then post results first thing tomorrow. I'll also post pictures tomorrow as it has already gotten dark here. The pool looks beautiful - that's why I am surprised as the loss of FC each night. It looks like it should be done.
Thanks again!
 
Pamski, my apologies if my CYA info above was misleading. The Baquacil procedure slipped through my fingers. :brickwall: Dave & Lee are going to monitor this one and see you through to ensure you're on track to finish your conversion. Best of luck, and have a great summer!
 
sidewall.jpgnow.jpgbottom.jpg
Good morning. This morning my FC was down to 6.5 from 15.5 at 10:30 last night. I'm home today so will be able to keep on top of it and have topped it back off. I attached these before I rotated and now can't see how to delete them now. The first one is looking down at the sidewall of the pool so you can see there is nothing on the sides. The shadows distort the clarity a bit but if you look at the dark parts you can see how clear it is. Thanks,
 

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This morning my FC was down to 6.5 from 15.5 at 10:30 last night.
Click to expand...
That's too much overnite loss for the goo in the filter sand to account for it. I would not yet change the sand but wait until your overnight loss drops down to about 2-4 ppm.

You can save a bit by concentrating your chlorine additions in the nighttime. For example bring it up to 15 ppm at 7:00 PM. Test again before you go to bed and bring it back to 15 ppm. Wake up early before full sun is on the pool and bring it up to 15 ppm again. This gets the maximum FC in your pool without loss from the sun. Perhaps just 24 hours of that and your overnight loss will be small enough to go ahead and change the sand. I don't think you are quite ready yet.
 
Good morning. Seem to be going in the right direction. This morning FC was at 9.5 so better than yesterday morning. Topping it up to 15 and will continue on as recommended. I can say I have wiped out two Walmarts and a Food Lion of bleach :) Will be trying a different store today. Thanks again.
 
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