Converting the pool this year, quite nervous about it.

Jump to latest Follow Reply
? D ?

? D ?

0
Mar 6, 2009
51
Locust, NC, USA
Hi all,

So having used Baquacil for the past 2 seasons and fed up with the $$$$ wasted, I talked my wife into us switching to BBB (since I'm the one that seems to get stuck doing most of the pool maintanance). I have read as much as I can without going too bog-eyed and I'm believe that I'm ready to get started.

The last time any Baquacil was added was around last August and no more has been added since. I also left the pool cover off over the winter. I just had a look at the water and I can see the bottom, does not look pretty :lol: . There are plenty of leaves (thin ones) and detritus, for want of a better word, so I'll be hoping to remove that with our Sta-Rite Lil'Shark pool cleaner (that'll be fun :roll: :shock: ).

I'll be ordering one of duraleigh's TF100 test kits on Monday, so right now I don't have any test results to post.

Either this evening or tomorrow, I'm going to get some bleach, muriatic acid and some 20 Mule Team Borax/Arm & Hammer Washing Powder.

Tomorrow I'll also pick up another cartridge from Rec Warehouse as I intend to use the current one to catch all the crud when converting and swap to the new one after the conversion is done 8)

Well, that's my plan of attack to :whip: the pool into shape and hopefully this season I will get in it and enjoy myself - didn't last season since all I was doing was working on it :rant: If anyone has any further suggestions please let me know.

Thanks for reading,
D :salut:
 
It sounds like you have have a good idea of what you are in for. Baquacil conversions provide a wonderful show, enjoy the strange colors while you have them. They won't be back once the conversion is complete! If you have any questions about the process, feel free to ask them. We love to help out. Also, we really love to see pictures every step of the way!
 
Thanks guys.

I popped into my local Dollar store earlier and I can get 1.3gal of 6% bleach @ $2.50 :whoot:

I know I have to get the leaves and crud out first before beginning the bleach treatment but at that price I know it will be worth it.

Pictures will be taken but y'all will have to excuse the yard :oops:
 
Some people have reported dollar stores selling bleach that was "spoiled", ie not the strength listed on the bottle. Dollar stores often sell merchandise that is old or not suitable for full price sale for some other reason. The strength of bleach goes down over time, particularly when it gets hot. Your store might have bleach that is perfectly fine, but I would be careful.

It is possible to measure the strength of bleach, but it is a little involved.
 
D,

Clean as much of the detritus out with a net as you can. It will quickly plug your cartridge filter and make for many, many cleanings. I know it's a hassle, but carts are not very good at picking up a bunch of solid junk without plugging and it's a nuisance to clean one 5-6 times in a day.;...which is possible with the condition you're describing.

Second, prepare yourself for using w-a-a-y more bleach than you think you're gonna' use. This will be a test of your nerves and determination to get this done successfully. You cannot overbuy bleach because you can always use it after your conversion is complete. Many, many people run out three or more times as they just can't believe how much bleach it is taking. I hope that is not your case but I think you should be mentally prepared for it.

Keep posting on the forum. Many people find they need the encouragement offered here.

I would also advise that you not get any other chemistry until you are able to test. You may not need muriatic or borax or any of the other stuff but bleach. Your test results will tell you what and how much of the others you need to add.

Right now, focus on bleach (chlorine) being the one ingredient you need to "eat" the baqua-goo and clear your pool.

This will be worth it.....that's a promise. :-D :-D

PS - Thanks for the business! :lol:
 
Hi,
You will be thankful you switched but be prepared to go through a lot of bleach and be prepared for the color of your water to look worse before it becomes a sparkling blue. I converted my pool last Sept close to the end of the season after I was fed up with spending so much on chemicals and am glad I did. Bleach is cheap compared to Baquacil chemicals. There are pictures of my conversion in Baquacil use and conversion. I was also terrified and thought that I had made a mistake doing the conversion but am now glad I did. Most of last summer you could not even see the bottom of my pool, maybe a couple of days at a time. Good luck with your conversion and I will be watching for your success.

Have fun with the colors, :pale: :scratch: :fish:

Susan
 
Jason Is right about the "dollar store" store bleach. I tried to use some last summer trying to save a few $$ . In doing that after a few days I had an algae bloom in the pool. The only other bleach I have ever used is stuff from walmart. Their store brand is ok to use and a few cents cheaper than the "Clorox" brand.

I dont now if you saw this during your readings ... but remember You can not use scented bleach!

I am not sure about other store brand such as Ingles, Kroger or Publix but others who may have used it might offer an opinion about their luck with it.

As Jason says you will be seeing a fantastic "color show" during the change over ,so take lots of pictures and post then if you can !!


Good Luck !
 
Or...you can use Flip Out! It is one of those products from a company that tends not to give ingredients, though.
Click to expand...

I would disagree. A principle of BBB is not to put things in your pool when you don't know the consequences. This forum has been thru many, many conversions using Clorox and they are documented successes.

I'm not saying something else might not work but I am strongly suggesting that it wouldn't be the first time a manufacturer has pushed a product without explaining side effects or drawbacks.

BBB is all about knowing how to test your water and adjusting your water with the least, simplest chemistry.

There will be little opportunity for assistance on this forum if another method or chemical doesn't work as promised. I would suggest we stick with what we know works.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thanks for the replies, tips, suggestions and encouragement everyone.

I'll pass on the 'Flip Out'.

I will look at Wallyworld's prices for their own brand of bleach (yes I remembered about unscented - thanks TizMe :) ) and if it is cheaper, then that'll be what I get - if not then I guess I just get Clorox ($3.50 for I think the same size as Family Dollar's own brand; I didn't check Dollar General's). Wherever I get it from, I'm going to try to get as close to a pallet's worth (depending on the cost).

Yes, I will get out as much of the leaves with a net before using the vacuum - we went through that last season before I got some trees cut down. I got so stressed with dealing with the pool that I ended up having a minor stroke & that is why there are still some in there. Having recovered from that, I told my wife if she wants me to look after it then we switch from Baquacil. Thing is, when I have to top up the water level with the garden hose, our city water has Chlorine in it - so we would have been better going BBB in the very beginning instead of listening to the Rec Warehouse rep!! :roll: :hammer:

So I started researching and ended up here :goodjob:

Once I get out as much as I can with the net, I'll hook up the pump and vacuum and run it without any cartridge in the filter first. Before the pump there is a prefilter basket that will collect the leaves and twigs (if any). Granted I'll be dumping much of the smaller stuff back into the pool but I want to get the big stuff out first. I'll then let it settle (long coffee and ciggy break :p :lol: ), add then I'll start with the bleach and add the old cartridge. I know I'll be rinsing it off for quite a bit which is why I kept it and that little bit of effort will go a long way in my opinion :wink: :mrgreen:

One quick question: When should I do the first water test?

Oh, I'll be posting pictures of the whole event once I get everything together :twisted:

D :salut:
 
If I remember reading correctly you dont need to worry about water tests until after your conversion is done. Your high chlorine amounts in the water will put your tests out of wack !

Someone will correct me if I have given you wrong information though....

Cant wait to see pictures !
 
You should test the PH and balance the PH to between 7.2 and 7.4 before you start. While the FC level is very high the PH test is not reliable. During the first couple of days the FC level will be falling rapidly and PH testing is still possible if you avoid the periods of high FC. After that the FC remains high for some time and PH testing is impractical.

The first several times you add chlorine you can simply assume that the chlorine is all getting used up fairly quickly. After that it is a good idea to be measuring the FC level fairly regularly so you are hitting your target FC level of 15 as closely as possible.

A full set of tests up front wouldn't hurt, but can wait till the conversion is essentially complete if you want.
 
Good luck, lots of fun threads on conversions here, with pretty pics too.

I would ditto the dollar store bleach...JMHO. You could try Aldi...they had bleach that is good for $.99-1.29 and no bad reports for that brand.

You can get the biggie jugs of the "store brand" at Wally's or Target for between $2.28-$2.54, and look for sales to stock up for the season/conversion. Also check your local pool store, sometimes they have the 10-12% stuff for less than $3 a gallon and that's a great price, plus less jugs to carry as it's twice as strong.
 
Well my test kit is on it's way - :thumleft: - thanks duraleigh!

I'll go with testing the FC after I get the first few bottle of bleach in - that sound good?

I'm also taking the advice re obtaining the bleach ... no Dollar Store's :mrgreen:

Talk to you all again soon,
D :salut:
 
The idea is to raise the FC level to 15, give it a while to work, test the FC level and repeat. The first few rounds the FC is almost sure to fall to around zero within an hour, so testing is not critical. At some point the FC level will stop falling all the way to zero each hour. By the time that starts happening you want to be testing the FC level so you don't end up adding too much chlorine.
 
Duraleigh posted "There will be little opportunity for assistance on this forum if another method or chemical doesn't work as promised. I would suggest we stick with what we know works."

I think I just got spanked for failure to adhere to dogma. :mrgreen:

I have had a couple of successes with that product, but I agree wholeheartedly that the "dogma" for conversion is highly successful here and you folks have lots of experience with it. In addition, as I suggested, I, too, have few "warm fuzzies" from the company that makes this product...lots of sales hype.
 
Got an update for y'all :) Sorry for the absence but we've been working on other yard projects first; like getting trees cut down and what not, plus the weather hasn't been very co-operative :rant: .

Managed to get a good bit of the leaves and gunk out of the bottom firstly using a leaf net (the kind that is like a giant butterfly net) and then using a 'Leaf Eater' - we love that. I think it'll make our pool vacuum obsolete now :roll:

I also changed out the crappy broken gate valves and hoses and put PVC and ball valves on. And we finally started adding bleach to the pool yesterday. :whoot: We put in 8 one gallon containers in - made the pool smell nice :lol:

The thing is, in our excitement to add the bleach I forgot to test the water beforehand - oops :oops:

In any case it turned the water a nice hunter green color as expected and I'll go take some pictures in a little bit to share. :mrgreen:

So our adventure has begun :party:
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply