About to be a new Baquacil Owner...Help please..

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dannyboy

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LifeTime Supporter
Jul 31, 2008
98
Denver, Colorado
Hello all,

I have just brought a house in Colorado with an inground pool. It's 10ft - 3ft deep and I would say contained 30'000 gallons but can confirm at the end of April :goodjob:
I was there the other day for the pool inspection and the present owner turned up to help out if there were any questions. He mentioned he used Baquacil and it has taken a couple of years to get it nice but now it's steady (mentioned there was a big party the day they could see the bottom after 1.5 years????)...
Anyway, I managed to get rid of the present owner and ask the pool inspector what he thought and he recommended flipping it out to chlorine due to the sheer cost of the stuff and difficulty in getting BQ product.

Having read all these threads I'm up for it once we move in but my questions were:

1. It has Save-T 3 automatic cover. Can the Baquacil chemical be on the underside of this? I take it when you do the conversion to chlorine, you will have the cover off the entire time until it reads 15ppm overnight? I'm worried there may be gunk under the cover that will be back in the pool the next time the cover is closed. What do you recommend here?

2. The filter is a Tagelus (believe it's a ta40?) and it's only about 1.5 years old. Do I still have to change the sand to convert? How much would this cost from a pool company and is it something that a pool owner can do easily?

3. The pool is still winterized. Taking the cover off the other day and the water is blue but there is a glue like slime on the walls. Not much but slippery to the touch. Can somebody tell me the first steps to get the conversion going - fill up first and open? Is now the best time to convert?

4. Anybody want any Baquacil? got tonnes of it in the pool shed :mrgreen:


Thanks for any help on this -

Danny
 
One other interesting fact was the present owner mentioned he ran the pump 24/7 to keep it clean. This screams expensive and I don't believe with a well kept Chlorine pool you'd have to run it this much.....is this true and has the present owner just been 'Baquacil'd'?

Thanks

Danny
 
Well, Baquacil does work, and there are satisfied users out there. It can take a lot more effort than a chlorine pool, and I think their marketing is a major cause of customer dissatisfaction.

That said, most people are happier when they switch to chlorine due to cost and the clearer water. I suspect most people go to Baquacil because they are following standard pool store doctrine on pool care and they have trouble keeping the pool clear with chlorine. Once they learn to properly operate the pool, they are happier with chlorine. Going to a SWCG makes chlorine pool care the easiest of all.

If you plan to convert, you can go ahead and open the pool when freezing weather has passed, and get it clean and clear without adding any Baquacil sanitizer. Then you can do the conversion while the sanitizer level is low and the water is too cold to swim. You'll want to read the Pool School article on conversion http://www.troublefreepool.com/pool-school/baqua_chlorine_conversion Before you start you'll need a test kit. Dave sells a good one at http://tftestkits.com , or the Taylor K2006 will do the job as well. A good test kit is what gives you the knowledge to take care of the pool.

Any Baquacil residue on the cover won't be a big deal. At worst it will consume a little chlorine.

You will have to change the sand after the conversion. It's not a big deal on most filters and you can do it yourself. One of the pros here or someone who has been inside a filter like yours can talk you through it. The only real issue is taking care to avoid damage to the laterals when you put the new sand in.

Filter run time varies with pump size, pool location and bather load. 24/7 seems excessive unless there is a problem with pollen or dust entering the pool. Most pumps are sized for about an 8 hour run time.
 
Actually, step one of the process is:

1. Test your pH. You will want to adjust that to 7.2 - 7.4 before you begin.

is this some baquacil ingredient I need to add to the pool or use something else and avoid anything that starts with Baqua?

cheers

Danny
 
Hey, Danny,

Welcome to the forum.

Don't buy any baqua-goo product of any kind.....you're done with it.

Next, There's some good articles up in Pool School that will give you the basics of pool water chemistry as well as a baqua conversion.....be sure to read those.

Get a complete set of test results. FC, CC, TC, pH, and TA (you'll not need to test for CYA at first but will after the conversion. Those abbreviations can be interpreted in pool school.

Assuming your pool water is reasonably balanced, about the only thing you'll need for your conversion is chlorine......more of it than you think but it'ss consume any baqua left in your pool and get your water sparkling.

Post those test results, find a good resource for lots of chlorine, and read the articles in pool school.

Your cover may have picked up a little something but I doubt it. It won't evaporate out of the water and it shouldn't have splashed up onto the cover (not much, anyway) I'd wipe down or rinse the underside to the extent you can and not worry about it.
 
Baquacil is a brand, and they actually make a whole variety of products, not all of which cause problems. They key one to avoid is the sanitizer, that is the one that requires the conversion process. The pH Increaser, pH Decreaser, TA Increaser, and CH Increaser are all fine (though other brands are usually less expensive). The oxidizer, algaecide, and CDX are not particularly useful if you aren't using their entire system.

Yes, you are going to have to replace the sand.

The cover shouldn't be a problem. You are going to need to close it occasionally while the FC level is very high during the second phase of the conversion in order to clean any residual baquacil off of it, but that will be simple enough.
 
dannyboy said:
Actually, step one of the process is:

1. Test your pH. You will want to adjust that to 7.2 - 7.4 before you begin.

is this some baquacil ingredient I need to add to the pool or use something else and avoid anything that starts with Baqua?

cheers

Danny
Click to expand...

You may have a lot of balancers labeled as baquacil products. You'll still be able to use them. They are:
-pH increaser
-pH decreaser
-Alkalinity Increaser
-Calcium Hardness Increaser

The main two you need to avoid are Sanitizer and Oxidizer, both of which are liquids whereas the balancers are solids.

If you have any other products aside from these 6, post the names and we can let you know if you can use them with chlorine or not.

*what Jason said. :-D
 

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For my next question....

Pool is winterized at present. From my understanding, the first step is to fill the water up to the skimmer and then proceed with the shocking.
From my pump, I have no means of shutting off the water with a valve. The pool guy told me it would be worthwhile putting one of these in. What do you think?
He mentioned it would be good to have this to help the pump prime as I can just fill up the pump and then start...

Here's a photo to try and get the idea...
3387902033_a05d3d3df4.jpg


Pump sits behind that pipe and goes in the right at the back to a metal brace thingy...

I would have to move the pump towards where I'm taking the photo and reroute the plumbing for there to be room for a shutoff valve..

Thanks

Danny

p.s. - splurged out on my TF test kit today
 
Hi, Danny,

I can see where the water leaves the pump and heads into the filter but I can't see where it would enter the pump.

At that point, you will need another 1/2 union to connect to the new pump, exactly like the one shown in the pic on the pipe from the (future) pump into the filter.

Typically, there is no shutoff near the pump. What is usually found is a valve to select the source of water (either from skimmers, from a main drain, or from both as an example)

Can you show a pic that gives a wider view so we can determine where the water comes from the pool to the pump? (It's called the "suction side" of the system. Everything after the pump all the way back to the pool is called the "pressure side")

(Thanks for the business....shipping this afternoon)
 
TFT kit received - thanks so much...super speedy..

The pipe from top left is the 'in' to the filter so the pump resides under this. It connects to the rear of the to pipes on the right so I have no valve to determine as to whether i want water from the skimmer or the drain (or both).. Pool man mentioned it would be a good idea to put a valve in here but I think that was just for a shutoff to prime the pump....
(what does priming pump mean - just eliminating air otherwise it won't run?)

So suction side is the rear right hand side pipe (only a little visible) to the pump that sits at the back then up to the left to the filter....if that makes sense...

As I don't have any valves, I take it I can only have water coming from both drain and skimmer correct?

cheers

Danny
 
Without valves, the only way you could control things is by plugging the skimmer. You won't normally want to do that, so yes, drain and skimmer together unless you install valves.

Priming the pump means filling the pipes and pump with water. Normally this is done by manually filling the pump strainer basket with water, closing it up, and turning on the pump. The pump should then be able to fill the pipes with water. You need to keep an eye on it when that is happening and make sure it actually primes. Running too long without prime can damage the pump.
 
(what does priming pump mean - just eliminating air otherwise it won't run?)
Click to expand...
Yeah, pool pumps will only pump water. air in the system anywhere is troublesome.

So suction side is the rear right hand side pipe (only a little visible) to the pump that sits at the back then up to the left to the filter....if that makes sense...
Click to expand...
Well, just to be clear, the suction side of your circulatory system starts at the skimmers and includes everything right up to the pump. Once the water leaves the pump (not the filter) it is pressurized so everything after the pump until the water returns to the pool is the pressure side of your system.

As I don't have any valves, I take it I can only have water coming from both drain and skimmer correct?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think so. I still can't see the rest of your pipes but it sounds like that is correct.
 
Cheers again for the quick responses....
Without valves, the only way you could control things is by plugging the skimmer. You won't normally want to do that, so yes, drain and skimmer together unless you install valves.
Click to expand...
I guess plugging the skimmer will be helpful on the last stages of Baquacil or after a good 'floc'ing with pool brush to main drain......all starting to make sense now..
 
If you have a very basic plumbing setup (which it appears you do), the real value of installing valves is only if you can separate the skimmer basket from the bottom drains and put valves on each before they are merged. A good reason for shutting off one might be for vacuuming your pool. I shut off my bottom drains and hook the vacuum up to the skimmer when I vacuum. If I don't shut the bottom drains off, I don't get good suction. If you have multiple returns and have exposed piping on each separate return before they go back into the ground, it can be beneficial to put a valve on each return as well. That way you can control the flow amount to each return separately as well. Reason for that might be a pressure side pool cleaner that you want to give more pressure to or directing more flow to a specific return to aid in pushing debris toward the skimmer. Also the separate valves should aid in troubleshooting issues should the need arise. If you do get valves, I would recommend getting pools specific valves rather than the basic valves that you might find at a hardware store. Tehy are more expensive but they can be dissembled if there are ever any issues with the valve.
 

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