Converting from Baquacil to Chlorine soon...a few questions

Jump to latest Follow Reply
That's great to hear!! I'm looking forwards to BBB method...last year was my first year with a pool and Baquacil...developed the white mold that looked and felt like wet toilet paper..what a mess!!! Just wish I would of found this site before I was convinced to use Baqua!!

Was it hard to change the sand?? I want to tackle it myself when it is time (pool store wants $300 to do it!!)..Don't think so!!!!...Haven't seen to much about it on this site..I did research it a bit online and it doesn't seem to difficult...just don't want to screw something up on a 1 year old filter!!

Do you or anyone else have any pointers that would help??
Thanks
Curt
 
chdolfnz said:
That's great to hear!! I'm looking forwards to BBB method...last year was my first year with a pool and Baquacil...developed the white mold that looked and felt like wet toilet paper..what a mess!!! Just wish I would of found this site before I was convinced to use Baqua!!

Was it hard to change the sand?? I want to tackle it myself when it is time (pool store wants $300 to do it!!)..Don't think so!!!!...Haven't seen to much about it on this site..I did research it a bit online and it doesn't seem to difficult...just don't want to screw something up on a 1 year old filter!!

Do you or anyone else have any pointers that would help??
Thanks
Curt
Click to expand...

I think someone said disconnect the plumbing to the pool. Open up the filter, drain the water, scoop out the wet stand by hand and when most is out, use a hose to wash out the sand thru the drain line....
 
Thanks!!!

By the way...here are my results from last night and this morn...

I added the chlorine at 8pm to bring up to 15ppm...tested an hour later and it was at 13.5ppm...so I added a bit more to bring it up then went to bed!! (was very tired!!!)

Tested this morn at 4:30am...

FC was at 17ppm (maybe I added a bit to much at the second round last nite!?)

CC was still at 4-5 range

It looks like the FC is holding but I guess I want the CC to be less than .5?? Is this correct??

Should I keep the level up until the CC comes down??

Thanks
Curt
 
chdolfnz said:
Thanks!!!

By the way...here are my results from last night and this morn...

I added the chlorine at 8pm to bring up to 15ppm...tested an hour later and it was at 13.5ppm...so I added a bit more to bring it up then went to bed!! (was very tired!!!)

Tested this morn at 4:30am...

FC was at 17ppm (maybe I added a bit to much at the second round last nite!?)

CC was still at 4-5 range

It looks like the FC is holding but I guess I want the CC to be less than .5?? Is this correct??

Should I keep the level up until the CC comes down??

Thanks
Curt
Click to expand...

I would just check it again this evening, I think the sunlight will help destroy some of that CC during the day today. If your FC was at 17 at 4:30 that should be good for today's dose...

Until tonight then! Have a great day....
 
Your conversion is complete when:
1) you lose less than 1 ppm FC overnight
2) your CCs are less than 0.5 ppm
3) your water sparkles.

THEN change your sand and start with the CYA.

To clarify on the cya addition, the "don't backwash for a week" is for if you pour the cya DIRECTLY into your skimmer, which is fine if your run your filter 24/7. CYA can take up to a week to completely dissolve, so if you backwash before it is dissolved, you will backwash it right our of your filter!! If you the sock and return method, you can backwash as needed.

However, do not TEST for CYA until a week has passed, regardless of your method of addition... you will just waste reagent because you will not get an accurate reading.
 
I have another question while I'm thinking of it!!!...I have a solar cover I used last spring..it really helped a lot...when do you think I can start to use it..it is warming up real good in the day, but the nights are pretty cool yet...I suppose NOT to use it until the conversion is complete and the water is good and balanced?? any thoughts?...the kids are bugging me.."we want to swim"..even though the water is freezing!!! Gotta love them!!

Thanks,
Curt
 
frustratedpoolmom said:
mickey4paws said:
Yesterday I went to the pool store to get some CYA. They had it in both powder form and liquid. Wouldn't the liquid be better?
Click to expand...

The liquid registers right away, but it usually is 2-3 times more expensive.
Click to expand...

Thanks :) Yeah, I was surprised how expensive CYA is. I think it's time I list my unused Baquacil on Craigslist! The powder form was around $40 while the liquid would come to about $70.
 
chdolfnz said:
I have another question while I'm thinking of it!!!...I have a solar cover I used last spring..it really helped a lot...when do you think I can start to use it..it is warming up real good in the day, but the nights are pretty cool yet...I suppose NOT to use it until the conversion is complete and the water is good and balanced?? any thoughts?...the kids are bugging me.."we want to swim"..even though the water is freezing!!! Gotta love them!!

Thanks,
Curt
Click to expand...

We have a solar cover too and have decided not to use it until the conversion is done. My thinking is I don't want any Baquacil goo sticking to the underside of the solar cover and then re-introducing it into the pool. Maybe it wouldn't matter, but just in case we decided to wait.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Here are my Fri morning results...when I got home from work yesterday, my FC reading went down to 1 as expected (bright sunshine all day) and the CC was at 4...added chlorine up to 15ppm before bed and tested this AM at 4:30

FC down to 11
CC at 3
PH 7.2
TA 140

I guess there is still some stuff going on to drop the FC...Do I keep upping to 15ppm?? Not been adding to much during the day since it it real sunny and warm..waiting until sun goes down...Water is still good and clear and my pressure is holding good...

I guess I will keep up the chlorine until it holds all night and the CC drops....does this sound right or is there something else going on that I may have missed??

Thanks
Curt
 
Nope you got it. :goodjob: Sorry, I know you were hoping that it would yield better results for ya.

Hang in there!

chdolfnz said:
Here are my Fri morning results...when I got home from work yesterday, my FC reading went down to 1 as expected (bright sunshine all day) and the CC was at 4...added chlorine up to 15ppm before bed and tested this AM at 4:30

FC down to 11
CC at 3
PH 7.2
TA 140

I guess there is still some stuff going on to drop the FC...Do I keep upping to 15ppm?? Not been adding to much during the day since it it real sunny and warm..waiting until sun goes down...Water is still good and clear and my pressure is holding good...

I guess I will keep up the chlorine until it holds all night and the CC drops....does this sound right or is there something else going on that I may have missed??

Thanks
Curt
Click to expand...
 
You are doing very well :goodjob:

You are well into the second stage, where FC only falls part way overnight. In this phase, chlorine losses to sunlight become significant. At this point it is more efficient to only add chlorine in the evening. Ideally, if your schedule allows, you want to test and add chlorine in the early evening, and then again in the late evening.
 
OK...thanks guys for the info...that was what I figured, but just wanted to make sure I was on the right track...I will keep at it, especially in the evening and post results as I go along!!

Thanks again!!
Curt

Oh, by the way...another question!!!....After all this is done and I am into normal operation, how many hours a day should I run the pump?..and what is the best time of day to run it? I have a timer installed for the pump, so it can run any time of the day or night.

Thanks
 
I would start out at 12 hours a day, perhaps 9 or 10 am until 9 or 10 pm, and then you can work your way down, hour by hour till you get a good idea of how much turnover you need for adequate circulation. Do it weekly, keep an eye on your water, if it starts to look dull, or cloudy or any changes, hints of algae, up the run time back up. I would think you could be able to work your way down to around 8 hours safely but you never know, every pool is different. I always think its good to run it whenever there are swimmers, and also during the day to prevent "dead spots" - spots with no FC for whatever reason - sun, etc., but the circulation helps prevent that.
 
Well, I'm back....After a busy Holiday weekend I am finally back at it (we were away most of the weekend)...
I think I am finally there(or at least so close I can taste it!!!)..Here are my results

Added chlorine last night and got it up to 14ppm
This morning tested and got:
FC -13
CC-.5

The water is still very clear!!

I might give it 1 more shot tonight to try to get the CC to 0?? Is that ok?

If it holds, my plans are to change the sand Fri..(have off work) and then add cya...my questions are...

-Up until Fri, do I still shock at night to 15ppm?
-When I start to add the cya, since it takes up to a week to register, how do I regulate the FC until the cya takes effect??..Do I still shock at night until it doesn't drop in the day??..(I hope these questions make sense??)
-How long after I add the cya, do I test for it? and what range am I shooting for??

If anyone has any pointers for changing the sand, I would appreciate it very much..am doing it myself. I have a good wet/dry vac to use, but I don't want to damage anything!!

Thanks again for all the help and the patience with this conversion!!!
I will post results as needed for you to see and advise!!

Curt
 
chdolfnz said:
Well, I'm back....After a busy Holiday weekend I am finally back at it (we were away most of the weekend)...
I think I am finally there(or at least so close I can taste it!!!)..Here are my results

Added chlorine last night and got it up to 14ppm
This morning tested and got:
FC -13
CC-.5

The water is still very clear!!

I might give it 1 more shot tonight to try to get the CC to 0?? Is that ok?

If it holds, my plans are to change the sand Fri..(have off work) and then add cya...my questions are...

-Up until Fri, do I still shock at night to 15ppm?
-When I start to add the cya, since it takes up to a week to register, how do I regulate the FC until the cya takes effect??..Do I still shock at night until it doesn't drop in the day??..(I hope these questions make sense??)
-How long after I add the cya, do I test for it? and what range am I shooting for??

If anyone has any pointers for changing the sand, I would appreciate it very much..am doing it myself. I have a good wet/dry vac to use, but I don't want to damage anything!!

Thanks again for all the help and the patience with this conversion!!!
I will post results as needed for you to see and advise!!

Curt
Click to expand...

Well this is great. This is the point where we would say "your golden" -change the sand. If your FC was 14 last night you only lost 1, and your CC is .5 so thats fine too. So in a conversion that's the goal. So no need to shock one more night. :goodjob:

Since you can't change the sand till Friday, I would go ahead and add the CYA via SOCK method today if you can, get a head start. Pour about 2 lbs in a sock and tie it off in front of the return. Leave the pump running. It will slowly dissolve from the sock. 2 lbs will get you started but you'll probably need about 5 lbs. Don't try all 5 lbs at once :wink: By using the sock method you can still change out the sand and you won't lose CYA that way. Your CYA should be fully dissolved and begin to register on the tests in about 5-6 days.

You want to add FC tonight to bring your FC up a bit, say to 5. I don't think it's necessary to bring it to shock level. Without CYA in there you'll risk fading your liner if you keep it at shock level for long periods. Tomorrow morning, bring it up again if it drops at all.... before you leave for work, the sun will destroy it rapidly, anyone home who can add some for you? THen check it again when you get home. YOu don't want it to go below 2 for too long, but if the water does go a little green, it's nothing additional bleach won't cure :mrgreen: . Once the CYA is in you'll see it start to hold during the day.

On Friday, with the sand change - you want to scoop it out by hand and when most of it is out, use a hose and with the drain/waste open hose most of it out that port. I wouldn't use your shop vac, you might break something inside the filter.
 
On my sand filter you can't wash the sand out of the drain. There is a plastic piece that prevents the sand from coming out when you pull the drain plug to winterize it. If this is the case with your sand filter then you can drain some of the water out of it keeping the water level above the sand bed and gently pull up on the stand pipe. When you get it up to where you can see the laterals then remove those and place them somewhere where they won't be misplaced. After the laterals are removed remove the stand pipe and pull the drain plug to remove as much water as possible from the filter tank. Once it gets light enough you can move it off it's support and just dump the sand out of it. Then take a water hose and rinse out what you can. Place the filter tank back on the support, fill it about 1/2 full of water, place the stand pipe back inside the tank and reassemble the laterals. Start adding the sand back to the tank. It's really no problem. Just be really careful with the laterals they are probably the easiest thing to break during this process. Good luck.
 

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