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

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chdolfnz

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Apr 21, 2009
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Lancaster, pa
Hello,....I am going to be converting my AGP from Baqua to chlorine probably sometime next week....the pool company is coming to start up the pool for me and then I am going to take it from there. I just have a few questions before I "dive" into it..(pardon the pun!!)

In the section on converting, it says to adjust the ph before starting to 7.2 to 7.4...if I am out of range, can I use the PH up or down that I still have left from last summer..it is the "Baquacil" brand, but I think it is the same stuff..right?

As far as CYA goes..I assume that I will not have any in my water...Do I add that after I get all the Baqua out and I am holding the 15ppm chlorine level overnight?

My pool gets alot of direct sunlight most of the day...what cya level will I be looking to acheive?

Well, I guess that is it for know..I'm sure I will have more questions when the process starts and I get nervous!!!...I will try to take and post pics (with help from the wife..me and computers don't mix!!)...Wish me luck..the kids are bugging to swim even though it is only in the high 60's?? LOL

Thanks a million for any help and suggestions

Curt from PA!
 
Baquacil brand PH Up and Down are fine to use. They are just soda ash and dry acid, just like other brands.

As you said, you don't add any CYA till right near the end.

When you do add CYA, I would target a level around 30-50 as usual and see how that works for you before experimenting with anything else.
 
Buy every bottle you can get your bank account to cover. :mrgreen:
 
started my conversion, but...

Well, I finally started my conversion today at 1:30pm from baq. to chlorine, but I'm a bit confused.....I put in the amount of bleach that was figured on the pool calculator to get to 15ppm and waited a couple of hours. Then I tested the water for FC (I have the T-100 test kit!), but the sample stayed clear, indicating that I had none!!??...so I added more bleach (3-96oz jugs), then waited a bit and tested again..the same result..maybe a small amount of pink in the sample, but not much. I can really smell the bleach when I am at the pool side..but nothing is registering? The pool is a bit cloudy, but not the colors that others describe, plus no Baqua Crud in the water yet. I am not sure how much baqua was in the water...was in too much of a hurry to convert that I forgot to get it tested!!!

So, do I keep dumping bleach like a mad man and hope the FC levels go up? I am pretty sure I am testing the FC right..I am following the directions in the kit.

Am I not waiting long enough for the bleach to work...how long should it take before it works?
I am getting a bit discouraged that I am doing something wrong??
Thanks for all the help!!
Curt
 
The bleach will get consumed fairly fast as it oxidized the bigaunide in your water. Also if your Baqua shock levels were high that will also eat up your chlorine fast until that is destroyed. The key is to test your water and add chlorine several times a day. If you add chlorine and test a few hours later you probably won't have any FC left in the pool! If you test a few minutes after adding the chlorine you might find that much of it has already converted into combined chlorine. As the biguanide and peroxide oxidizer get destroys you well start to see your chlorine levels holding. What color is your water now...it should be looking pretty yucky!

Are you also doing the CC part of the test and are you using the TC test that uses the comparator in the little blue box (this test will ALWAYS show chlorine if it's present which is why it's useful. It just doesn't really tell you how much or whether its good or bad chlorine.) Just because the FC is not registering doesn't mean the process is not working. In fact, at the beginning of the conversion it means it is working very well!
 
It is very common for the FC level to fall to zero quickly after adding chlorine at the start of a baquacil conversion. The chlorine gets used up very quickly getting rid of the baquacil. As the baquacil level falls you will eventually be able to maintain a FC level.
 
chdolfnz said:
OK..the water is yucky!! I have not done the CC test yet or the TC test in the blue box...I will try those and see what I get.

Thanks
Click to expand...
dont be surprised if they read quite high! (the test in the blue box might go beyond yellow into orange or brown.) Remember that this is the "Bad" chlorine and won't do you much good, which is you need to keep adding bleach to keep up the FC!
 

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I tested the FC and the CC this time

FC was around 4.5 and the CC was at 11!!!

I did the test in the blue box for chlorine, but it came up a big 0?

Is that CC normal at this time??

Should I continue to add bleach??
Sorry if I seem a bit dumb at this...it is all weird to me??

Thanks
Curt
 
Yes, keep adding chlorine to bring FC up to 15. You can test FC and add more chlorine to bring it back up to 15 as frequently as once an hour or as little as once a day. The more often you raise FC the faster the conversion will go.

All of this is normal. Chlorine is breaking down the baquacil, first to CC and then into a kind of goo that will clump together. Enjoy the wild colors while you have them. Soon it will just be boring blue sparkling water, all the time, every day, day after day :)
 
whew....ok...thanks for the reassurance...I just added 3 more jugs of chlorine...looking nasty now...so, the "goo" that everyone talks about should be coming?..that had me confused..I figured that would come right away! I will continue to test and add chlorine and see what happens! Its not easy when the significant other keeps saying "I can't believe you're pouring bleach into my pool"!!!! Oh well, I'll see what she says when we have the clearest, cleanest pool in the neighborhood! HAHA

Thanks again for all the help..you guys rock...and I am going to contribute to the forum..just not had the time yet...this is a valuable site and don't want it to go away!!

Curt
 
Well...got up this morning and checked the pool...Starting to get the "goop" forming on the top of the green water!! Filter pressure up to above 20, so backwashed at 6am!!! (need my coffee!!) Tested water...FC- 4.5 CC- 5.0...going to add more chlorine!!!

Looks like it is working...you guys were right! as if I ever doubted!! HAHA :roll:

I am taking pics and will post eventually...thanks again

Curt
 
Sleep??? What is that!!!...No, I had to go away this morning, so I got up early to check the pool...I normally am up at 4am for work, so I actually got to sleep in?? HAHA :p

Just got home and checked the pool...FC at 3.0...adding more chlorine!! I still haven't got to the 15ppm mark yet...it must be consumed up as quicky as I pour it!! Plus the sun is out full force, which doesn't help!

I do have a question about the FC test with the t-100 kit...when I add the powder, it only turns a very light pink...is that normal?..It's hard to tell when it turns clear after the drops?? It also seems that when it does turn clear, a few (10-15) seconds later it seems to sort of turn pink again??? Does it have to stay clear or just right after the drops turn it clear?

I hope i'm clear in my description here, because I think I just confused myself :?

Thanks...off to pour!!!

Curt
 
The lower the FC level, the lighter the pink will be.

When you are doing the FAS-DPD chlorine test with a high CC level, you need to do the test fairly rapidly. The longer you take, the more likely the CC is to "bleed through" into the FC result. When everything is working correctly, the solution should stay clear for about a minute, by which time you should already be doing the CC test. You shouldn't need to race through it, but don't sit around waiting either.

When starting the test you want to be swirling to mix constantly and adding drops fairly quickly till right near the end. At the end the solution will sometimes turn clear for just a moment, or be a very very light pink that is difficult to tell from clear. You will probably need to slow down a bit at this point to be sure if there is still pink or not. Once it is completely clear for 10 or 15 seconds, continuing to swirl, that is good enough to move on to the CC part of the test, though really it should stay clear longer than that.

If left sitting after the CC test, the solution will often turn pink again after a minute or two. That can be ignored.
 
Did my test this afternoon....FC only 3.5...CC is 9

Noticed some goop on the surface and did a backwash...flushed some nasty stuff out!! :grrrr:

I guess my conversion is going to be one of those long, drawn out ones!!! I need some POP!!

Goint to hit it hard again with chlorine and then off to the store to get more!!!

Will it help when I backwash and then fill up with fresh water?? Anything to help this along!!!

Thanks
Curt
 

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