Trying to Convert the Pool to Chlorine from Baquacrap....

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blondeinyourdreams

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Apr 28, 2009
7
Well Started the conversion Yesterday... The pool guy did anyway!!

PH-7.5
TA- 80
Copper=0
CH = 60

He dumped in 6- 1.5 gallon jugs of Bleach. saw a little green but nothing significant. Had the water tested at the pool store and the FC was 15. Woke up this morning and added 3 more 1.5 gallon jugs of Bleach. Didn't seem to get a really significant amount of chlorine.. and no pretty colors. So off to the store i went.

3 hours later.... Dumped in another 3 jugs...tested chlorine after scrubbing the pool walls... seemed to have really low levels of FC...... .5 on the color coded window... (hope I'm reading this right.... (would that be 5ppm???) the booklet said this measures up to 50ppm so i assumed the 5(highest number) was 50ppm?? so i dumped in another 3 bottles...Saw a light murky green(not bad) still minimal FC but bright pink reading on the CC!!! So i hit it with another 3 bottles... (6 -1.5 gallon jugs) .. At this point I started second guessing myself.

Did another FC test and seemed to come up with a very small amount.... but and fc seemed really really hight... started wondering if the testing agents were bleaching out because of High Chlorine levels... YUP!

Diluted the water sample by half with neutral water and looks like FC =.5 x2 = 1 10ppm??? TC =3 or 4 x 2 = 6-8

Did a double check by diluting the mix 1 part pool water 3 parts neutral water.. and zipp for FC and TC =1.5 (15ppm right?) So i have lots and lots of chlorine in the pool!!!!

WHAT DO I DO??? Add more??? or wait? seems like a little too much chlorine in the pool!




16x32 AG (15000gal)/ sand filter
 
Welcome to TFP!

Which test kit do you have? The three common ones are OTO (drops turn the sample yellow, which is compared to a color chart), DPD (drops turn the sample red, which is compared to a color chart), and FAS-DPD (powder turns the sample pink and you add drops till it turns clear again).
 
I'm sorry, I think your math is wrong. Sounds to me like you are using the DPD chlorine test shown here, and you only have readings of .5 to 1ppm of FC, the bottom two blocks in the vial? You don't multiply these numbers - the results shown are your results in ppm.

IMHO you will need a lot more chlorine :wink:.

To complete the conversion, you need the FAS-DPD test, otherwise you are going to have a difficult time with the process. The FAS-DPD test is shown here ...if it's not part of your kit, you should order it seperately, either from Taylor or TFTestkits.net.

This test is much easier to use, you count drops instead of comparing shades on a comparator, and it can test FC up to 50ppm.

Hope this helps. :wink:
 
The DPD test reads FC levels from 0 to 5. Levels between 5 and 10 will read as 5. Levels over 10 will tend to read as if they were zero.

You can use dilution to increase the range of the test with some loss of precision. Mix one part of pool water and one equal part of chlorine free water (many people use distilled water), test that, and multiply the result by two.

When doing a baquacil conversion, you really really want a FAS-DPD chlorine test. You can purchase that separately from TF Test Kits or Taylor, but very very few pool stores will have it.

During the early phase of the conversion, the FC level will fall very rapidly towards zero. Once you have been going for a while the FC level will fall more slowly and finally towards the end the FC level will remains fairly steady (at least when the sun isn't shining).
 
Yes It is the DPD Chlorine Test. so when it matches the 1.5 number on the vial.. is that 1.5ppm or 15ppm??? Thats one of my questions.... Also... I did dilute the pool water by 1/2 and got reading of FC= .5 and TC =betweet 4 and 5...That reading is BEFORE multiplying by 2 to make up for the dilution.

Ideally i would have th Tf100 test kid and the FAS-DPD test but no one carries it!!!!! So i'm S.O.L. I have to make due with what i have.... if i order it.. It still wont be here for a few days and i'm going out of town Thursday.... gotta get it done!

so with the FC and total chlorine level at that level... umm do i keep adding more bleach... the bleach level seems awful high!


Thanks
 
When you are doing the test normally, with all pool water, then if it reads 1.5 that is 1.5 ppm. The entire range is from 0 to 5. At no point does 50 have anything to do with it.

The dilution test you describe means that FC is around 1, TC is around 10, and CC is around 9. It is perfectly normal for the CC level to be very high during a baquacil conversion. Ignore the CC/TC level for now and focus on the FC level. You are trying to maintain a FC level of 15. The FC level will fall very rapidly, so a reading of 1 is expected. Then you add another batch of chlorine and let it mix.
 
Yes you should add more bleach. Your FC is at about 1. It takes a lot of bleach. I used about 95-174oz bottles over about a 2 week period to get out all of the baquagoo. You really have to be patient. Also you could smell the odor of the bleach very well at first. After all baquagoo was dead you could not smell it. Husband said I should by stock in the bleach.

You really need a good test kit. I have not regretted buying the TF100 kit at all.

Good luck,
Susan
 
blondeinyourdreams said:
Yes It is the DPD Chlorine Test. so when it matches the 1.5 number on the vial.. is that 1.5ppm or 15ppm??? Thats one of my questions.... Also... I did dilute the pool water by 1/2 and got reading of FC= .5 and TC =betweet 4 and 5...That reading is BEFORE multiplying by 2 to make up for the dilution.

1.5 you do not multiply the result. I would accept this result above the others because thru dilution you lose accuracy..

Ideally i would have th Tf100 test kid and the FAS-DPD test but no one carries it!!!!! So i'm S.O.L. I have to make due with what i have.... if i order it.. It still wont be here for a few days and i'm going out of town Thursday.... gotta get it done!

Correct, these test are usually only available thru the links I gave you.

so with the FC and total chlorine level at that level... umm do i keep adding more bleach... the bleach level seems awful high!

Thanks
Click to expand...

FC + CC = TC. It's the FC that you want to get up to 15ppm and hold it there, it will make the CC you are seeing drop to 0.

Ideally you want your FC and TC to be identical, and it takes time and LOTS AND LOTS OF chlorine to convert a Baq pool to chlorine. 1.5, 5, 10ppm, these levels are not "high" !!! (You need to eliminate all the things you have heard about chlorine and bleach and anything else the pool stealers might have told you.)

Acceptable levels of FC/chlorine are entirely dependent on your CYA level. Since you have a Baq pool, you have 0 CYA. So what is high for you is 10-15ppm (this is your "shock" level). This may be high, but it is what you NEED to consume all the BAq and start to see FC levels hold. At one point my CYA was 70, and my normal everyday level of FC was 8, and my shock level was 28! Now that's HIGH! LOL

Because you need a test that can read FC up to 15, that's why you must order the FAS-DPD test. TF Test Kits will ship it to you very quickly, if you order tomorrow I bet you would have it by Wed/Thurs. You can order JUST the individual test, for about $25.00. This will supplement your existing kit.
 
Money Money Money!!! Gotta love a pool! I'll order the kit... planned on it... but... trying to keep it going in the meantime.. i have 4 days until V-day (vacation) . Hopefully i can keep it going.

I added another 4.5 gallons of bleach... and now it's dark... soooooo we'll see where we are in the morning!

Silly floodlights are out... forgot those when i was at the store... cart was too full of bleach!!!! :wink: So i'll have to wait until morning.... Looks like i'll sit next to the pool tomorro yeah fun! Should have picked up a relaxing beverage or two!!!!

I do have some Calcium Hypochloride...... should i run out of bleach at a "cant get to walmart" time would it be an error to use it??? i'm not worried about the CH level since mine is at 60 and it has to come up anyway!!

Eventually i'd like to use my SWG!!!!

Thanks for all the help!
 

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Bleach would be better, besides it doesn't have to come up, vinyl pools don't need any CH. 60 is perfectly fine.

Trust me, once you are done, you won't look back. You'll have money flowing from your pockets because you won't have to set foot in a Pool Store. :wink: :goodjob: The Baq will be behind you...no more expensive chems.
 
Just for info, I just performed this conversion and ended up putting 36 of the largest Clorox in the pool. I was putting about 4-6 jugs every few hours at first and although it did not go all different colors, I did see the clouding and green stages. The Baquacil was floating in white clumps on the surface of the water so I knew it was killing it. I also had no CYA in the pool so Chlorine was rapidly used up combined with the sun.
I was nervous about how much bleach was going in but followed the directions and kept it as close to 15PPM with constant backwashing and vacuuming...it all worked out well in the end. The pool water now looks fantastic and I've had no complaints from tonnes of kids this weekend about water issues...

My photos are here if that helps at all on the stages I witnessed..
http://www.troublefreepool.com/my-baquacil-conversion-with-pics-t11832.html

Regards

Dannyboy
 
Thank you... it sounds like i'm putting in the correct amount... i have 15k gallons so quite a bit smaller than yours!!!! I'm doing 3 of the 182oz jugs at a time.... havent seen that dark of a green yet.. but it is a light milky greenish color. i might up it to 4 jugs....see what that does.

So far i've dumped 15 jugs in.... i have 24 more sitting in the house... i hope that gonna be enough!!!!! I'll hit it hard tomorro morning before the sun comes over the house!......Unfortunatly i get hit hard with sun most of the Day...grrr
 
[attachment=0:3tyu1f6y]IMG_2132.jpg[/attachment:3tyu1f6y]Ok it's the AM here..... pool didn't clear up overnight like it did with the first addition of chlorine..... Did a quick test and got FC = 2ppm...... Added more bleach....3 - 182oz bottles. .Didnt significantly change the look of the pool.. no darker.. I've attached a picture this time. I'll test in a few mintues and see where we are!!!
 

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Well I figured I owed a side note to these posts.......Took off on vacation the Day the Conversion was done. I think i got lucky! Only thing I can say is if you think your putting too much bleach in.... Pour in some more!!!!

Thanks for all the advice!!!! What great help it was. After 39 1.5 gallon bottles of bleach My pool was sparkling! Now I just need to get the friendly electrician over here to run my power for the SWG (thank god he's free:) ).

Go Clorox!!!
 
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