Spring 2017 - Converting from Baquacil to Chlorine!

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jessica0917

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Jun 8, 2014
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Central Iowa
I have used Baquacil since 2008 and over the past two seasons I have started dealing with cloudy water and slime. Two days ago I discovered the pool had turned green and from reading on this site I knew it was time to dump Baquacil. I am waiting until next next spring to convert as I will have more time then and I am in the process of closing the pool for the winter.

My question - is it OK to drain my sand filter and leave the sand rather than remove it like I normally do? I know I will need to replace all of the sand after the conversion in the spring. Or should I remove the sand for closing, and buy enough sand in the spring to replace it twice?

Thank you!
 

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How much sand are we talking about here? I suppose it depends on how much pool sand costs you.

Is it possible to remove and store the sand? Or can you remove the filter from the equipment pad with the sand in place and store the entire filter some place where it will not freeze?

Given how much money you will be saving by ditching the Baqua-$il, paying extra for sand will be nothing.

Just remember to close the pool and don't add anymore Baqua sanitizer. You want the sanitizer levels as low as possible next spring to make the conversion go quickly.

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And absolutely positively DO NOT listen to the pool stores next spring when/if you tell them you're converting to chlorine. They always give the wrong advice by telling people to add chlorine shock that contains stabilizer in it which makes the conversion take forever.

With that said, put a Taylor K-2006(C) or TF-100 with XL option AND a SpeedStir on your Christmas list....you'll need it when you do the conversion...
 
Thank you for the quick response and great information.

The filter with sand in it would be impossible to move and sand isn't very expensive so I will follow my normal process and remove it for the winter and buy twice as much in the spring. I have added the test kit to my shopping list along with buying chlorine at Walmart or Costco.

I will be reading and re-reading the conversion forums to prep me for next April and will document and post pictures as I move through the process. This is the best site, by far, for providing information on pool care and my thanks to everyone who participates and helps those of us that are less experienced.
 
Spring is almost here and I am getting closer to converting to chlorine. Does it matter how cold the water is when I start the conversion? My goal is to start in mid to late April and the average daytime temps should be mid to upper 60's and nighttime temps mid to upper 40's, in our area.
 
Should be just fine. Better to start early when no one is swimming. Do you have a pool light? I only ask because you need to be able to pull the light if you have one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Like most every chemical reaction, those involved in converting your pool will be just a bit slower in colder weather. It is likely to be physically uncomfortable, too.

In your region, I would be tempted to wait until about May 1.

After saying that, if you are ready and eager to get started, you can certainly convert anytime as long as it's not freezing!!

The conversion is remarkably similar to a SLAM but be sure to re-read the conversion article and follow it religiously.

Ask lot's of questions.....we'll help every step of the way.
 
I ran into some equipment issues, but hope to have everything resolved and the winter cover removed in a couple of days, which will put me about three weeks later than I had hoped to start this process. I have read and reread the Bacqua Pool to Chlorine conversion info along with many of the Baquacil - Use and Conversion forums and the PoolMath - and will continue to review. I have my test kit along with the speed stirrer and extra reagent along with quite a bit bleach ready to go.

I took my pool steps apart and am soaking the steps in a bleach solution (my steps are like these Ladders, Decks, and Fencing - Swimming Pool Supplies, Parts, and more) and will scrub them down. Other than clean the outside of the side handrails (which are extremely heavy) I am not sure what else to do about the water inside of them.

As I just retired, I have the time to devote to this but I am a bit confused about testing and adding chlorine when the sun is on the pool. Is it a waste of time and $$ to add during the daylight? Or will it be a benefit to speed up the process? I did not add any Bacquacil products when I closed the pool and have not done any testing of the water yet for ph.

Also is there an iPhone App for the Pool Math calculator?


Thank you,

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Maybe this thread needs to be moved to the conversion forum? My bad...

Thanks.
 
First Time Using - TF100

I have read through the materials included with the kit and watched some videos but I am a little confused on testing the ph. Do I use the Basic test kit included in the TF100? My pool isn't open yet (still covered and no circulation) and with the Basic test kit, my ph is 8.2.

In looking at Pool Math, I will need to test for TA to determine how much muriatic acid I need to add to reduce the ph down to 7.2-7.4, correct?

I will be converting from Bacquacil to Chlorine shorting and wanted to make sure I understand how to test for step 1.:p

Thank you,

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Re: First Time Using - TF100

Yes, the basic pH test is the only one in the TF-100.
PoolMath uses the TA and other values, in the calculations to determine the amount of MA need to lower your pH to a target.
So, you should run a full set of tests when you start (although your CYA = 0, so no need to test) and enter those in the Now column.

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BTW, I merged your treads to keep all your related questions together. Keep your story together.
I also moved it into the Baq Forum.
 
Ok I Finally got started and unfortunately we are having unseasonably warm temps. Ph was 8.2 TA 120 and I used muriatic acid to get it down to 7.5. FC was 0.

If I am doing this correctly pool math showed I needed to add around 3 gallons of 8.25% 128 oz bleach. That isn't making a dent and I don't seem to be able to get ever get up to 15ppm. The highest I got was 6ppm this evening. I will add pictures later but I do get the ugly green and lots of bacqua goo in my filter and have been sweeping and vacuuming.
Just concerned I am doing something wrong because of not getting to 15ppm.
 
You would be better off putting the filter into recirculate for the first few days until you can no longer scoop the solids out. I would also recommend dosing late in the evening and then shutting off the pump after 30min of mixing to allow solids to settle. Come back in the morning and slowly vacuum the crud in the bottom to waste.

Also, if you can get them, put a hair net or nylon skimmer such in the skimmer to help capture solids.
 
A few pictures

Just pulled the cover off and I did not add Bacqucil when I closed - but I have been using it since 2008.View attachment 63561

Swept the pool and added the first dose of bleach. The picture of my pool brush is to give an idea of the pool clarity on Day 1.
View attachment 63562View attachment 63563.

Continued adding bleach and sweeping. Pictures are from Day 3. Slight improvement on water clarity, bacqua, and backwashing results.
View attachment 63564View attachment 63565

Day 4 Could make out the crud in the bottom of the pool so vacuumed for the first time and continued to sweep every couple of hours. Continued bleach dosing.
 
jessica0917 said:
Ok I Finally got started and unfortunately we are having unseasonably warm temps. Ph was 8.2 TA 120 and I used muriatic acid to get it down to 7.5. FC was 0.

If I am doing this correctly pool math showed I needed to add around 3 gallons of 8.25% 128 oz bleach. That isn't making a dent and I don't seem to be able to get ever get up to 15ppm. The highest I got was 6ppm this evening. I will add pictures later but I do get the ugly green and lots of bacqua goo in my filter and have been sweeping and vacuuming.
Just concerned I am doing something wrong because of not getting to 15ppm.
Click to expand...
Don't worry if you can't get FC to read 15. You likely won't until later in the process. Simply take a measurement and add enough LC to get back to 15. How often were you testing/dosing? I found it helpful to test and bump every hour for the first couple days during day light hours (My test results were never 15 an hour later.). Then as time permitted when the work week began, but by then the heavy lifting was pretty much over.
 
Husky 25- I was testing/dosing every day starting around 5:30P when the sun was off of the pool and by that point FC0. I tested every hour and the highest I could get it was FC6, by the time it was getting dark.

Last night I decided to test/dose every half hour and my last one was FC10. This morning at 8:00am FC10 and 8:30am it was FC9. The sun isn't directly on the pool, but it is up and indirectly on the pool. I plan on testing/dosing every half hour until around 10am and see if that helps move this along. If it ends up being a losing battle with indirect sunshine, I will switch back to testing/dosing starting in the late afternoon only.

The pool is still a pale green and very cloudy but I am no longer seeing big chucks of bacqua until I sweep. I have been sweeping regularly and a couple of days ago it was opaque enough for me to vacuum. It is too cloudy now. A couple of days ago I moved over to filter, from circulating, keeping a close eye on the pressure gauge, with a skimmer sock to help with filtering.

Last night I was reading in some TFP postings where CDX can cause issues and the past four years I have been adding CDX along with the other Baquacil products so that might be part of the issue.

Just went to Sam's for more bleach and going out to test again.
 
jessica0917 said:
Last night I was reading in some TFP postings where CDX can cause issues and the past four years I have been adding CDX along with the other Baquacil products so that might be part of the issue.
Click to expand...

That very well could be the case. In my 6-7 seasons with a BQ pool (I converted before the summer of 2015), I never used CDX and this is the first year I've heard it was an obstacle in converting, but it does in fact seem to be a problem.
 
CDX is a product designed to make the Baquacil oxidizer last longer so that concentration fluctuations are lower. It's main ingredient is a chemical called 4,4-Dimethyl-2,5-dioxoimidazolidine (DMH). DMH is incredibly difficult to oxidize by chlorine and is responsible for the longer conversion times. We had one user this year try to start off the conversion using sodium percarbonate (adds very high doses of peroxide to the water) in order to try to destroy the CDX. The results were inconclusive but we suspect that the dose used was likely not high enough.

All you can do is continue to dose chlorine as regularly as possible and try to maintain 15ppm FC throughout the process. Eventually the DMH will break and you'll be able to hold the 15ppm FC overnight with less than 1ppm loss.
 

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