Spring is coming, switching from Baquacil to Salt. What do?

[baq2salt]

So I read the conversion thread, but admittedly, have no idea about the Poolmath calculator.

Obviously, it's easy enough to figure out. My question is, where do I get my CURRENT totals of each of those fields, and how do I know what the GOAL should be?

Basically, from what I understand, I go buy bleach from the dollar store, and pour it into the pool when I open it. Run the filter, vac the pool, keep adding bleach until a certain point, clean and replace the filter sand, add salt, hook up the inline generator and I'm gtg?

If anyone can point me in the right direction that'd be swell.

 

[pooldv]

Welcome to TFP!

Step 1 is to have a great test kit that will give you accurate current test results. I use the TF-100 from TFTestkits.net. more here about test kits, Pool School - Test Kits Compared

Your target levels are listed here, Pool School - Recommended Levels. Also more here about saltwater pool chemistry, Pool School - Water Balance for SWGs. And more here about chemicals, Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

Start here to learn the basics, ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry
Then here, Pool School - Getting Started

Add your pool info to your sig so that we can help you better. More here about what to add and how to do it, Pool School - Read This BEFORE You Post

 

[JoyfulNoise]

The Baquacil conversion article has all the info you need in it. But, in order for this to work and not take weeks on end, you must follow the article to the T and not deviate. The baquacil conversion process requires A LOT of time initially to baby sit the pool and a lot folks that do it make the mistake of (A) doing it at the last minute before some major event when they need the pool and (B) not having enough free time set aside. Also, people don't realize the amount of chlorine it takes to destroy all the baquacil and they start the process without adequate supplies on-hand.

I would sincerely suggest you read the conversion article 10 or 15 times until you know it by heart and read through some of the old conversion threads to get a feel for what the process will look like. I would also suggest that you set aside a LONG weekend to do this - preferably a weekend where you take both Friday and Monday off. Then tell everyone in your family to leave you the heck alone and not bother you at all during the weekend...in fact, if they can all leave and go somewhere on a nice family trip without you, that would be best.

The conversion process can work but there is no cutting corners. You are going to need time, patience and A LOT of bleach. And, of course, nothing can be done without the proper test kit. You're either going to need a Taylor K-2006C ("C" is for Commercial grade with the 2oz reagent bottles) OR a TF-100 with XL option. I'd also suggest you invest in a Speed Stir to make testing easier.

Let us know when you think you have everything you need and we'll be happy to help you out.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, don't add anymore baquacil to the pool. Let the levels just fall off naturally because the lower the sanitizer level is, the faster the conversion will go. Also, is this regular Baquacil or is the CDX product in there as well? The CDX product has been known to make conversions a lot harder if it is present.

 

[baq2salt]

Got my TF-100 XL option kit, and opened the pool on 5/7!

Topped off the water, and boy...is it NASTY. We vacuumed the pool as best we could, and set the pump in and fired her up.
Took a PH reading which was 7.5. Perfect!

Pool is a 15x30 AGP, that is 4 feet deep. So 13,500 gallons. Sand filter, and we HAVE used CDX in this system. Haven't put in ANY chemicals since August 2016.
Added 12.5% chlorine to the pool and went to town. Here are my readings over the past 3 days.

5/6 9:30PM Dosed to FC 15ppm. Filter now on 24 hr/7 from here on out.
5/7 9:15AM FC 1 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/7 11AM FC 1.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/7 4:30PM FC 2.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/7 6:28PM FC 10.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/7 9:40PM FC 12 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/8 6AM FC 12.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/8 3:45PM FC 5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/8 7:30PM FC 17 PPM Did nothing.
5/8 9:40PM FC 8 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/9 6:15AM FC 13 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/9 5:04PM FC 4.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/9 10:07PM FC 13.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/10 6:20AM FC 10.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/10 3:30PM FC 3.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/10 5:45PM FC 12 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/10 7:30PM FC 15 PPM Did nothing.
5/10 9:45PM FC 12.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.
5/11 5:55AM FC 14.5 PPM Dosed to FC 15ppm.

 

[baq2salt]

Still chasing the dragon. Losing about 2ppm overnight. Guessing it's from the CDX.

Gone through about 32 gallons of 12.5% chlorine thus far.
Anyone know what the semen looking stuff floating around in the pool is? Looks like someone dumped horse semen in my pool.
Pool is crystal clear now though.

 

[baq2salt]

Two nights straight where didn't lose 1ppm of chlorine. Was 15ppm in the mornings.
Cleaned and replaced the sand in the filter...what do I do now?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You're on Step 7 of the process - Pool School - Convert Your Baqua Pool to Chlorine

Now that your sand is cleaned, you need to continue to hold 15ppm while you raise your CYA (stabilizer) to 30ppm.

Have you read through any of the following links -

Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals

Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool

Pool School - Recommended Levels

 

[baq2salt]

I have, but they aren't salt water specific.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I have, but they aren't salt water specific.

There are almost no differences in the chemicals you use for a salt water pool versus a manually chlorinated pool. In fact, before you even turn on an SWG, you will need to use bleach to get up to the correct FC level. The Recommended Levels page has suggested levels for all pool surface types, both SWG and bleach chlorination.

There is also a Pool School Article for SWG Water Balance -

Pool School - Water Balance for SWGs

 

[baq2salt]

So where do I find CYA? All I can seem to find is powder form, but I recall reading somewhere here the liquid is preferred.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

No. TFP recommends the granular form of CYA. Liquid forms are only, at most, 30% CYA by volume and they typically cost twice as much by weight as the granular form. Liquid dissolves and disperses faster than the granular form but TFP feels that the higher unit cost is not really worth it. You can find granular CYA in just about any pool store, Walmart or hardware store (in their seasonal pool section). It will often be called "Conditioner" or "Stabilizer" and the only ingredient in the list on the container should be 100% CYA (cyanuric acid or the chemical formula name 1,3,5-Triazinane-2,4,6-trione)

All of the chemicals recommended by TFP are in the links I previously posted.

 

[baq2salt]

Got it. So based on Pool Math, it says I need 7 pounds 6 ounces to go from zero ( which I have to imagine is what I'm at now ) to 70ppm.

Any tips on how to get that much in? I'm not going to be able to fit that in a sock. LOL Nor will it fit in my skimmer. Going to have to suspend it in front of the pool return?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Your first step is to get to 30ppm as part of the conversion process. Focus on finishing that piece before you worry about adding salt or turning on the SWG. You're not going to raise your CYA to salt based levels UNTIL AFTER salt is added and the SWG is running properly.

Use the sock method for whatever it takes to get from 0 to 30ppm. You're going to be hanging multiple socks. You can also put a sock in the skimmer BUT you must keep the pump running when you do that as CYA is acidic and should not be allowed to concentrate in the skimmer.

 

[baq2salt]

AHhhhhhh. Ok Gotcha. But when I do that, I can't backwash or vacuum, or do anything like that in that time correct?

Then, once all that is gtg, I'll need to wait an additional week doing the same when I raise the CYA up to SWG levels?
What do recommend to use to put the CYA in? Like a real tennis shoe sock?

 

[baq2salt]

CYA is in. 30 oz in a sock in the filter, and the other 20 oz in a sock clamped to the railing in front of the pool return!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

CYA is in. 30 oz in a sock in the filter, and the other 20 oz in a sock clamped to the railing in front of the pool return!

That should do it. Ignore the one week to measure thing, that is wrong. Once all of the CYA is dissolved (feel free to squish the socks every once in a while), wait 24 hours and then test.

 

[baq2salt]

Roger that. Woke up this morning, and both socks were completely empty. Kinda surprised by that. From all the comments I read about the CYA, it seemed like I was going to be fighting that too! LOL

 

[baq2salt]

So for some reason, the CYA is at 50ppm...and this is two days where the chlorine ppm was 17 at 8:30pm and by 6am it was down to 12ppm.

How can this be? Before we changed the filter sand, we had two days where overnight we only lost 1ppm. We cleaned the filter, replaced the sand, added CYA and now we're losing MORE.
No ladder in the pool etc.

 

[baq2salt]

Anyone at all?

 

[baq2salt]

So can anyone explain this? Pool is supposed to have 12600 gallons of water in it based off of calculators online.
We've been using pool math this entire time, and have always been OVER. So when I was trying to put in 30ppm of CYA, and it turned out to be 50ppm, I said we need to use Pool Math to figure out how much water is REALLY in the pool. So we played with the numbers, because I know I put in 50 oz of dry CYA. To go from 0 to 50ppm with that amount, the water amount should be 7600 gallons.

So we cut back the chlorine additions by changing the gallons of water from 12600 to 7600. Tonight we went to top off the chlorine to 15ppm from 6ppm, which called for 2 quarts, 6 ounces. We put in just 2 quarts. Test the water about 90 mins later, and our numbers are up to 19PPM!!! *** is going on here?!?!?