What exactly is Baqua

[DigitalOcean]

Can someone explain exactly what Baqua is? I always though it was simply a name brand. I have used Baqaucil products last year, such as their Total Alkalinity and calcium hardness before finding the TFP method. Or is Baqua a different method of sanitizing your pool instead of chlorine? I'm only asking because this is my first year doing TFP method, and I did not change out my sand. However, the sand was changed last year while I was using dichlor pucks, shock, and algaecide.


My pool is crystal clear and having no issues, I just would rather change it out now if I know I will need to later down the road.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Bacqua is a brand name for a non-chlorine sanitizer -Biguanide which is totally incompatible with chlorine.

Biguanides vs chlorine

Maddie

I wonder if the reason you managed this was that Alkalinity Increaser is just a fancy name and pricey bag of baking soda?
And Calcium is calcium, so it didn't actually contain biguaide?

 

[Donldson]

Baquacil branded products like pH adjusters and CH and TA increasers are the same as any other brand. TA increaser is always overpriced baking soda for instance. Things like Baquacil sanitizer or oxidizer should never be used in a chlorine pool however.

 

[DigitalOcean]

Thanks guys, this is exactly what I was using, Baquacil branded Total Alkalinity. We never used their santizer or oxidizer, just regular 3" tablets. So we should be good with our sand then, right? Our pool is crystal clear since we have been using bleach this year, thank goodness we've found TFP.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Thanks guys, this is exactly what I was using, Baquacil branded Total Alkalinity. We never used their santizer or oxidizer, just regular 3" tablets. So we should be good with our sand then, right? Our pool is crystal clear since we have been using bleach this year, thank goodness we've found TFP.

Yes, thankfully, right?! Chlorine is the *best* sanitizer we know of for pools. Why folks fret about it is beyond me?

Maddie

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Baquacil is the Trade name for a sanitizer system based on polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB). PHMB is one of the three sanitizers (chlorine and bromine being the other two) that the EPA recognizes for use in public/commercial pools (the EPA does not regulate residential swimming pools). It is an organic compound (a polymer) that binds to the outer cell wall of pathogens and some algae and interferes with the receptor there. Usually it causes the calcium and sodium channels to be forced open and that causes cellular death. Since it is only a sanitizer, one must also use an oxidizer to help destroy bather waste and so the Baquacil systems usually contains three elements -

1. PHMB as the sanitizer
2. Peroxide as the oxidizer
3. Algaecide to help control algae growth since PHMB is not very effective against certain types of algae (most notably, white water mold and "pink" slime)

Baquacil also sells other products to work in conjunction with their sanitizer such as the CDX chemical that helps to make the peroxide last longer. And, they also market the cheaper chemicals for pool care like TA increaser (aka, baking soda) and calcium hardness increaser.

Baquacil is a very, very, very EXPENSIVE alternative to halogen based sanitizers. Every year TFP gets lots of users here who are desperate to get away from using Baquacil as it typically costs them $1,000 or more per season....