Converting to BBB

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G

gctuggle

0
Jul 7, 2009
9
Lake Guntersville, Alabama
I am converting from pool store chemicals and advice to the BBB method. I have been lurking and learning for a few weeks, but I haven't seen this question. I want to start with BBB now. Is it okay to start BBB in the middle of the season? I have bleach, Borax, and baking soda on hand, and I'm about to test and plug my numbers into the pool calculator, but I wanted to make sure it is okay to go full steam ahead.

I'll post my numbers shortly.

TIA.
 
Keep in mind that BBB is a cute catchy phrase but not a "one size fits all" method.

I have added nothing to my pool except bleach in over 2 years. So your pool, depending on your test results, may not need 2 out of the 3 B's. It may need MA, and CYA.... :mrgreen:

You can start using BBB any time, it's simply using bleach as your chlorine source, instead of traditional pool store tablets or granulated chlorine.

It's using Borax and Baking Soda instead of "PH UP".

Its about not putting anything uneccessary in your pool, like algaecide, floc, phosphate removers, clarifiers, etc.

It's simple, and it works. :wink:
 
Here are the numbers and a little history:

TC 2
FC 2
pH 7.6
TA 150
CH 230
CYA 80

After opening this season and getting a clear pool, I took in my sample and had a CYA of 150. Over a few weeks of water dumps and vacuuming to waste when I vacuumed, it has come down to 80. I've been trying to avoid CYA at all costs for a month or so. I started using cal-hypo shock and quit using tablets in order to get the CYA down. But my pool has been cloudy for about three or four weeks, ever since I started using the cal-hypo. It gradually clears from top to bottom, but never gets fully clear before I add cal-hypo. I've been considering the change to BBB for a few weeks, but the cloudiness was the last straw, so to speak.

We have owned the house for 11 months, so I'm learning as I go, but I'm a geek and DIYer at heart and the thought of daily monitoring and adjusting is very appealing to me, in addition to the cost benefits and satisfaction of understanding what is going on in the pool and knowing how to respond.
 
Well, you need to confirm if the organics are dead, and to do this you need to perform an overnight FC loss test. For that, you need the FAS-DPD chlorine test. It is not part of the K-2005, and the main reason we recommend the K-2006.

You should get the test separately for about $25 that will supplement your kit.

If your FC is holding, it may just take time for the cloudy water to clear up. However, since your FC is so low, you should shock your pool tonight if you have any bleach on hand....

Refer to the CYA chart - see your "min" level for FC, your "target" and your "shock" level.... your chlorine is way too low to clear up your pool....
 

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Since you have cloudy water, and your FC is already way too low considering your high CYA level, you should shock tonight if you can.

Get the FAS-DPD sooner rather than later, if you want this to end sooner rather than later. :mrgreen:
 
Shock with bleach and see what happens. I think your pool will stay clear.

If I'm reading your posts right, the Cal hypo is causing the cloudiness....combined with your high TA and possibly high pH in the past.

A combination of fairly high CH (you have it, barely), fairly high TA (you have it) and fairly high pH (you are close on that, I suspect it may have been higher from time to time) will cause temporary cloudiness in your water.

You may also have organics in your pool in addition. By shocking with bleach, you should kill the organics and, if the water is clear during shock, identify the source of your cloudiness as cal-hypo.

Read the article in Pool School on how to shock your pool. It is a processs...not a one-time application of chlorine.
 
frustratedpoolmom said:
Well, you need to confirm if the organics are dead, and to do this you need to perform an overnight FC loss test. For that, you need the FAS-DPD chlorine test. It is not part of the K-2005, and the main reason we recommend the K-2006.

You should get the test separately for about $25 that will supplement your kit.

If your FC is holding, it may just take time for the cloudy water to clear up. However, since your FC is so low, you should shock your pool tonight if you have any bleach on hand....

Refer to the CYA chart - see your "min" level for FC, your "target" and your "shock" level.... your chlorine is way too low to clear up your pool....
Click to expand...


Do I just need the FAS-DPD Titrating Reagent to add to my kit or do I need to buy DPD Deluxe Test Kit?
 
reebok said:
You need the fas-dpd test. Look at http://www.tftestkits.net for it. Its around $25. If you have the cylinder, you could get the powder and reagent only, but I believe that the cylinder will get black over time so it's recommended to use the cylinder only for this test.
Click to expand...

I think you've got the FAS-DPD and the K-1766 Salt test mixed up. The cylinder for the salt test will get black over time due to the silver chloride precipitating out, if you don't clean it after every use.
 
MikeInTN said:
reebok said:
You need the fas-dpd test. Look at http://www.tftestkits.net for it. Its around $25. If you have the cylinder, you could get the powder and reagent only, but I believe that the cylinder will get black over time so it's recommended to use the cylinder only for this test.
Click to expand...

I think you've got the FAS-DPD and the K-1766 Salt test mixed up. The cylinder for the salt test will get black over time due to the silver chloride precipitating out, if you don't clean it after every use.
Click to expand...
Nope, DPD will cause a brown to black staining on the cylinder over time. It is actually in the family of aniline dye bases (oxidation dyes) based on paraphenylenediamine that will darken on exposure to oxygen, which is why the powder turns dark over time, much like leaving a bottle of hair dye open for a period of time (or, for anyone that has ever kept a B&W darkroom, the stains that would appear in the developer tray--film developers are also aniline dye bases based on paraphenylenediamine. DPD is N, N-diethyl-paraphenylenediamine for your info.)
 

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