Converting now!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
C

CaptainEyeball

0
Sep 22, 2017
13
Texas
Hi, I just started the conversion from a baqua pool to chlorine. I must say, it’s a bit strange with all the color changes and the weird bright yellow water that kills the grass coming out when I backwash the sand filter. I’m doing this on a 24 foot round above ground vinyl lined pool. I’m really hoping the process doesn’t bleach the liner. Also there are all kinds of little white floaters in the water right now. Since I haven’t put any baqua stuff in the pool during the winter, I really didn’t expect much of a reaction. But it’s like a crazy science experiment.

Im dumping about 2 gallons of chlorine in at a time to bring free chlorine up to 15ppm like the conversion directions say. Does anyone know how long it’s supposed to stay at 15? And then what is normal after that? When I measure the free chlorine using the Taylor k2006 kit, my last measurement was only 0.6ppm (a long way from 15) with 1.4ppm for combined chlorine. Not sure if that matters right now.

Any advice on whether all this is normal?

thanks!!
 
I am kind of surprised the cc was only 1.4ppm to tell you the truth.

You are in a big battle. Keep the FC up and take some pics of the neat colors and stuff for us. We love a good conversion!

What you are looking for is the FC not dropping as fast and the cc being low.

What kind of filter do you have?

Kim:kim:
 
Definitely stick with the TFP Pool School - Convert Your Baqua Pool to Chlorine process. You're at the point now here keeping the FC at 15 is critical. At least it's still cool and not blazing hot or it would be much more difficult. Keep the FC at 15, brush, vacuum, and backwash as much as you can until you start to hold the FC of 15 consistently and pass an overnight loss test - not losing more than 1 ppm of FC overnight. Only then do you move forward to changing out the sand. Then you'll be on the home stretch. Because of the stabilizing products in the old baqua, the FC of 15 is still safe for your liner.

But for now ... maintain! The more consistent you are with the FC and brushing, the better the results. Good luck!
 
Thank you all for replying. This is a great forum!!! I needed the reassurance that I am on the right track. So just to clarify, keep boosting the FC ppm back up to 15 until it holds overnight and is at least14ppm or better the next day? Is that right? After that do you let it fall back to some other range? That’s the part I’m not quite clear on.
 
So just to clarify, keep boosting the FC ppm back up to 15 until it holds overnight and is at least14ppm or better the next day? Is that right?
Click to expand...
That's correct. Right now you're between Steps 5-7. Once you pass the OCLT at Step 7, the link/instructions state that's when you can replace the media (sand). After that, you'll keep the FC at 15 until you show <=0.5 CC 2-days in a row. Two days of next to no CCs shows that all the residual baqua has been oxidized & eliminated.
 
Two days later, your heavy lifting might be done, but you need to keep FC at 15 for as long as you can, which means bumping it up as often as you can, while still ensuring you get accurate readings. I tested every hour during daylight hours when I converted.
 
Okay, I've been staying the course now for about a week. Today, being Saturday, I'm trying to stay on top of it about every couple hours or so. I have dumped about 16 gallons of 10% bleach (Kemtech from Lowes) into the pool so far. The pool is clear again now (not green anymore), and the filter is no longer backwashing nasty yellow baqua-goo out. But even though I keep topping it up to 15ppm free chlorine according to the calculations on Pool Math, every time I measure the FC, it's still low. The highest I'm getting right now is about 9 to 10ppm. If I wait long enough it will probably drop to 4 or lower.

Is it weird that it's taking so much bleach still and that it keeps dropping, or is that part of the process? Seems like a LOT of bleach.

Also, do I need to adjust pH at any time during the process if it climbs up a bit? It was about 7.4 when I started a week ago. Not sure what it is now. Thanks again!
 
Be sure to check the date on the Lowes bleach. It is notorious for being old and degraded.

Look for a number that starts with 17XXX or 18XXX. The XXX is the day number of the year.

Take care.
 
Good call. I didn't think of that. And I am doing this in the off season. There is a number printed at the bottom of each bottle like 17 263 8:24 and some other stuff. So I guess they're all from 2017. So hopefully that's good. Any advice about maintaining pH or how much bleach is too much? I've got a 13,500 gallon pool. Also, it's very cold out if that makes any difference. Thanks again!
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
That bleach was bottled in August last year. I would not call that fresh. 60 days is about as old as you want it to be, especially at the higher concentration.

You would be better off with Walmart Great Value. 8.25% and typically very fresh. Stored inside also.

No reason to test pH until your FC is below 10ppm. If you read that, take a test. If in the 7's you are good.

No such thing as too much bleach - you need as much as you need!

Take care.
 
Sorry for the late response. I'm still at this. CC's appear very low if even present. I went ahead and bought 15 gallons of bleach from Wal-Mart last night in hopes that it will be more fresh. So far it seems to hold better, which is great! I topped up to 15ppm several times yesterday and before bed last night. This morning I was at 11.5ppm. Is that possibly close enough to move on to the next step, or do I need to keep going? Been at it for almost 2 weeks. The bleach I had purchased before must have been lousy.

That said, the pool water looks amazing. Sparkly and clear.
 
One of the things we constantly discuss is the most effective way to add FC to the water in this final period of conversion. Since you have no CYA in the water, the chlorine is easily consumed by the UV light from the sun (even when the water is cold). My suggestion is that you don’t bother dosing during the daylight, simply get the FC up to 15ppm in the morning and then let it ride for the day and don’t dose again until sunset. You want the FC you are adding to so the most work for you and fighting UV loss during the day is a losing battle. It’s also frustrating and time consuming.

Right now, all you care about is getting that overnight loss to 1ppm or less. So that’s where I’d focus my efforts.
 
Okay! So last night my FC ppm was about 16.5. I overdid a tad I guess. I tested it again about 10pm, and it was 15. Tested this morning about 7am. 14ppm! So I’m calling that good.

Changed filter sand this morning. Got everything hooked back up. Adding some more water because the initial backwash stained it a bit.

Added CYA in the form of Instant Conditioner made by Natural Chemistry. Main ingredient is monosodium cyanurate monohydrate. I’m no chemist and have no idea what that means, but I’m realky hoping that was the right thing to add as CYA because that’s what the store recommended, and I’ve already done it!

This is exiting. I see the light at the end of a loooong tunnel. Hopefully.

So how long after adding that cya should I wait before testing and re-upping the chlorine?
 
I would get the FC up right away to keep things good.

You can test for the CYA late this afternoon if you keep the pump running all day to mix it up good. Do you know the "trick" to doing the test?? It is to GLANCE to look at the dot. Don't look for it. Pour to the line then GLANCE in. If you see the dot pour to the next line and GLANCE in. Keep going until you do not see the dot with a GLANCE.

If you don't have enough CYA you can get the powder stuff from Lowes. It is cheaper and is 99% CYA so more bang for your buck. When you go to add it put it in a sock and hang it in the water right in front of a return. You can squeeze it every once in a while to help it along.

Kim:kim:
 
So how long after adding that cya should I wait before testing and re-upping the chlorine?
Click to expand...
Since you added instant (liquid gold) conditioner, the CYA should climb fairly quickly with the pump running. I'm assuming you used the Poolmath Calculator to determine how much to add right? So if your target was a CYA of 30, simply refer to tteh Chlorine/CYA Chart and increase your FC now with regular bleach to balance your FC to the proper range based on that new CYA. If you're really curious, you can re-test the CYA tomorrow, but only if the weather cooperates. You want a sunny day (sun at your back) when doing the CYA test. :sun:

Goodness gracious. I was slow on my typing on that one. Gotta work on my skills.
 
You guys/gals are awesome! So when I tested FC after putting things back together, it was only 2.5ppm. Maybe that’s from a little new water, a few hours, etc. The sky is overcast, so not much sun. Not sure why the big drop. But I boosted it back up and will try testing again here in a bit now that I have some CYA in there. Hopefully things are still on track.

Im going to be going on vacation in a couple weeks and will be gone for about a week. Any advice on what to do while away? I won’t be able to keep adding chlorine several times a day like I have been all weekend.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply