I'm interested in using the BBB method w/ my SWGC pool. I've searched the site, but haven't really found a how to on this. any help will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advanced!
Thanks in advanced!
MikeInTN said:The BBB method stands for Bleach,Borax, and Baking Soda. The Bleach is nothing more than liquid chlorine, and your SWCG should provide enough chlorine for sanitation. If you should need to shock, you would need to supplement your SWCG with bleach to get the FC level up to shock level. Borax is used to raise pH, with a small rise in Total Alkalinity, and Baking Soda is used to raise both pH and Total Alkalinity.
So, first things first. To implement BBB, you need to post the following readings so we know what your water chemistry is like right now: Free Chlorine (FC), Combined Chloramines (CC), pH (pH), Total Alkalinity (TA), Stabilizer, which is cynauric acid (CYA), Calcium Hardness (CH) if you have a plaster or concrete pool. You'll use your SWCG and the other two B's to bring your water chemistry into balance and maintain it there. If you don't have a test kit, it's highly recommended to get one so you don't have to rely on the pool store getting it right. The two kits that are most recommended are the TF100 test kit or the Taylor K-2006 kit, of which the cheapest price I've found for it is here. Both test kits use the FAS-DPD chlorine test so that you can accurately measure chlorine levels over 5ppm. Another handy tool to have is either the bleachcalc program or JasonLion's pool calculator so you can figure out how much of each B to add, if needed.
JasonLion said:Your CYA is low. Check your SWG manual to see what they recommend. 60 to 80 is common for SWG, though some manufacturers are different. As your CYA comes up you will need to maintain a higher FC level, which the SWG will have an easier time doing so this will happen almost automatically. Just keep an eye on the FC level and adjust the SWG percentage/run time as needed.
I would aim for a TA of 80, but there isn't any rush to bring it down. If you have problems with the PH drifting up then bringing the TA down will help.
There is no need for CH with a vinyl liner, though it doesn't hurt. As long as it isn't very high you will be fine.