would like to stay with bacquacil

[pjs518]

This is my second season with Bacquacil really happy with it; however, my water started out crystal clear and now its cloudy; I have AG; appx. 7500 gallons. I've had water tested; balance is good but still cloudy! I have sand filter 19' i've used sand filter cleaner (hope i did right) thinking of changing sand itself (has not been done since we installed pool)

any suggestions?

 

[Bama Rambler]

It's going to be hard to find any body here that want's to stay with Bac. Everybody that comes here is doing so in order to learn how to get rid of the stuff.

Conversion I could help you with, but I know nothing about straightening out a Bac pool except draining and starting over.

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

Replacing your sand once a year and replacing about 50% of your water once a year makes it much much simpler to continue using baquacil year after year.

 

[pjs518]

thanks for reply; i am going to change sand in filter and try to find forum of bacquacil users thanks again

 

[Bama Rambler]

Sorry to see you go.

Good luck with your search. I seriously mean that!

Keep us in mind if you ever decide to convert.

 

[pjs518]

Just as an update; I have my pool crystal clear once again(knock on wood) I used floocant a chemcial that aids the filter; water balance is good; water clear; and all's good! Thank You but don't think i'm converting this year

 

[learthur]

Eventually you will convert. It is just a matter of time.

 

[GaGT]

You most likely had white water mold, very prevalent problem with bacqucial. And sorry to tell you, it will come back.

 

[pjs518]

whether it be bacquacil or chlorine every pool chemcial has its pros and cons ... like all pool owners i will deal with problems as they appear and will check the right internet forum to discuss and hopefully share and resolve issues thanks

 

[chem geek]

whether it be bacquacil or chlorine every pool chemcial has its pros and cons

Pros and cons, yes, but in terms of the statistical frequency of problems, no. There are many users of Baquacil on a percentage basis that run into problems after some number of years, but very very few that use chlorine with a good test kit and managing the chlorine/CYA levels properly that have any issues. Take a look at almost any pool forum (TFP, PoolForum, PoolWizard) and you'll find many dissatisfied Baquacil users. This is inherent in the nature of Baquacil that is only a membrane-active biocide where white water mold in particular can develop resistance and become difficult to kill. This does not happen with chlorine since it has multitude modes of attack where it combines with and/or oxidizes many organic molecules in both the membrane and in the cell itself (most proteins, enzymes, DNA, etc.) and looks very much like water in molecular terms.

It isn't impossible to be successful with Baquacil, but it is far more expensive, can require complete water replacement periodically, and require the use of a product such as ProTeam System Support to deal with white water mold when it eventually gets really bad. If one is truly allergic to chlorine and bromine (which is extremely rare), then I can understand one using Baquacil, but for most people a properly managed chlorine pool is inexpensive, easy and safe, especially in a residential environment with an outdoor pool.

 

[pjs518]

Granted, i'm not allergic to chlorine but i really would like a good alternative.. i have a relatively small pool ... its 7500 gallons; I am new pool owner and Bacquacil was recommended by a friend. I Knew its more expensive but am willing to get it a try. I'll keep my research going and keep my fingers crossed, if what is said comes true and i run into costly problems with bacquacil I would have to seek another option. Would u know of any non-chlorine?

 

[diverman57]

i used baquacil for ten years and had maybe two good years. i switched to
bbb method last year and have had two real good years. pool in clearer and
more sparkly than it has ever been and at about 25% of the baquacil cost.

 

[dmanb2b]

Granted, i'm not allergic to chlorine but i really would like a good alternative.. i have a relatively small pool ... its 7500 gallons; I am new pool owner and Bacquacil was recommended by a friend. I Knew its more expensive but am willing to get it a try. I'll keep my research going and keep my fingers crossed, if what is said comes true and i run into costly problems with bacquacil I would have to seek another option. Would u know of any non-chlorine?

Bromine for indoor pools...other than that there are no other EPA approved alternatives. It costs me roughly $20 a month in chems to maintain a BBB saltwater/chlorine pool and the below pics are the result of not having stepped foot in the pool store for almost two years (I get CYA at walmart). Baq can certainly work if you know what the issues are but I prefer chlorine. Most folks comment that they love my saltwater pool vs. their smelly chlorine pool...unfortunately I lose them when I try to explain that it is a chlorine pool (at an avg 7ppm FC )...

 

[pjs518]

omg, we have the same pool liner! thats funny; i've heard of bromine (don't know much about it) and I have done small research on saltwater .. i don't like chlorine but if i must use it i would probably invest in saltwater.. do u get any "rust" stains for it around the metal parts of your pool? Its amazing your pool looks identical to mine, even 'background" ... urs is bigger and we have no deck yet .. if i may ask is that a "mat" below the ladder?

 

[pjs518]

Is it possible to convert to saltwater from bacquacil

 

[dmanb2b]

Hi PJ...yeah we definately like the dark blue color of the liner. Yup, that a rubber mat under the stairs we got from Namco when I bought the steps from them.

About converting to saltwater...absolutely...it will take a lot of umm Chlorine

The process is described here

A saltwater pool is a chlorine pool, with just a slightly higher level of salt. You then use a SWCG (Saltwater Chlorine Generator) and electricity to convert the salt to chlorine. So the main difference is the SWG eliminates the need to lug jugs of bleach. I use a cheap Intex SWG to get the job done, and as you can tell we are very pleased with the result. The salt and Borates at 50ppm make the water feel really soft and you barely can smell chlorine...kind of that faint clean clothes smell. Hope this helps in your quest for sanitation alternatives

 

[MikeInNH]

I ran 2 years with Namco's version of Baquacil. 2 expensive years with cloudy water and pool sides that were yucky. My wife didn't want chlorine, all she could think of was public pools. Then I found this site and switched to BBB the following spring. She couldn't believe how good a balanced chlorine pool good be. This spring I put in a cheap Intex SWG and haven't added anything to the pool since, except for water. All my numbers stay perfect. Funny, when my wife tells others about it she still has a hard time realizing it's a chlorine pool.