Converting from Baq. to chlorine - need some help

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ptravis

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Sep 19, 2007
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I did not order my kit in advance but I have been keeping my chlorine level (according to the test strips) at at least 10 if not higher. Probably higher based on the smell of bleach. My pool never turned a pea green color it stayed at kind of an aqua green color. I do have alot of slime in the pool. I had to keep adding bleach to keep it at least 10ppm but when I got up this moring and checked it, it was still at 10ppm. :goodjob: Holding fine but still extremely cloudy and slimy. :( Any suggestions from other pool converters? The baquacil level is down a little but not much.

I would appreciate any informtion I can get.

Thanks

Ptravis
 
Does your test measure FC and CC seperately? Or does it only measure TC. The common OTO test (shades of yellow) for chlorine only measures TC. The goal is to keep FC at 15. In the mean time CC will climb quite high. Since TC is FC+CC, you can read high TC and not have any FC.

It really helps to have the full FAS-DPD chlorine test when doing the conversion. Without a good test you will just be guessing at the FC level.
 
ptravis said:
. . .I do have alot of slime in the pool. . .
Click to expand...

Vacuuming that out (to waste, not thru the filter) is helpful. And of course the FAS-DPD test kit will inform the process; without that it's like working blind. You have ordered a good test kit, I hope.

Keep at it, and good luck! Once you've finished your conversion you will be delighted with the clarity of your water.
 
You should be backwashing your filter often (or whatever the appropriate method of cleaning your media is... you don't say what type of pool or filter you have.)

sammm, usually a pool that has just been converted from Baq has no CYA, unless the owner is using di- or trichlor to convert.

You definitely need to get a better test kit. It will be worth the money spent.

Check my signature for some links... especially the stickies, Jason's calculator, and TF test kits.

You need to keep your FC up, 10 is ok, but ideally 15. Check your water and add bleach as often as possible, several times a day if you can. Your conversion is over when your pool meets these three criteria:
1) can hold FC (not TC) overnight with no loss
2) have no cc's (<0.5ppm)
3) your water is clear and sparkling.

At this point, you need to change out your filter media, clean your filter, and start balancing your water.

Post back and let us know how it is going!
 
Ptravis,

I'd be willing to bet money you need a lot more chlorine. It's hard to tell because the test strips are so innaccurate. If you feel like your conversion is going too slow, chlorine, and lot's of it, is almost always the answer. Drop off a sample of your pool water at the pool store to get a good reading. It's really problematic to do the conversion without accurate numbers.
 
Hey everyone,

Sorry it took so long to reply. Just received my test - my FC is at 23 ppm and my CC is at 4. I have already added close to 35 gallons of bleach since Wednesday. I have a 21' AG pool with a sand filter. Continuously adding bleach but am afraid I will hurt the liner or pump parts. I am extremely nervous about this whole thing. If I screw it up I have to listen to the junk that goes with it. Please help. I did the FAS/DPD test to get my results. I did not check anything else though. Do I need to? I did vacuum slime to waste and been backwashing and rinsing my filter. Is there a chance that I could harm my liner or pump?

Thanks for so many responses.

PTravis
 

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Your liner and pump will be okay, I'm sure, but I think I'd let FC drift down to around 15 or so for the rest of the process.

Good advice above on lowering the pH down around 7.2......it'll help some. EDIT: Oops Read Jason's post re: pH

You are off to a good start.....be sure to stay the course and keep your FC up and keep vacuuming and backwashing. It sounds like you had a pretty good dose of baquagoo in there so it's gonna' take a correspondingly big dose(s) of chlorine. One guy posted a picture of the Clorox bottles.....he had 72 of the big 1.42 gal jugs used up and adding more!!!

I know what you mean about listening to the lip service and most folks get a little unnerved right at the point where you are. Keep going....this is gonna' work. Normally, once the pool begins to clear, it clears pretty quickly so you may be further along than you realize.

While you're in the agonizing stage, think positive and go purchase some filter sand for the changeout. It'll make you feel like you're making progress and may well be your l;ast trip to the pool store.

Keep posting and keep asking questions. What you're doing is one of the hardest projects in pool water chemistry and you'll be equally rewarded for your hard work soon. :lol:
 
It sounds like you are moving along. Your FC is a bit high, it is best not to let it get that high, aim for FC of 15.

I wouldn't worry too much about the PH right now. High FC levels make the PH test read incorrectly anyway. If you have a moment when the FC level is below 10 then you might as well check the PH. The ideal PH for the conversion is 7.2 to 7.4, but don't worry about it while FC is high.

The chance of damaging something is very low. You don't want to spill any bleach directly on the liner (if you have a liner) and you don't want the filter to become completely clogged. Watch out for those two things and you should be fine.

Converting from Baquacil can be fairly dramatic, particuarly if your baquacil levels were on the high side to begin with. Strange colors, smells, and slime are all to be expected. They payoff is when you come out and see perfectly clear water.
 
Thank you everyone for the encouragement and great advice. You all have been great. I'll let you know my progress tomorrow. Had to take the kids to the fair today so I have not had time to check the pool this afternoon/evening. I'll check it again in the morning and let you know how it goes.

Thanks again.

PTravis
 
Just hang in there and listen to these guys-they know what they are talking about. I converted about a month ago and have sparkling clear water. I never had that after my 2nd year of baq. I lost count of all of the jugs of chlorine that we went through- it takes a lot. My pool did stay a gatoraid green for a few days and I thought it might never clear but it did. Good Luck!
 
With the help and knowledge from so many here, you'll get though the conversion. I might add that when I did my conversion, the BaquaGoop really clogged up my filter. It may help you to backwash often to keep the filter clean and flush out the goop.

I was in the same boat as you; I wasn't worried about not sleeping in the bed if I messed the pool up, heck I was worried if I would be let back in the house. :shock:

Your reward will be beautifully clear water that will be so much easier to take care of.

Stay with it and good luck!
 
HI EVERYONE!!!


EUREKA!!! I HAVE STRUCK PAY DIRT!!! :party: :goodjob: :party: I checked my chlorine levels last night and it was around 20ppm FC. I checked it again this morning and it was holding at 15ppm. :cheers: The water is crystal clear. Still have some settling of white stuff on the bottom (minimal) will vacuum to waste again. I also have some floating in the water. Should I use a flock to force it to the bottom and then vacuum to waste? I know that I have to leave the filter off for 24 hours and I did not know how that would effect my process. :? :?

I took the rest of my readings and they are as follows:

FC - 15ppm
CC - 1 ppm
ph - 7.2
TA - 110
CH - 110
CYA - Filled to top of the tube and could still see the black dot. I measured the water and the chemical exactly and waited 30-35 seconds and shook again before performing the test. Used all of the solution and the dot never went away. Mixture was clear all the way to the top. :? :?

Can anyone tell me what my next steps should be. I am so excited to have this just about finished. I am excited about closing it down before winter. :whoot: I usually dink around and don't shut it down 'til November and it is mighty cold trying to do it then. :oops: I will actually get to close it down in shorts this time. Hooray! :-D :whoot: :sun:


Thank you all so much for the encouragement and help so far. I couldn't and probably would not have come this far. Once that sucker turned it's first shade of green I would have drained it so fast. Thanks for helping me hang in there. :bowdown: :bowdown:

Hope to hear from you soon.

Ptravis
 
If you went from FC 20 to FC 15 overnight, that is not "holding." You lost 5 ppm, see? Plus you still have more than 0.5 CC. So I think you need to continue to keep the chlorine at 15 FC and keep filtering until CC is 0.5 or zero and the chlorine tests the same or within 1ppm of difference overnight.

It can take a while even after your water is clear to get rid of the last of the Baquagoo. In my case I had clear water for almost a week before my chlorine held and CC was gone. That was torture!

I'm not sure why you think you need to have the filter off for 24 hours. You will need to change the sand in the filter (if it's a sand filter) but not until after you achieve zero CC and maintain the chlorine level overnight.

Have you added CYA/stabilizer to your pool? You would not have any until you added it, but you should not do that until after all of the above has been done and after you change your filter media. When you do add it, don't test for it until a week after adding it because it can take that long to fully dissolve into the water.

You're almost there... keep at it!
 

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