24 hrs into conversion

[CaptJoe]

just about 24 hrs into conversion and starting to look good already. filter's running 2-3 hrs before backwashing and i can see lower drain (just about).
numbers at present are:
ph...7.2
ta...120
cc...2.5
fc....11
tried to get cya reading but could clearly see black dot with tube full, so i assume that would be 0

have used almost 10 gal of 12% chlorine, 7 or 8 backwashes....going better than i had hoped.
thanx for all the help
trying to get some fotos up but i get a files are too large message....??

 

[JasonLion]

It sounds like you are doing really well!

The easiest way to post photos is to get a free account at someplace like PhotoBucket.com and then paste the code they give for forums into your post to get the picture to show.

 

[CaptJoe]

thanx again, jason...will try fotobucket

 

[CaptJoe]

3rd day..woke to a very clear pool, need to vacuum again, i now can see i missed a lot of junk on the bottom.
just curious, all the pool accessories (robot, safety lines and floats, ladder, and toys), will they all need to be soaked in a chlorine solution before putting them back into the pool. i dont want to re-introduce any baq to the pool?
numbers, less than 48 hrs into conversion:
ph....7.5
fc....11

 

[JasonLion]

You can soak them in the pool for an hour while the FC level is around 15 if you want.

 

[CaptJoe]

soaking them now...best bet for 5 lb cya ( amount needed according to pool calc.)?? wally world, or pool store??

 

[JasonLion]

WalMart is not completely consistent about having CYA in stock, but they do have better prices. The pool store is sure to have CYA.

 

[CaptJoe]

i thought i was moving right along, last fc test blew me away....dropped from 15 to 5 ppm...full sun all day, mid 80's....i step foward, 2 steps back....those 5 gal jugs are getting heavier, but pool is really clear. wish i could figure out how to post fotos

 

[CaptJoe]

totally lost it all overnite....from 15ppm down to 2ppm fc........starting fresh today. water is crystal clear..could not keep up with the chlorine loss yesterday, too much sun, i guess

 

[CaptJoe]

1 p.m....added 2.5 gal 12% chlorine to pool at 10 a.m....cannot get sample to turn pink when testing...seems like i'm losing it faster than i can replace it. not sure about adding really large dose, dont want to damage liner. i've been following the pool calc all along, but if i add the recommended amount, i cant get a reading an hour later. now what ??

 

[JasonLion]

You should expect to lose chlorine very very quickly during the day. If it doesn't get used up fighting baqua the sunlight will get it. The interesting number is how much chlorine you lose overnight.

 

[CaptJoe]

am i right in thinking that i should build up the FC levels at sundown to 15ppm and then test early morning to determine FC loss??

 

[JasonLion]

Yes, exactly right. There are instructions in Pool School, but you seem to have the right idea already.

 

[CaptJoe]

its about a week into the conversion..i bring chlorine levels to 15ppm at sundown, next morning i've lost about 4 ppm... remaining 11ppm disappears during the day. once again, i start at 1 or 2 ppm at sundown and load up to 15 ppm. this has been going on for 3 days now. pool store says i still have some baq in the pool water, so i'm assuming that baq is consuming the chlorine levels. will i make any headway with small amounts of baq in the pool ??, or do i just keep feeding chlorine till the baq is overwhelmed? water is crystal. i cleaned the filter and soaked the grids in a chlorine solution, thinking maybe the baq in the filter was causing the chlorine to disappear.
10 pm now...filter assembled and running hot, straight and normal. when will it end???????
the numbers at 7 pm tonite:
ph...7.2
ta...120
fc...2
cya...35 ????
added chlorine to 15 ppm
pool calc has been my best friend throughout...thanks a ton for that!!!!

 

[JasonLion]

If your CYA level is actually 35 that would explain why it is taking so long. Having CYA in the water at this stage slows everything down. However, I'm kind of doubtful that it is correct. If CYA was really 35 I would expect you to have a little chlorine left at the end of the day.

Conversions can get frustrating. Keep at it. You have made great progress since last week.

 

[CaptJoe]

HEY JAY....2 nites in a row with CC's at 0.5 and 0, and FC loss of 1 ppm. i think gutting the filter helped alot, tons of Crud in there. going to go one more nite boosting to 15 ppm and see if i can balance tomorrow. just wondering why i'm getting CYA reading of 35-40, maybe a by-product of the chlorine i was using??filter's been running 24/7 for 10 days and i'm in about 60 gals of bleach. here are the the numbers at 8 p.m. tonite. haven't added anything yet today. do you think i'm ready to balance tomorrow??
PH...7.2
TA...130
CC...0
FC...2
CYA.40

 

[JasonLion]

That sounds great

Some kinds of chlorine (dichlor and trichlor) add CYA along with the chlorine. If you used any of either of those that would account for your CYA reading.

With CC at 0.5 or lower two days in a row and overnight FC lose of 1 you are essentially done. Have you replaced your filter media yet?

 

[CaptJoe]

filter is totally clean, grids soaked in chlorine solution overnite. brought pool up to 15 ppm last nite and put solar cover on to eliminate any baq contamination, and soaked all accessories (ladders, robot, etc).today's numbers:
6 am------------8 pm
PH..7.2...................7.5
TA..130...................130
FC..14.....................4 (is this overnite drop normal with CYA at 45??)
CC..0......................0
CYA.45....................45
temp.......81*
can i leave the solar cover on??
do i now just maintain FC around 4-6 ppm leaving CYA at 45 ppm, or increase CYA ??
thanx, big time.......capt joe

 

[CaptJoe]

re: the FC numbers above are NOT overnite, but rather morning to evening.

 

[Lershac]

Errrr solar cover has been cleaned huh?