Should I use the free Baquacil starter kit??

finydb · Jun 5, 2013

. . . or just sell it on Craigslist?? :-D I'm getting a new 12x24 semi-above ground pool installed this weekend. It comes with a baquacil starter kit, and I was kinda excited since the last 2 years with an intex pool and clorine, I've had SEVERE hair damage and dry skin. Since the filter was so crummy, and I didn't have a vaccum for the intex, I probably didn't take care of it as best I should? I'm ready to make sure this was is VERY well taken care of, but I'm not sure I can check it EVERY day (like I'm reading that you have to with BBB). Once a week for the Baquacil sounded manageable. Should I try out Baquacil for the summer???? and convert next year if it doesn't work out well? Or should I just go with Clorine or BBB from the get go? I would LOVE to do salt water, but it will void my warranty . . . so that's not an option. What's the best thing to use??

Yvette
Burleson, TX

Smykowski · Jun 5, 2013

Welcome to the forum!

Pretty much no one here will give a good review to Baqua. Also, all of the bad things (dry skin, frizzy hair) associated with chlorine are because there's something wrong with the pool. A properly chlorinated pool has none of those problems. I suggest buying a recommended test kit and going BBB from the beginning.

Richard320 · Jun 5, 2013

No.

Scroll through http://www.troublefreepool.com/baquacil-use-and-conversion-f44.html forum and see how many are using and how many are converting and decide for yourself. I dunno, maybe you just have a lot of money to burn.

And welcome. :wave:

DKT113 · Jun 5, 2013

Until you get in the groove, talking to people who have pools and possibly reading this forum it seems like you spend all kinds of time messing with the water, testing and adjusting ~ but once you have your water stable it really doesn't take that long to walk to it grab a sample get it to your table and test it. I can be tested & adjusted in minutes & I don't mean even as many as 5. I know growing up we tested every single day, my family wanted us in a pool that was healthy so we would stay healthy & I just adopted that practice with ours. I would never want anyone to look at my water and have to wonder is it safe, is it sanitary. I also don't put myself into a pool that I don't know that for certain.

You'll find out it takes very little time & most people actually take pride in safe, healthy, beautiful water and enjoy their testing.

(Definitely go BBB) Read up on it and make the choice you are comfortable with, but don't choose something based on time you think will need to be dedicated towards testing. Testing takes so little time, it really shouldn't factor into your decision.

Leebo · Jun 5, 2013

I'll give you 18 years of Baquacil experience including an in-law who's "allergic" to chlorine.

Give it away!! Don't add a drop into the pool!!! Sell it for $65ish and use that to buy a TF100 and go BBB. Summer after summer we spent hundreds of bucks using Baqua with cloudy water. All due to my sister-in-law having skin issues 20 years ago with chlorine. Switched 3years ago to BBB and spent no more than $200 a season on chemicals. In-laws have no issues swimming in the water either.

Save a swap later.....start with chlorine.

Leebo · Jun 5, 2013

Ps..... The "once a week" line from Baquacil was BS. Never once did a day pass I wasn't needing to fix something. Often the filter would clog in under two days from all the garbage growing in the pool.

BoDarville · Jun 5, 2013

finydb:

finydb said:
Should I try out Baquacil for the summer????

Nope, would not recommend that.

finydb said:
Or should I just go with Clorine or BBB from the get go?

Yes, definitely.

Prior to going BBB, I was using the commonly used pool store chemicals and management process. During that time, I was going through two pairs of swim goggles and bathing suits a season. Since switching to BBB almost two years ago, I'm still using the same pair of goggles and bathing suit. So much for the myth of that "harsh bleach". :roll:

Any pool will require some hands-on management. However, since a SWG is not an option for you right now, there are a few options that you may want to look into such as the Liquidator or a peristaltic pump injector to help with adding bleach to maintain FC.

finydb · Jun 13, 2013

Thanks for all the response. We had the pool installed last Saturday, and I started with dichlor on Sunday. Haven't even opened the box of baquacil yet. My FC is at 3, my CYA is at 40, and pH is 7.6. I'm just using bleach and borax now. I only had the stabilizer in there for a day before it got up to 40 though. There is still a LOT left in the sock? Maybe the couple of days of dichlor got the level up? I took the sock out. Can I just put it back in if the level gets low? How long does the CYA last before I have to add more? How often do I need to check the CYA? I'm almost out of the CYA test solution.

Leebo · Jun 14, 2013

The use of Dichlor helped BIG TIME in adding CYA to your pool. It adds up quickly. I myself test for CYA weekly at the start of the season, then monthly once the levels sort themselves out. Right now I've got a reading of 40 for the last three weeks, and the numbers I've added say that my CYA levels are 40. I'm now only testing monthly, as odds say my CYA level is 40. The CYA will stay the same as long as no fresh water is added. A high amount of splashing, rain, leaks all will lead to you refilling the pool with fresh water......thus lowering your levels.

If you're reading 40 now on your tests, take the sock out and dump the stabilizer that's in there. It will get VERY hard once it dries and isn't worth messing with at a later date. Let the levels sit for a week or two, and watch how many FC you drop in a day. If it's more than 2-3 on a normal day....then look into adding more.