Chlorine Conversion with well water

[JBGuinness]

Hi Everyone,

Like many of you I have had problems for a few years with water mold and pink slime and this year I am trying chlorine. I almost changed my mind after taking the cover off last night and seeing how nice and clear the water was but I know it won't last all summer that way. Plus I like the smell of chlorine. I got all the good stuff ready to go including the various chemical tests and 8 cases of 12.5% chlorine. I am going to follow the directions on this site to convert but I have one question - I have iron and manganese in the water (which is why I first went with the Baquacil - it does not seem to cause any problems with the metals). Do you think I should try to deal with that before or after the conversion? It won't be an issue forever because I have just installed an outside silcock off of my water softener to periodically top up the pool from. Thanks for any advice!

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

You have two choices. The first has some minor risks.

1) Go ahead with the conversion. The odds favor the metals clumping up and getting filtered out due to the high FC levels used. However there is some chance that the same high FC levels could cause staining instead. If there is staining, it can be removed with an AA treatment, which isn't that bad but will have to wait until the conversion is complete.

2) Start using sequestrant right away, before starting the conversion. This will be fairly expensive, as sequestrant has to be added weekly and you are more or less stuck using it indefinitely.

 

[JBGuinness]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to roll the dice on #1 and see what happens. I'm not too concerned with having some stains anyway as long as the water is happy happy.

 

[Casey]

Take a lot of pic please. If you do get staining, we can help you with the AA treatment! Good Luck!!!

 

[JBGuinness]

I think the metals are coming out because I am seeing a quick plug of rust colored gunk come out each time I bump the filter. I see some rust come out of the return for a few seconds after that so i might switch out the DE a couple times during this process. It's cheap enough so why not. And I'll get to see what it looks like in there.

right after adding bleach Saturday evening:
http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/j...uzbui_edit_1401116060713_zpsxpziiwjf.jpg.html

This morning at 36 hours:
http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/j.../IMG_20140526_104006_794_zpskselaevj.jpg.html

 

[JBGuinness]

Folks, here are before and after pics from when I changed the DE today. Looks like Mr. Lion was correct about the metals filtering out. Very interesting. I now plan to change DE and clean the fingers every other day until this is done.

http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/j.../IMG_20140526_192754_037_zpstcs0hp1a.jpg.html

http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/j.../IMG_20140526_195726_770_zps7bri2ops.jpg.html

 

[JasonLion]

 

[JBGuinness]

Well I just had a great OCLT with 0 FC loss from 10pm to 7am. CC still at 1.5 but has been decreasing by .5 each day. It looks like I can start adding the CYA now while still maintaining shock until CC drops to .5 or less according to the instructions. The water looks amazing. I'll post a picture later along with test results for anyone who is interested to see and comment on.

 

[JBGuinness]

Water has been clear like this since Wednesday. The pic isn't great because its been cloudy (the weather that is). About 3lbs CYA added yesterday and today the PH fell by .4. I'm going to aerate with a fountain thing I bought to bring it back up a little since my TA is already kind of high. Tomorrow I'm going to put in the steps and all the other pool accessories. Probably keep the FC at the 15 goal for several more days yet. This whole process isn't too bad and I didn't use as much bleach as I thought I would probably because the sun has been hiding all week.

http://s1291.photobucket.com/user/j.../IMG_20140530_190616_037_zps4urnm0dz.jpg.html

FC: 12
CC: .5
PH: 6.8
TA: 110
CH: 100

 

[JBGuinness]

I just wanted to thank everyone here and let you know how pleased I have been this summer with the pool water. Not one single problem since converting from Baquacil. All I need to do is add 1/4 gallon of bleach every other day and some occasional muratic acid when the PH creeps up. The filter works way better too with the chlorine, requiring less backwashing and maintaining pressure for a longer period of time. We don't have to vacuum as often, and when we do it is easier, almost like the chlorine keeps dirt from sticking to the bottom the way it did with the baquacil. Anyway I could go on and on, kind of did already but thanks everyone who has contributed to this board.