Switching to BBB from Bacquacil

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Newtopools

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Aug 18, 2008
13
Attleboro, MA
Hi,

We recently had a new liner installed in our 25 year old 15x30 ft inground pool (yes, the liner lasted that long! :lol: ) and since we were starting fresh we decided to switch to Chlorine because:
A) Bacquacil did nothing to combat our algae infested area and
B) it's too dang expensive!
Well I hadn't yet discovered this website and I listened to a pool store employee and I think I may have been steered wrong... I brought in a water sample and she said that both the pH and Alk were fine (it was water from the hose) and that we needed to add 12lbs of Conditioner/Satbilizer, at least 2 gallons of shock and then se sold me a floater and stabilized chlorine pucks... Well to make a short story long I "tried" to add the conditioner per the directions (dissolve in hot water) and lemme tell you, that stuff is very happy in it's solid form! After over an hour and many attempts I manged to get ~8lbs worth into the pool. I then shocked it and tossed in the chlorine. That was on Saturday morning and as of this morning my tests are still showing that there's little to no chlorine in the pool.
I realize the season's nearly over her in New England but I'd like to get it square so that next season's start up is that much better.
Any and all help is welcome!

Thanks all!
 
Hello and welcome to TFP!

Congrats on the decision to BBB. Before we get started, we need a bit more information. First thing is how many gallons your pool is. That will let you know how much CL, stabilizer, etc. you need when using the pool calculator found here.

It would help if you added your pool info to your signature so we know what you have. Size and type of pool, how many gallons, pump information, if you have a heater.

We also need a full set of test results. I am not sure what kind of test you are using, but a good test kit is a must for accurate numbers. The majority of us use the TF Testkit sold by one of our members here.

We don't recommend using the stabilized CL pucks they sold you. We use the stabilizer/CYA to raise our CYA to what it should be. The stabilized pucks also add CYA while adding CL which means that eventually your CYA levels will be too high. Once that happens, the only way to lower it is a partial drain and refill.

The stabilizer/CYA addition method we use is to either put it in a sock and sit in in the skimmer or put it in a sock and hang it in front of a return. In either case, it takes about a week for it to fully dissolve, so you should not backwash or test until at least a week after addition.

You can use regular bleach (6% CL) or liquid CL (10%-12.5%) to shock and add your daily maintenance doses of CL.

Before adding anything else, post a full set of test results and we can steer you in the right direction. If your test kit can not give a full set of results, have the pool store test your water, but do not buy anything.

I also suggest reading pool school, link is at the top of the forum, to give you a general understanding of BBB and water maintenance.

ETA: typo
 
Thank you! I will add more info to my signature once I get home from work and can gather it up. I also just have a standard side by side pH/Chlor test kit. I will be ordering one of your "fancy" ones though :)

The pool is 16,000 gallons.

I still have 2 gals of shock, should I just dump that in when I get home to get some FC in there before the algae returns (which it ineviably will)?
 
There is going to be some residual baquacil in the plumbing and the filter which will consume all of your chlorine for just a little while. It would be best if you changed your filter media soon. Keep FC around 15 till it remains the same overnight.

You also need to understand that many products contain CYA, including trichlor tablets and dichlor granular shock. If you use too much of those products your CYA level will get too high and cause problems.
 
JasonLion said:
There is going to be some residual baquacil in the plumbing and the filter which will consume all of your chlorine for just a little while. It would be best if you changed your filter media soon. Keep FC around 15 till it remains the same overnight.
Click to expand...

See, I new Baquacil was evil!! :)

Ok, that brings up a new issue, the filter. I will post the model # whan I get home but the only place that it comes apart is at the head. There is no way of getting the old sand out (that I can see). There's no seam in the middle or any other obvious separation point.

How much shock should I buy then to keep it at 15? It sounds like we won't be using the pool again until next season :cry:
 
Ok, well if your FC level is 0, you would add both gallons of the 10% CL and 2/3 gallons of the 6% to get you up to 15. You are going to need a lot more bleach to keep your CL levels up until you can change the filter media. How much did you pay for the 10% CL?

How high does your current test kit go for CL levels?
 
I paid $2.99 for the 10% (end of season sale) and I bought 2 cases. I can go back and see if they have more if you think that was a good price. The regular price is $4.99/gal.

Hmmm... I know that the test kit does not go to 15... From memory I want to say it tops out at 11. I could be mistaken of course. I'll be at home in about an hr and will jot down all kinds of info for You :)
 
$3/gallon is a pretty good price. That would be equivalent to getting a gallon of bleach for $1.50. Most times I can only get the 96oz bleach on sale for $1.50. I'm not sure how bleach is priced in your area.

It could be 10. If it is 10, you could get away with doing a 2:1 dilution through the end of the season. You would definitely need the better test kit for next season.

Ok. Let us know how many tests your kit does. If it is the kit from wal-mart, it can test for everything we need to know.
 

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Re: Switching to BBB from Bacq

Ok. It is going to be too difficult to try and test for 15 with the test you have. The FC needs to be at 15 and the test you have tests for TC , which is a combination of FC+CC. Wal-mart has a drop based kit that you can get for about $15-$20. You could pick that up for now. I would suggest ordering the test kit I gave you the link for earlier. The price may seem a bit steep, but it is worth every penny because it will save you money in the immediate future and the long run. It is also a good value because Dave, the member that sells it, gives you a good amount of reagent and it ships quickly. Same day if ordered by 2pm. I'm in NJ and got mine in 2 days, so it might take yours about 3-4.

12.5% is even better. You will just need to use the 2 gallons of that. According to the pool calculator, 2 gallons of 12.5% CL will raise your FC 15.6ppm. You probably don't have a CL reading right now, so that is right where you need to be. The key is to keep the FC level at 15ppm until you only lose 1ppm or less overnight. Basically you want to add CL in the evening to get it up to 15ppm and then test first thing in the morning to see what your CL level is. If you loss less than 1ppm, you are ok, if it was more, you still have residuals to kill off..

Have you tested the CL or pH? If so, what are your readings? You should get a pH reading before you add the CL because high levels of CL make the pH test read a false high.

I can't help you with how to change the sand in the filter, it can be done, because I have a cartridge filter, but I am sure someone with a sand filter will come along to point you in the right direction.
 
Just at first, all you really need to know is if your chlorine all goes away overnight or not. Longer term you benefit greatly from getting a top quality test kit. I suggest a kit from TF Test Kits, see the link in my signature. The Taylor K-2006 is also good. There is no better investment in your pool than a top quality test kit.

There is no way to do the overnight FC loss test without a FAS-DPD chlorine test, in the better test kits. Without that you can kind of get by with dilution, add three parts of water without any chlorine (distilled) to one part pool water and then test that, multiply the result by four to know you chlorine level. But the results will be significantly imprecise, +-8 or so, and won't distinguish FC from CC. As a result your levels will be approximate and you will need to maintain them for a number of days longer than you would with a real test kit.
 
Update:

I put in the 2 gals of 12.5% shock last night and as expected the color in the drop test was off the chart :) The pH prior to shocking was 7.2.
I don't have time in the mornings to check during the week so my son is going to do it and I'll let you guys know if there was any Cl left (I'm hoping there is!).

I did order the test kit this morning so I will "wing it" until that arrives.

I suppose in the meantime I can try and figure out where the air bubbles are coming from and if I can change the sand in the filter (I looked at it last night and other than the head there is no other way to get it apart).
 
Newtopools said:
Yep, I sure have. I still have 2 questions though.

1) if the Cl levels are holding do I really need to change my filter media (sand)?
2) how would you remove sand from a 6-8" diameter hole because that's all there is for openings...
Click to expand...

1. Absolutely.

2. There is normally a drain plug near the bottome from which the sand can be washed out.
 
Hmmm... There is a drain plug, a whopping 1/2" hole. I'm having trouble believing that anything will come out of that other than the residual water that I drain out to winterize it. I will check the owner's manual again but I looked through it last night and saw nothing about changing the sand.
 

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