Bought a house with a pool, because we never had vacation and really just wanted home to be our place to be.
Pool is/was a Biguanide pool, previous owner said all you had to do was open it up, replace the jets and plugs remove the gizmos and add steps 1-2-3, take sample to pool store, all done!
I did a bunch of searching and found what I could about Biguanide. Fiance loved all the selling points, we like to be frugal and take care of our stuff not make unnecessary purchases or waste and didn't want to be filling the landfill (semi-crunchy, not full on crunchy but conscientious).
I have never operated a pool before, but I am mechanically savvy, and I figured out how to get everything going, opened the pool in late April.
Followed all the directions from online, the back of the bottle and the notes left by the previous homeowners to the letter. Took the sample to the pool store and they said there was no "shock" and to add another gallon and a half.
The sanitizer level was good. the PH and TA were low. so I added the "total alkalinity" product.
She suggested an enzyme product to keep everything super clear since there would be a lot of pale people and sunblock going in the pool.
She made special note that they normally recommend phosphate remover since my area is surrounded by farms (we're one of them) but we didn't have any phosphates in our water! if you don't know yet, this was a yellow light that I sped right past because I honestly didn't know any better.
waited the prescribed week for testing, the pool supplies left by the previous owner included test kits so I tested the biguanide with a color block. Doesn't match 30, doesn't match 50, it is between the shades so it's in range. Peroxide 0.
add maintenance dose of algicide. I start trying to find documentation of the target range for the peroxide, since the pool store print out said 30-300 and that seemed too broad to me. I also being totally new thought that shock was a a once a week thing and did not know/understand that it was supposed to be a maintained level. Once I found that out I thought if the level is 0 I needed to add the gallon and a half again. With the peroxide I was left, and what I purchased at the pool store I should have had 2 months supply. I used it by June, and had not gotten in the pool once yet.
I knew it was expensive but I was/am having doubts at this point. Fiance wants to make it work she is doing none of the work and has fallen in love with the sales pitch for this product and the "benefits" of it.
I keep doing the research and I figure that the there is peroxide in the pool, and then it takes a while to go away but always fizzles to 0 the filter is eating the peroxide. I am not looking forward to opening the filter because I really don't want to put the pool out of commission or worse I have no idea what I am doing and could be in over my head quickly. I don't want to be ordering all new laterals or what if I can't get parts... But I decide I need to see what's happening, so I open the filter (the whole top half has to be removed) and the sand looks like a cat's litter box! I immediately go to the pool store, buy another $135 case of peroxide and 300# of filter sand.
I fight with the filter until I am holding a flashlight in my mouth at 11pm to get it tightened up and holding water with the pump running. Third time's a charm! Put in the requisite 1.5 gallons peroxide, go to bed.
There is a residual peroxide level in the morning and I decide we're going to fire up the heater for the first time and have a swim the next evening after work.
We float around the pool the next three nights, and then I notice a little white thing in the water, remember I am a TOTAL newb so Just think "that's weird, maybe it was in the new sand or something" try to catch it but can't and then I push it to the skimmer. one of the nights I thought the water smelled like a stream, like it reminded of water where you catch a trout. and I thought I better do a test. ZERO peroxide again. I start googling and searching and then I come upon the white water mold in the search results. I think "that looks familiar". I look on the Baquacil website and on the algaecide bottle there's instructions for this.
I put the algaecide in the skimmer run the pump for one minute and shut off the pump. the next morning I measure out the algaecide dose again, start the pump and put algaecide in front of the return and add the peroxide front of the skimmer as someone somewhere in my research directed. The pumps strains likes it's going to lose prime, the filter is percolating and I look across the pool at the return which is now belching what looks like brown mustard and water in a blender and before the panic can even begin there are sheets of biofilm spitting out of all three returns. The pool looks like someone had made skin confetti and it was new years eve in some aquatic horror show.
At this point I was equal parts angry and defeated. but I thought I will clean this up and the recover from it and everything gonna be OK. I vacuumed this to waste, refilling with my garden hose between vac sessions, and have been running the pump 24/7. when I took the jets off to clean them, I got more. every time I turn off the pump and turn it back on I get a few or a couple more.
Then I got to thinking, I am surrounded by farms and there is a stream 35 yards from my pool. There is wildlife galore and I cannot stop any of it from dragging in the next algae or bacteria. every earthworm, frog, and mayfly are now an existential threat to this pool. I can't afford enough peroxide and I don't have the time to battle what was supposed to be a peace giving part of my life. I never want to do this again. I explained the whole thing to my fiancé, and she finally agreed there was no way to make this work long term. I want to swim at some point this summer not just constantly clean and throw away money to never actually get to enjoy the pool.
How do we actually get this nightmare to a trouble free pool? I know you're going to say convert to chlorine and direct me to the article. I want to know how (nuts and bolts) and I really want to know that it's going to work, and that I have resources to reach out to and ask questions. I don't want to create a major disaster or spend $1000s of dollars to clean up a mess I made because I "saw it on the internet"...
Pool is/was a Biguanide pool, previous owner said all you had to do was open it up, replace the jets and plugs remove the gizmos and add steps 1-2-3, take sample to pool store, all done!
I did a bunch of searching and found what I could about Biguanide. Fiance loved all the selling points, we like to be frugal and take care of our stuff not make unnecessary purchases or waste and didn't want to be filling the landfill (semi-crunchy, not full on crunchy but conscientious).
I have never operated a pool before, but I am mechanically savvy, and I figured out how to get everything going, opened the pool in late April.
Followed all the directions from online, the back of the bottle and the notes left by the previous homeowners to the letter. Took the sample to the pool store and they said there was no "shock" and to add another gallon and a half.
The sanitizer level was good. the PH and TA were low. so I added the "total alkalinity" product.
She suggested an enzyme product to keep everything super clear since there would be a lot of pale people and sunblock going in the pool.
She made special note that they normally recommend phosphate remover since my area is surrounded by farms (we're one of them) but we didn't have any phosphates in our water! if you don't know yet, this was a yellow light that I sped right past because I honestly didn't know any better.
waited the prescribed week for testing, the pool supplies left by the previous owner included test kits so I tested the biguanide with a color block. Doesn't match 30, doesn't match 50, it is between the shades so it's in range. Peroxide 0.
add maintenance dose of algicide. I start trying to find documentation of the target range for the peroxide, since the pool store print out said 30-300 and that seemed too broad to me. I also being totally new thought that shock was a a once a week thing and did not know/understand that it was supposed to be a maintained level. Once I found that out I thought if the level is 0 I needed to add the gallon and a half again. With the peroxide I was left, and what I purchased at the pool store I should have had 2 months supply. I used it by June, and had not gotten in the pool once yet.
I knew it was expensive but I was/am having doubts at this point. Fiance wants to make it work she is doing none of the work and has fallen in love with the sales pitch for this product and the "benefits" of it.
I keep doing the research and I figure that the there is peroxide in the pool, and then it takes a while to go away but always fizzles to 0 the filter is eating the peroxide. I am not looking forward to opening the filter because I really don't want to put the pool out of commission or worse I have no idea what I am doing and could be in over my head quickly. I don't want to be ordering all new laterals or what if I can't get parts... But I decide I need to see what's happening, so I open the filter (the whole top half has to be removed) and the sand looks like a cat's litter box! I immediately go to the pool store, buy another $135 case of peroxide and 300# of filter sand.
I fight with the filter until I am holding a flashlight in my mouth at 11pm to get it tightened up and holding water with the pump running. Third time's a charm! Put in the requisite 1.5 gallons peroxide, go to bed.
There is a residual peroxide level in the morning and I decide we're going to fire up the heater for the first time and have a swim the next evening after work.
We float around the pool the next three nights, and then I notice a little white thing in the water, remember I am a TOTAL newb so Just think "that's weird, maybe it was in the new sand or something" try to catch it but can't and then I push it to the skimmer. one of the nights I thought the water smelled like a stream, like it reminded of water where you catch a trout. and I thought I better do a test. ZERO peroxide again. I start googling and searching and then I come upon the white water mold in the search results. I think "that looks familiar". I look on the Baquacil website and on the algaecide bottle there's instructions for this.
I put the algaecide in the skimmer run the pump for one minute and shut off the pump. the next morning I measure out the algaecide dose again, start the pump and put algaecide in front of the return and add the peroxide front of the skimmer as someone somewhere in my research directed. The pumps strains likes it's going to lose prime, the filter is percolating and I look across the pool at the return which is now belching what looks like brown mustard and water in a blender and before the panic can even begin there are sheets of biofilm spitting out of all three returns. The pool looks like someone had made skin confetti and it was new years eve in some aquatic horror show.
At this point I was equal parts angry and defeated. but I thought I will clean this up and the recover from it and everything gonna be OK. I vacuumed this to waste, refilling with my garden hose between vac sessions, and have been running the pump 24/7. when I took the jets off to clean them, I got more. every time I turn off the pump and turn it back on I get a few or a couple more.
Then I got to thinking, I am surrounded by farms and there is a stream 35 yards from my pool. There is wildlife galore and I cannot stop any of it from dragging in the next algae or bacteria. every earthworm, frog, and mayfly are now an existential threat to this pool. I can't afford enough peroxide and I don't have the time to battle what was supposed to be a peace giving part of my life. I never want to do this again. I explained the whole thing to my fiancé, and she finally agreed there was no way to make this work long term. I want to swim at some point this summer not just constantly clean and throw away money to never actually get to enjoy the pool.
How do we actually get this nightmare to a trouble free pool? I know you're going to say convert to chlorine and direct me to the article. I want to know how (nuts and bolts) and I really want to know that it's going to work, and that I have resources to reach out to and ask questions. I don't want to create a major disaster or spend $1000s of dollars to clean up a mess I made because I "saw it on the internet"...
You want clear water right? Chemistry that is stable, consistent, sanitary, and keeps the water clear at the most reasonable cost? Then you are at the right place and yes, you should convert. Baqua products are not only a mess to work with but can be quite pricey.
thanks for the chuckle 
