Baquacil to Chlorine - something wrong

[SwiminNJ]

I had a 16x40 fiberglass pool installed last august. After being convinced to use baquacil we decided this year that we wanted to use chlorine. So we went back to the pool store and they had me start loading up with bags of restart which at the beginning made the pool slightly green.

After a few days the green disappeared and the baquacil level dropped to 0, but the baquacil shock was at about 90ppm.

After about 3 weeks of using about 7 bags of restart every few days and then cleaning the sand filter and backwashing the pool was crystal clear and the baquacil shock level hit 0.

My PH was low at about 6.8, alkalinity at about 80, so they had me start with chlorine (3 inch tablets and PH up).

After about 5 days I took a water sample in (that was this morning) and they told me I need to add alot of shock.

Prior to adding the shock the pool was crystal clear and clean.
I added 3 gallons of liquid shock and within minutes the pool has turned a murky green (like the pictures others have posted).

I am trying to find out what to do next. I see people talking about bleach are you speaking of shock?

The pool company told me to raise the alkalinity tomorrow.
Is this what I should be doing? Is their something else I should be doing. Do I need to be backwashing?

I do not have the option to let the water out, as it is fiberglass.

Can someone please let me know what to do next.

Thank you.

[mbar]

You are fine - you just have to finish the conersion. You will need plenty of bleach (regular laundry bleach). But first you have to post some numbers - FC, CC, TC, ph, alk, cal, cya. You probably won't have any chlorine, and you probably don't have any cya. It will take a lot of chlorine, and backwashing, and vacuming to waste to clear the pool. Read through the posts about baquacil conversion - it always looks darkest before the dawn!! But you will be very happy to have switched. We will help!!

[SwiminNJ]

Marie

Thank you very much. I already feel better. I will get a test kit and post numbers tomorrow. Thanks again.

[mjones]

Yeah, me too!! I have been having soooo much trouble, but I think I may be getting close. If I find out anything that might help you I will let you know. My water has been murky green too! Now it is a light shade of "murky green" So I hope that is a good sign.
Good Luck!

[SwiminNJ]

Ok so this is the information my pool company printed out for me.

FC - 0
TC - 0
CC - 0
ph - 6.6
CYA - 14
Copper 0
Iron 0
Alkalinity - 10
Calcium Hardness - 10

These numbers were before I added 3 gallons of liquid shock. I was also told to add 12 pounds of alkalinity increaser (twice, 3 hours apart). And then to add 7 pounds of stabilizer.

As of this morning, some of the green has gone away, i backwashed the sand filter and it was dark orange when it came out. I then added 12 pounds of alkalinity increaser and I am going to add the additional 12 pounds in a few hours.

I am going to add the stabilizer tonight.

Since the green is starting to go away, should I be adding more bleach? I will be purchasing my own kit so i do not have to keep running to the pool store.

Thanks for any help.

[mbar]

I wouldn't bother to add the cya yet, because you will be having to backwash and vacuum to waste a lot, and the chlorine will be more effective with a low cya. You must keep your chlorine levels at least at 10, I would even go a little higher,. You will have to add chlorine to get you up to 10 at least 3 x a day. It takes a lot of chlorine to get rid of all the baquacil left over in the pool, and you have to keep your filter running 24/7. Once you can hold a chlorine level overnight, then you are getting close to the end. When you can start to hold chlorine (you ewill not hold it in the day because with the low cya the sun will eat the chlorine, that's why it's necessary to check the level in the middle of the day too.), you can then add the stabilizer. Put it in an old nylon sock and tie it ito the ladder of the pool - it can be added in the skimmer, but you can't backwash for at least a week after adding it through the skimmer, so you will have to add it to the pool - it dissolves slowly, so you have to have it in something to contain it to one place (the stocking) because you will still have lots of fall out from the conversion and will need to vacuum to waste. Once the water is crystal clear, and it will be!!, then you will need to change the sand in your filter - the orange that is coming out of the backwash is the stuff that is gumming up your filter, which is normal after a baquacil conversion. Just keep adding bleach - the more bleach you add the faster the conversion will be. I did the conversion on my fiberglass pool also. You are on the right track, just add the alk up, if you didn't buy it yet, you can just add regular baking soda - that is all that alkalinity up is, but you pay more for it at the pool store. Don't take your ph above 7.0 to 7.2 for now, until you can bring your chlorine levels back down to normal, you can get staining in a fiberglass pool, which can also be removed, but keeping the ph low for now will be better. So don't add more alk up untill you test again and post the numbers. You can go to the Pool Solutions site and read up on swimming pool tips, it will give you a lot of great information. Here is a table of the best guess chlorine chart is to maintaining chlorine:
tabilizer . . . . . . Min. FC . . . . Max FC . . . 'Shock' FC
=> 0 ppm . . . . . . . 1 ppm . . . . . 3 ppm . . . . 10 ppm
=> 10 - 20 ppm . . . . 2 ppm . . . . . 5 ppm . . . . 12 ppm
=> 30 - 50 ppm . . . . 3 ppm . . . . . 6 ppm . . . . 15 ppm
=> 60 - 90 ppm . . . . 5 ppm . . . . . 10 ppm . . .. 20 ppm
=> 100 - 200 ppm . . . 8 ppm . . . . . 15 ppm . . .. 25 ppm

Feel free to ask any questions. I know it's hard, but the patience will pay off in the end, and running a chlorine pool is much easier, and much cheaper!!. When I put my fiberglasss pool in 7 years ago, they started me on baquacil too, and I switched the following year, because of the hassle and cost.

[duraleigh]

Good morning,

I would do two things to your pool immediately.

1. Go to the Grocery store and get 1-4lb box of 20 mule team borax and put it in your skimmer...pump running. Also pick up about 10 jugs of 6% Clorox....you're gonna' need it.

2. While your out, purchase a drops-based test kit so you can measure pH and Cl, at least.

While you're waiting a couple of hours to test your pH, read everything you can on this forum....particulary a thread entitled, "Beginner's guide to pool chemistry" posted by watermom.

From your first post, "shock" is not a product but a procedure. You'll "shock" with the Clorox.

Post up your numbers for pH (it's WAAAAY to low) and Cl. It would be better if you can get a 5-way kit that tests for Alk, CH, and CYA as well.

Be prepared to put another box of borax in the pool after you post your pH number. :)

Do not add stabilizer yet......you'll backwash it out. More info to follow after you post your numbers.

[mbar]

Check out these pictures Voldaddy posted, it will help you to see how it can be accomplished. Thanks Voldaddy for posting them!

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=308

[SwiminNJ]

Thanks for all of your help, so far so good. This is what is going on now.

After backwashing this morning, i added 12 pounds of alkalinity increaser at 9 AM, I then added 10 more at noon. I then added the stabilizer to the skimmer(before reading your post not to).

At about 2 PM I added 1 gallon of 5.25% bleach.
At 8 PM I reran all tests using a test kit.

Below are the results.

FC - 5
TC - 5

PH 7.2
Alk - 180 (just added today, 24 pounds)
Calcium Harndess of 90
CYA 33.

The water is very clear, but still has a green tint to it.

After rerunning the tests I have added 5 more gallons of 5.25% bleach.

The pump has been running 24 hours a day.

Is their anything else I should be doing at this point? Should I be adding more bleach, and if not when do I know that I should. I also have my autochlorinator feeding 3" tablets.

One other thing.

I have an automatic cover to cover the pool. It has been open while I have been doing all of this as the bleach would bother it. Would it be better if I kept it closed after the bleach circulates?

Thanks for any help

[duraleigh]

I am assuming your pool is around 20k. You need to put in some more bleach. Raise your Cl up to about 16-18ppm and HOLD IT THERE until your pool turns blue.

There is a gonna' be an issue with your CYA. If your test showed 33, you didn't need anymore. I would test for CYA tomorrow AM, and if it's 40 or more, I would do a huge backwash and try to blow the rest of it out of there. If you do not and your numbers are accurate, you will end up with CYA in the 90-100 range and cause yourself agony the rest of the Summer.

For the same reason, I would take EVERY puck out of that chlorinator and throw them away, they are continually adding CYA.

Leave the cover back....better to watch your pool, anyway.

Remember, KEEP your Cl level up around 16 - 18....that's what's gonna' clear your pool. :)

You are casually tossing stuff in your pool that's causing you problems. If the pool store is telling you to do this and you continue to do it, it will be very difficult to give you solid advice.

[mbar]

Double what Dave said. They had you raise your alkalinity to 180, and it should be between 80 - 120. Just keep adding bleach, and backwash, and vacuum to waste.

[VOLDADDY]

Check out these pictures Voldaddy posted, it will help you to see how it can be accomplished. Thanks Voldaddy for posting them!

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=308

Marie,

I'm only too glad to re-post them. I love my pool now that I have converted to bleach. The pitch baquacil uses about less time maintaining your pool and more time enjoying it is a load of crap. I was constantly fighting algae and spending money to fight it. I spend about 1 hour a week on my pool now, from testing, adding bleach, and throwing in the Aquabot. If you are thinking about switching, trust me, do it. Good luck!

[SwiminNJ]

hey all,

well here is the update.

Today the pool is clear (not quite the right color yet) but looks like it is about there. I no longer have a greenish color in the water. I backwashed this morning and again this evening. Here is my question.

How will I know all of the baquacil is out?

Here are my numbers:

CL =7
PH 7.0
Alk - 170
Cal Hardness 70

CYA 36


Thanks for all of your help so far.

[mbar]

When you start to hold the chlorine, and your water is clear. You need to put some borax in to get your ph to 7.2, and add mor bleach to take it back to 18. If you have pucks in your chlorinator it is what is bringing down your ph.

[SwiminNJ]

marie,

thanks for the info. I will do that. Once the chlorine level gets that high, how long does it take to burn it off to a normal level for swimming? I am assuming that at those levels you cannot be in the water.

[mbar]

Once it holds the chlorine overnight, and you have no combined chlorine you can stop adding more, it won't take long to get back to normal levels. It is safe to swim at chlorine levels that high - you may notice your skin may be a little dryer, and you may want to wear an old swim suit, but the level of chlorine is not dangerous to swim in.

[b2001]

Your question:

How will I know all of the baquacil is out?

and your previous statement:

i backwashed the sand filter and it was dark orange when it came out.

I had to continuously - 2 to 3 times a day - wash my cartridge filter and skimmer basket sock for about 2 or so days after my water cleared and I has holding the chlorine level overnight for my conversion. They both were still getting dark orange from baquacil. So it took a little longer for the residual baquacil to clear out. They both have cleared up nicely now - so give it a couple of more days for it to get filtered out unless your backwash is looking nice and clear now ...

[SwiminNJ]

Hey All,

Thanks so much for your help. It looks like all of the baquacil is out. I added 4 more gallons of 6% bleach this morning. When I got home from work the pool was crystal clear and clean. I backwashed and it was just about crystal clear also. Here are my current numbers.

CL - 8
FC-8
CC- 0

PH 7.0
Alk 150

Cal Hardness 70

CYA - 40

What now?

Am I finished loading up with bleach? Do I let the CL levels settle before working on raising the PH?

Thanks for any help.

[mbar]

You should still add bleach, because you used up 4 gal of bleach in one day, right? Yesterday you had cl at 7, this morining you added 4 gal of bleach, and now you have cl at 8. Keep adding bleach, your water is beautiful and you want to keep it that way. Take a cl reading at night after the sun goes down, then early in the morning. You can stop adding bleach when the numbers are the same, in other words you are holding the chlorine. You can add 2 cups of borax, and wait at least 2 hours and test again. Bring your ph up to 7.2. You should be proud of yourself - you did it!! All of your other numbers are good. Your alk is a little high, but ok, and if you have any cal hypo shock you could use that to bring up your chlorine because your calcium is low - They say you don't need calcium in a fiberglass pool, but I like to keep mine around 125 because I have a heater, and some other things I've read abuot fiberglass pools.

[mjones]

What are these bags of "restart" you refer too?
My baq shock is 51, after almost a month of cl adding.

[kalan]

Hi Mjones,
If I noticed anything about baq during the years I was on it (yes i could be rich had I switched sooner) is the test numbers are at best unreliable. you could possibly have 51 shock but my guess is you really have none. The shock is hydrogen peroxide and doesn't last long anyway. It also doesa not interfere with the conversion. it ios the baqucil that reacts with the chlorine and turns it green. I wouldn't give another thought to the baq shock. A good test kit tho!!!!!!
ken

[SwiminNJ]

MJONES -

This restart is a non-chlorine shock. They had me add a total of about 30 bags (1 pound bags) over a 2 week period. My readings went from 90ppm to 40 ppm to 30ppm to 10ppm to 0 (not really 0, because the pool turned so green for 2 days after adding bleach, but test read 0).

I poured it directly into the skimmer. I then cleaned the sand filter, and backwashed. It then only took me 3 gallons of 12% bleach, and about 12 gallons of 6% bleach to finally have it crystal clear.

[skystone]

thanks, I don't feel so bad now. The first 2 pictures are how my pool looks now.
Glad to have visual evidence so I don't feel so bad.

[skystone]

how did you clean your sand filter?

[aylad]

Once your conversion is complete, you're going to need to change your sand.

Janet