conversion

[chalk2024]

I am new here and I need some help and a little encouragement. I have an AG 18 ft by 4 ft round pool. I use a 3/4 hp pump with a sand filter and do currently use the baquacil. My numbers are : TC 0 , FC 0, TA 120, ph was high 8.4 and I am adjusting it now, total hardness is 250. I am ready to convert to the BBB method. I am so tired of pouring $ in my pool with Baquacil and having no luck or just ugly water. I think as of right now I have a water mold problem. My filter is gummed up and although my water is not a true greenish color it just doesn't look the way it should and the bottom isnt real visible. I did the bleachcal and I think I need 7.3 liters to start with. Is that right? The bleach I bought yesterday from wal-mart is ultra and the bottle I got was a 5.14 liter jug. Do I pour the bleach in through the skimmer? Any help anyone can give me will be a great help. I have put so much money in this pool this year with Baquacil that I could almost buy another one. And my problems are still here. Thanks for any help.

[Jaybird70]

:) Someone with a lot more experience will answer you soon I'm sure, but sounds to me like your on the right track.

I'm in the process of conversion right now and I think I'm almost there. Be prepared to have to use tons of bleach, especially in the beginning and from what I understand the more you check your chlorine levels and redose the faster the process will go. You can read through my posts and get a good idea from what other people said to me on what to do. (Frustrated Baquacil Customer).

Also be prepared for varying shades of green. I'm on my 4th day, my water is almost clear, just very slightly green and a bit cloudy. I probably would have gone faster if I had been more aggressive from the very beginning and really worked to keep my chlorine levels up.

Good luck to you, I can't wait to have a clear pool. I started baquacil last year and this year never could get my water clear. First I had algae and then mold. I'm really excited. :)

[KatieD]

We began on Thursday evening, and I'm pretty sure we're rid of the baquacil. Our water cleared as of Sunday evening, it's looking perfect now!

We have a 25,000 gallon pool, and started with very high Baq levels, so all things considered, the conversion went very quickly, although it sure didn't seem that way on Friday and Saturday when our water was looking like an exorcism gone wrong!

I think we went through 44 gallons of 12% Liquid Chlorine and 5 1.45 gallon jugs of 6% bleach from the supermarket. I poured it directly into the pool, it never occurred to me to put it into the skimmer.

Chalk, we did use the bleach calculator, but the problem is how fast the chlorine gets eaten up. You really have to keep pounding it every few hours, or IMO, dump in more than the calculator calls for if you can't. That's my personal opinion, I could be wrong, or it could be our situation, as our pool is in direct sun most of the day.

You really do have to keep pouring that stuff in there, testing, and pouring in again. Just please don't ask me what to do with all those bottles, as I have no clue!! :eek: I'm wondering if I can just pile them around the pool and pass them off as some kind of artistic statement! :p

We still have a few concerns about how to proceed from here, but our water is clear and algae free. So far, so good!! I fully expect to be swimming by the weekend!!

Good luck, whatever you decide!

[chalk2024]

Thank you guys for reply. I just started adding my bleach and the water has turned a milky color. I plan on going out to get more bleach and thank goodness Wal-mart is only about 3-4 minutes from my house.

[clayw1963]

I converted about 3 weeks ago, the best thing I've ever done. You will go through lots of bleach and lots of different colors in the pool. Just keep the bleach levels up, clean the filter and you will soon have the clearest water you've ever had. I didn't worry about any other levels in my pool until I got my water cleared up. Once it would hold chlorine overnight and I changed my filter, then I balanced my water!
Good Luck!!

[chalk2024]

My water is muddy brown now. I have had to backwash 2 times now. I can't get the chlorine to hold so that must mean it is working. I keep adding more chlorine and testing. My baquacil sanitizer level was a little low so hopefully this won't take as long. Just need lots of patience right?

[GraceByDesign]

Right!

POPP -- Pool Owner Patience and Persistance -- is a key ingredient in the conversion to BBB!

[clayw1963]

Once my pool cleared it still took a while for it to hold the chlorine overnight. Yes, muddy brown is one of the colors that you will see. Yes, lots of bleach and patience is all it takes. I had the bleach, I had to work on the patience part!:p Sounds like you are on the right track, just keep up the good work!

[chalk2024]

Thank you guys. I feel better with encouragement from others that have went through this same thing. I have backwashed 4 times now and my water has white things floating in it. The people at Wal-mart gave me some funny looks today when I had a cart full of bleach. lol I do plan on upgrading my sand filter to a better one so after this conversion is done I will put in the new filter with new sand.

[chalk2024]

Just an update on my progress so far. I have spent all day yesterday and most of the day so far today dealing with the pool. The water today looks like a diluted mountain dew. I am starting to be able to see the bottom some today. I have vacuumed, and backwashed numerous times. It did actually hold the chlorine level overnight until the sun popped out this morning . Now what? And how soon will it be safe to swim? Will I need a stabalizer or just the bleach, borax and baking soda? Is that really all it will take to maintain the pool, in addition to the ph minus when or if that problem would ever come up?

[clayw1963]

Keep pouring in the bleach and try to keep the bleach level up to 15ppm as much as you can. If you are beginning to see the bottom it won't be much longer before the water clears completely. I didn't do anything to balance my water until I stayed at 15ppm for a couple of nights. Then I changed my filter (I have a cartridge filter) and balanced my water.
If you are planning on using bleach, then you will need to add stabalizer to help with the chlorine loss during the day. Check out Ben's best guess CYA chart, it has been a great guide for me. And Borax and baking soda if you need them to balance your water.
I promise you will be so glad that you did this. I spend a lot less time caring for my pool now and a lot more time enjoying it!

[chalk2024]

Yes I am finally beginning to see the bottom. It really is amazing how quickly this is working, at least for me. I plan on ordering the kit, since my local Wal-mart is new. Just got a Super Wal-mart and it is only about 2 weeks old. They are not restocking pool supplies and they don't have any of their test kits. My local Kmart is all out too. I did find one at Lowes for now but do plan on getting the better one. Is the one from Leslies pools the same?

[kecsmom]

as far as getting funny looks at wal-mart,the clerk( at sam's) asked me if i was over 18,and said young people were doing something with the bleach in relation to drug usage or manufacturing drugs illegally. does anyone know what the process is? i bought 9 gallons of bleah that time. thanks jennifer

[joanie109]

I have no clue what drugs they are making but I got the same age question when I went to buy bleach this AM. I bought 19 bottles cause I started my conversion today and I'm just about to go to Sams club to buy more cause I bought out Wal-mart. People definetly look at you funny with 2 carts full of bleach. Hee Hee Hee I jus smile at them and leave them wondering!!! :)

[RavenNS]

Hey there Chalk,
congrats on your conversion; sounds like it's going "swimmingly"..(lol)

since you said that you are planning on replacing your filter, consider filling it with Zeobrite instead of sand...
less backwashing ( i hear), better filtration, lasts longer, & you can grow plants in it when your finished with it :D

[diwilson]

Hey, I just read the first post of this thread and that you had purchased "ultra" bleach from wal-mart. I think this is the floral scented bleach that I once bought by mistake. I also think I read on here somewhere to use "regular" so as to not add stuff you don't need.

Happy swimming!

[Watermom]

Ultra means that it is 6% bleach rather than 5.25% like regular bleach. I think you can get ultra and regular both with various scents and as diwilson said above, you don't want the scented stuff.

[Spensar]

I don't think it's recommended to add liquid chlorine through the skimmer. Better to add it in the deep end by an inlet and have it go through diluted.

[Watermom]

I always add bleach through my skimmer while the pump is running -- never a problem.