Baquacil to Chlorine Conversion Procedure

[aylad]

Don't stop now, you're almost at the finish line!! Yes, continue to add the bleach to target your conversion level, until you get rid of the cc and can hold chlorine overnight without losing more than 1 ppm. It will happen--you just have to trust it and be patient. You're doing it right--just stay the course a little while longer (probably a couple of days or so) and it'll all be worth it in the end. The more consistent you are about keeping that chlorine up above 12 ppm, the faster this will go.....

Janet

[Thissenw]

I'm having trouble raising FC today. Started at .5 ppm FC. I added 3.5 gal 6%, which the pool calculator says should take it to about 10%. 2 hours later it's at 1 ppm FC. It's cloudy day with temps in the low-70s. The CYA is still 0. Can the FC degrade this quickly?

[Watermom]

The conversion process from baq to bleach is unique to each pool. Keep hammering it with bleach as often as you can. It ultimately will get to a point where the chlorine holds overnight with no increase in CC. Hang in there!

[Thissenw]

Day 7: Pool is still crystal clear. Total bleach so far = 56 gals 6%. Pump pressure holding steady. Backwashed yesterday, before adding 3 lbs CYA to reduce chlorine loss.

FC dropped 3.2 ppm, and CC dropped .5 ppm overnight. Should I contine to add bleach in large quantities? It will probably be 2 weeks until I can change the sand.

Here are the overnight readings:

Tue 8pm
7.2 ppm FC
1.0 ppm CC
7.2 pH
200 TA

Wed 7am
4.0 ppm FC
0.5 ppm CC
7.2 pH
0 CYA

[aylad]

Keep hammering it with bleach until you're not losing more than 1 ppm of chlorine overnight....

Janet

[Thissenw]

I think 200 ppm TA is on the high side of the range. Will this self-correct as water is added to replenish splashout and backwash?

[waterbear]

I think 200 ppm TA is on the high side of the range. Will this self-correct as water is added to replenish splashout and backwash?

It really depends on the TA of your fill water. IF the fill water has high TA you will have to lower the TA by adding enough acid to drop the pH to 7.0, aerate the water to drive off CO2 which raises the pH without any effect on TA, and repeat the process until the TA lowers to where you want it. This process can take a few days if you don't have a good method to aerate the water. I would suggest in investing in one of those fountains that connect to the return. They work great.

Don't worry about TA yet! Finish the conversion first and get the rest of the parameter in line. You can actually swim while you lower TA as long as you don't drop the pH below 7.0. In fact, a poolful of kids (or adults) having a 'spalshfest' can aerate the pool very effectively!)


The worse effect of high TA (besides it's impact on calcium saturation which is only really important for plaster and possibly fiberglass pools) is that the pH will have a tendency to rise very fast.

[Thissenw]

I added 3 lbs Poolife Stabilizer (96% cyanuric acid) to the skimmer, following all instructions. I've heard CYA takes some time to disolve. It's been 2 days, and still reading 0 CYA. Is this normal?

[waterbear]

I added 3 lbs Poolife Stabilizer (96% cyanuric acid) to the skimmer, following all instructions. I've heard CYA takes some time to disolve. It's been 2 days, and still reading 0 CYA. Is this normal?

It sometimes takes up to a week for it to appear on testing. As long as you have not cleaned or backwashed your filter after adding it you will be OK. Just be patient. I normally wait a full week before even testing for it after adding it. Running your pump 24/7 will speed up the dissolving a bit since the undissolved CYA gets trapped n the filter and the constant water flow helps it dissolve.

[Watermom]

Did you finish your conversion? And if so, did you change your filter media before you added the CYA? Maybe post another complete set of water testing results and tell us latest cl readings at sundown and then again at sunup the next morning.