New - Need your help w/my baquacil to chlorine conversion

[dacslow]

I thought I posted an update this morning - can see the bottomr step in the shallow end and the pool light in the deep end - but for some reason it didn't post. Oh well. when we came home tonight we could barely see the bottom - dog toy we had no idea was there and both drains!!!!!!!! We can clearly see the bottom - pebble tec - in about half the pool - we're certainly making progress!!

Question - I was in the pool store today ordering new filters (our our 4 years old and falling apart). I mentioned what I was doing and he questioned my ph level. I said it was about 7 - low, I know. He said that I need to get that levelized before I worry about the CL because if I don't, I'm making the CL work 10x harder than it needs to. Comments?????

Thanks!!!!

[waterbear]

I am not an expert in any sense on biguinide to chlorine conversion but I do know something about the chemistry of sodium hypochlorite in water and I think your pool store guy has it backwards. The active oxidizing agent once the chlorine is in water is hypochlorous acid. Hypochlorite ions are also formed. At lower pH there is more hypochlorous acid and less hypochlorite ions than at a higher pH. Therefore there is more chlorine in the active oxidizing state at a lower pH. In fact at a pH of 7.2 about 80% of the chlorine is in the form of hypochlorous acid and at a ph of about 7.8 only about 20% is available as hypochlorous acid.
Bottom line....chlorine is MORE actived at a lower pH than at a higher one! Raising your pH will mean that it will not be as effective as quickly since you are trying to oxidize the biguinide that is left in your water.

[prh129]

You might already know this but I'll mention it just in case, since you are ordering new filters, wait until the conversion is complete before you install them.

Peter