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

[dacslow]

After I thought about it for a while, I came to that same conclusion. Give me a big DUH!!!! Thanks again!!!

[dacslow]

ok - here's an update. Saturday morning my pool was Army green. I poured in 4 bottles of 6% and the pool immediately turned popcicle green. Sunday added 3 more bottles of 6% and pool gradually because a much lighter green, almos murky white. Flushed the filters that were just full of green algae. Monday added 2 bottles in the a.m. - Tested the water and we were at 2 ppm. Added 2 more Monday evening - the water is now a very pretty lite turquoise/white. Tested this morning and from the cheapie tester I have - looks like CL is 5 ppm. For kicks I checked the ph and it's at about 7, which is good because I fought a very high ph last year because of all the algae. I can now see my top step in the shallow end and the water is clear about 2 inches below the tile. I can make out the shelf in the deep end - it's about 2 ft down, so we're definately making progress. It's hard to know how much CL to put in the pool because my tester only goes up to 5ppm. Guess I need to buy another one now that I have a little more knowledge, but would really like to wait to get the one you all talk about here. Problem is it's not available until the end of this month and I would like to get this fixed by this weekend. Any thoughts? Should I call a pool maintanence guy and have them take over? Thanks again!

[prh129]

It sounds like you're on the right track - if you read the other posts here, the key is just sticking with it until the end. There is a method you can use to get a better estimate of your chlorine level for now with your test kit - use a small amount (Carl recommends a shotglass) of pool water and add the same amount of distilled water then test. Multiply your result by 2 to get your Cl level. If you still max out at 5, you can go to two shots of distilled water and one shot of pool water then multiply your result times 3. It's not the most accurate measurement but should get you close enough to get you by until you get your test kit.

Hang in there!

Peter

[dacslow]

Thanks Peter! I'll get some distilled water on my way home from work tonight. This is day 5 and I can now see my bottom step ( of 3) in the shallow end and almost all of the pool light in the deep end. Making progress!

[prh129]

Sounds good. If you read the other threads you'll see plenty of other people who felt the same way you do going through this. I haven't seen one yet that made it through that wasn't very happy they did it.

The only thing I have seen is that sometimes the final step requires some Polyquat algaecide (if you look in the poolsolutions site you will find information on this) especially if you have mustard algae present in the pool. Some people don't need this so just keep on with the bleach and see how it goes.

Peter

[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

[skystone]

I have been following your progress because I am having the same problem with my pool. Right now it's green after adding shock to it.

Here is what I did: I shocked it last week and the same thing happened, then the chlorine disappeared. The pool was only slightly cloudy, so I thought I was making progress. Then I added 3 bags of shock to the pool last night and now it's green and murky.

I have been brushing and vacuuming daily, because the pool has lots of fine debris in the bottom.

The pool is a 12.500 gal above ground pool. I have a pitiful test kit (ph and cl only) and I can see now that I need to buy a better test kit.

I think I will try the bleach method after I get my pH down. It is above 8.2. I just added 2 cups of muriatic acid and will test in about 2 hrs.

Any suggestions anybody?

[skystone]

wow, my chlroine is now higher than the test kit (bright orange). pH down to 7.2, total alk still high at 28. I have a fountain pump that I have placed in the pool to help aerate it. So now I just wait? and add more bleach after checking in 2 hours or so?
I also went out and bought a better test kit.