Convert indoor Baquacil pool to salt water chlorination?

[cchase009]

All,

I have a ~24000 gallon indoor pool on Baqaucil. I developed water mold and I am looking to switch to salt.

Good idea? Which salt generator works best?

My pool store is recommending an Intellichlor IC20 because I'm indoor and will not have the direct sun or outside element....is this correct? Just perusing the forum, everyone seems to oversize the salt generator.

What steps should I go through to do this properly? Is this a DIY job? Do I need to drain the entire pool?

I drained the pool halfway so far. Diverter won't suction properly to let me drain the entire pool through the bottom drain.

Regards, C.Chase

[PoolDoc]

You say you are switching from Baquacil to salt. You do realize that salt systems are just a METHOD of feeding chlorine into a pool?

If you continue with the switch, you'll need to go from Baquacil to manual chlorine and clean up your pool and filter. THEN (not before) you can switch to a SWCG.

Do NOT get the IC20! SWCG life is a function of cell 'on-time'. An IC-20 will last half as long as an IC-40, but an IC-40 does not cost 2x as much. Get a timer if you need to turn down the feed rate more than 80%.

[cchase009]

Thank you. The pool company did mention the manual conversion process and then the salt process. I just found a thread that discussed a 10 day process to convert. Is this accurate? I drained the pool half way and will add new water before the conversion starts.

Thanks again.

Regards,

C. Chase

[Watermom]

There is no set number of days it takes to do a baquagoop conversion. The more consistently you keep your chlorine levels high, the faster the conversion will go. There are lots of threads in the Baq. sub-section of the forum where people tell their conversion stories, some with pictures. It would probably be helpful to you go read some.

[cchase009]

Thank you. How much water shouldI drain from my pool to expedite the conversion? Seems all the horror stories did not include draining any of the water.


What is the PPM I should have my chlorine at on an indoor pool?

Thanks in advance.

C. Chase

[Watermom]

You don't have to drain. Just start hammering it with bleach.

I'm going to let Ben advise you on maintaining an indoor pool, but let's get to that after the conversion is done or when it is nearly done.

Did you read some of the Baq conversion threads? You ready to start?

[cchase009]

Ok Watermom - I'm on it. I had already drained close t 7K gallons and just got it added back. Major difference between the Spa and the pool - I emptied the Spa.

Ok, do I use regular off the shelf bleach or by something stronger from the pool store? - its cheap but strong

Most important - I know I have to ventilate the room when I add the chlorine, do I need to send my Wife and kid on a small excursion to avoid fumes or anything?

I will post my numbers in the morning once I test and keep the thread updated.

BTW, I decided to do this myself as I learned the price I received from the pool store did not include any labor to convert the pool, just installation of the SWCG and delivery of chemicals.

If I'm going to pay almost 2K, I want to be a spectator.

Regards,

C. Chase

==================================
Is there a delay for replies and posted threads? I replied to Watermom's thread but I do not see it posted.

Please advise.

[PoolDoc]

Yes, unless you are a subscriber, or a long term member, all replies are moderated. For what it's worth, subscriptions expire to a non-moderated status.

[cchase009]

Thank you. I saw the brief notification after I posted the confused message. Looking forward to hearing from you Ben as Watermom indicated you would have the best advice on indoor pools.

26K with connected Spa
Concrete and 21 yrs old
Ready to convert from Bacquacil

Hoping to hear from you on ventilation requirements when adding bleach. I have 2 small babies in the home.

Regards,

C. Chase

[PoolDoc]

Most important - I know I have to ventilate the room when I add the chlorine, do I need to send my Wife and kid on a small excursion to avoid fumes or anything?

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time I've encountered a conversion on an INDOOR pool. Many of the products that form when you chlorinate a mess are (a) volatile (can go into the air) and (b) noxious. Can you set up continuous ventilation with your pool -- windows open, fans running in windows, etc? If not, I'm unwilling to advise you to convert, until I do some checking.

Did you do the pool chart? If so, tell me and I'll look again. If not, please do so:

Pool Chart Entry Form
Pool Chart Results

If you've got a concrete pool, and dry ground, the best thing would be to:
1. Replace your filter media (sand, cartridge, possibly, DE grids)
2. Flush the pipes into the pool with fresh water.
3. Drain the pool 100%

If you can't do that, and can't provide continuous ventilation, I'm going to have to see if anyone knows (and will tell me!) what happens, in terms of volatile byproducts, to pools when you chlorinate PHMB.