Bromine Chemistry Question

[FormerBromineUser]

Hello, there. I am not sure that anyone of you guys are still following this thread, but I wanted you to know that the pool stayed clear up until my big party! It is now grey, no chlorine by afternoon, but I am at least putting bleach in every night, kind of like throwing money in the pool but maybe I will keep something at bay. We have decided to keep the pool at this level for as long as we can instead of trying to meet our chlorine demand which according to the bucket test you suggested is still astronomical. We will use it as long as we can, checking for PH and CC and stuff so it is "safe" to swim.

We have also made a huge decision to get a new liner. We have some serious "snakes" from when we had a drainage issue and water got under our liner. Our plan is to do this in the April next year. I am thinking about going to the BBB method BUT, I cannot find a start to finish explanation of how to go about doing it. There are bits and pieces of information here and there, but I can't find a complete step-by-step "how-to" guide. I have read and reread the BBB Method page and I don't feel confident that I really know what I am supposed to do.

I also have the following fears:
1.) The only directions I have read for starting out with ALL NEW water requires hourly maintenance until the chemicals are in balance. I can't do that as I work a heavy schedule until the end of May. Is there any alternative?
2.) We do travel during the summer. I have seen that some people use tablets for a long weekend. Still scary. If we go away for a week, I guess I would have to find someone to take care of it that knows BBB and I have no idea how to find anyone!
3.) We also are sometimes spontaneous about night activities and don't get home until late once in a while. It seems like BBB has to be done EVERY night after sundown. I'm just not sure I can in reality keep that up.
4.) Coming from 9 years of bromine use, I am still having difficulty understanding the relationships between CC, PH, CYA, TA, etc. I really have read and read posts about this but it is still foreign to me. I have not really every had to worry about more than bromine/chlorine levels and PH.

Considering all these fears, what do you guys think about me going to BBB?

Thanks. If I don't hear from any of you, I will try to re-post this somewhere else. Thanks in advance!

Reminder: 30,000 gallon in ground vinyl liner pool

[chem geek]

If you use a mostly opaque pool cover, then the loss of chlorine from sunlight is virtually eliminated and you can add chlorine a lot less frequently. That's what we have, a mostly opaque electric safety cover, so I only add chlorine twice a week. Even those with bubble-type covers usually don't have to add chlorine every day, but rather every other day. Nevertheless, adding chlorine every day (or two) is just a quick and easy task. If you want automation, then you can look at getting a saltwater chlorine generator or using The Liquidator or getting a peristaltic pump. I think the bigger issue for you in terms of maintenance will be the weight of chlorinating liquid or bleach you have to carry to maintain your larger 30,000 gallon pool. If it uses 2 ppm FC per day, then that's 3.4 gallons of 12.5% chlorinating liquid or around 31 pounds per week. With 8.25% bleach, it's around 43 pounds per week.

As for CH, pH and TA, you don't have to worry about these so much in a vinyl liner pool -- regardless of whether you use bromine or chlorine. It's only a problem if you water is hard (CH and/or TA very high) as that can cause scaling. With a vinyl liner, you don't need to worry about the CH if it's low. Once you get your TA to a typically lower level (usually around 80 ppm) where the pH is relatively stable, then you don't need to worry about it.

The only real "extra" chemistry with chlorine is the CYA level. The CC is hardly ever an issue and is almost always low -- mine is nearly always <= 0.2 ppm, the lowest measurable using a 25 ml water sample.

As for startup with a fresh water fill, I don't think it takes hourly maintenance. That is probably referring to new plaster where in the beginning the water chemistry changes quickly as the plaster cures, but for a fresh water fill in an existing pool you can balance everything in one shot and not need to stick around.

[FormerBromineUser]

Nervous, nervous nervous! New liner, dark auto-cover, and water going in today! ...and I will no longer be a "BromineUser". Worked VERY hard last fall to learn BBT method (with my bromine pool) and ended up after tons of chlorine, having a beautiful pool. Wanted to say hi as you will be hearing from me soon! I am so nervous!

[PoolDoc]

Good luck!

If you haven't already, make sure to order a K2006 test kit or whatever refills you need (link to info page in my blue signature box). Especially when you are new to BBB pool care, accurate testing is essential. Test strips are never very accurate, but the accuracy of strip testing for CYA is abysmally poor.

[FormerBromineUser]

I have to K2006 from last fall so I think the reagents should still be usable. I plan on testing everything as soon as the water is delivered. 4 truckloads from a local water tower, but I'm not sure which one. Thanks, Ben! I just made my signature. So exciting!

[Watermom]

Maybe Ben can change your username to "FormerBromineUser." You'll be really glad you made the switch!

[FormerBromineUser]

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