conversion

[chalk2024]

I am new here and I need some help and a little encouragement. I have an AG 18 ft by 4 ft round pool. I use a 3/4 hp pump with a sand filter and do currently use the baquacil. My numbers are : TC 0 , FC 0, TA 120, ph was high 8.4 and I am adjusting it now, total hardness is 250. I am ready to convert to the BBB method. I am so tired of pouring $ in my pool with Baquacil and having no luck or just ugly water. I think as of right now I have a water mold problem. My filter is gummed up and although my water is not a true greenish color it just doesn't look the way it should and the bottom isnt real visible. I did the bleachcal and I think I need 7.3 liters to start with. Is that right? The bleach I bought yesterday from wal-mart is ultra and the bottle I got was a 5.14 liter jug. Do I pour the bleach in through the skimmer? Any help anyone can give me will be a great help. I have put so much money in this pool this year with Baquacil that I could almost buy another one. And my problems are still here. Thanks for any help.

[Jaybird70]

Someone with a lot more experience will answer you soon I'm sure, but sounds to me like your on the right track.

I'm in the process of conversion right now and I think I'm almost there. Be prepared to have to use tons of bleach, especially in the beginning and from what I understand the more you check your chlorine levels and redose the faster the process will go. You can read through my posts and get a good idea from what other people said to me on what to do. (Frustrated Baquacil Customer).

Also be prepared for varying shades of green. I'm on my 4th day, my water is almost clear, just very slightly green and a bit cloudy. I probably would have gone faster if I had been more aggressive from the very beginning and really worked to keep my chlorine levels up.

Good luck to you, I can't wait to have a clear pool. I started baquacil last year and this year never could get my water clear. First I had algae and then mold. I'm really excited.

[KatieD]

We began on Thursday evening, and I'm pretty sure we're rid of the baquacil. Our water cleared as of Sunday evening, it's looking perfect now!

We have a 25,000 gallon pool, and started with very high Baq levels, so all things considered, the conversion went very quickly, although it sure didn't seem that way on Friday and Saturday when our water was looking like an exorcism gone wrong!

I think we went through 44 gallons of 12% Liquid Chlorine and 5 1.45 gallon jugs of 6% bleach from the supermarket. I poured it directly into the pool, it never occurred to me to put it into the skimmer.

Chalk, we did use the bleach calculator, but the problem is how fast the chlorine gets eaten up. You really have to keep pounding it every few hours, or IMO, dump in more than the calculator calls for if you can't. That's my personal opinion, I could be wrong, or it could be our situation, as our pool is in direct sun most of the day.

You really do have to keep pouring that stuff in there, testing, and pouring in again. Just please don't ask me what to do with all those bottles, as I have no clue!! I'm wondering if I can just pile them around the pool and pass them off as some kind of artistic statement!

We still have a few concerns about how to proceed from here, but our water is clear and algae free. So far, so good!! I fully expect to be swimming by the weekend!!

Good luck, whatever you decide!

[chalk2024]

Thank you guys for reply. I just started adding my bleach and the water has turned a milky color. I plan on going out to get more bleach and thank goodness Wal-mart is only about 3-4 minutes from my house.

[clayw1963]

I converted about 3 weeks ago, the best thing I've ever done. You will go through lots of bleach and lots of different colors in the pool. Just keep the bleach levels up, clean the filter and you will soon have the clearest water you've ever had. I didn't worry about any other levels in my pool until I got my water cleared up. Once it would hold chlorine overnight and I changed my filter, then I balanced my water!
Good Luck!!

[chalk2024]

My water is muddy brown now. I have had to backwash 2 times now. I can't get the chlorine to hold so that must mean it is working. I keep adding more chlorine and testing. My baquacil sanitizer level was a little low so hopefully this won't take as long. Just need lots of patience right?

[diwilson]

Hey, I just read the first post of this thread and that you had purchased "ultra" bleach from wal-mart. I think this is the floral scented bleach that I once bought by mistake. I also think I read on here somewhere to use "regular" so as to not add stuff you don't need.

Happy swimming!

[Watermom]

Ultra means that it is 6% bleach rather than 5.25% like regular bleach. I think you can get ultra and regular both with various scents and as diwilson said above, you don't want the scented stuff.

[Spensar]

I don't think it's recommended to add liquid chlorine through the skimmer. Better to add it in the deep end by an inlet and have it go through diluted.

[Watermom]

I always add bleach through my skimmer while the pump is running -- never a problem.