How To Convert Your Baqua Pool To Chlorine

This article if followed correctly will help you transform your swimming pool from using Biguanides (Softswim, Baquacil or any other biguanide products) to chlorine. There are a many advantages of keeping a chlorine pool instead of a Baqua pool.
First off, biguanides pools are expensive. Just the maintenance products alone will cost a lot more every month than using bleach or other chlorine products. 

Also, you may be able to run a Baqua pool successfully for a couple or even several seasons, but there will come a time when you will run into problems - the cloudy water, unpleasant pink slime, uncontrollable algae. To fix this, you would have you drain most of your pools water, change your filter media and start using stronger Baqua products. Compare this with the alternative:  With proper testing and application of chlorine, you will be able to maintain your sparkling clean water without EVER shocking or draining!

Now for the fun part...switching from baquacil to chlorine!

Prep
First, you will need a really good test kit like our Taylor K-2005, or Taylor K-2006 Found HERE.

In order to properly complete the entire conversion, you will need a lot of liquid chlorine.  The amount it will take depends on the size of your pool and how much Baqua residual you have in your pool.

You will also need replacement media for your filter handy (sand, cartridges, DE) found HERE as you will need to clean your filter and change out the media AFTER your conversion is complete.

Process

1. Test your pH. You will want to correct and make sure you are between 7.2 - 7.4 before you begin or the process will not work correctly. 
2. Go HERE to figure out exactly how much chlorine you will need to raise your FC (Free Chlorine) from 0 - 15ppm with the volume of your swimming pool. 
3. Add the recommended chlorine from the pool calculator's website.
4. Test your water quite frequently and add the required amount of chlorine to maintain your free chlorine level of 15ppm. This must be done as often as possible, hourly if possible, but minimally every day. Make sure you test and add chlorine before you go to sleep, and test again in the morning. Initially, the FC will be used up very quickly. The more often you can test and boost your FC to 15, the faster the conversion will go. Toward the middle of the conversion, it is more important to test and add your bleach in the evening, or at other times when the sun is not shining on the pool.
5. Check the pressure in your filter very frequently and backwash / clean cartridges as necessary. You will find a lot of gooey substance coming from the filter.
6. Brushing and/or vacuuming is extremely helpful.
7. When you lose 1 ppm of chlorine, or less, overnight it is time to clean out your filter and change the media. Once the filter is cleaned up, add CYA (Cyanuric Acid, stabilizer, conditioner) to 30 ppm. Continue to maintain FC at 15 ppm.
8. Your conversion is complete when CC (combined chlorine) is at 0.5ppm or less atleast two days in a row.
9. You are now finished!  Say goodbye to expensive pool chemicals, tough problems and hello to saving money & a sparkling, blue pool!!!.

Facts about algae and algaecide

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What exactly is algae? Algae are actually microscopic plants. Like all plants, algae require nutrients. Algae obtain their food from leaves, plants and organic matter (including bathers). There are in excess of thirty thousand different species! In an effort to make identification easier, the swimming pool industry classifies algae as blue-green, mustard, pink and black algae (also known as black-spot algae). Blue-green algae tend to be of the floating variety, whereas mustard algae and black algae cling to the pool interior, particularly cracks and crevices. The clinging species of algae are the most difficult to control. I heard chlorine can clear up my pool which became infested with algae? It is true that chlorine can be used to treat algal outbreaks, however, chlorine resistant algae consume huge quantities of chlorine, reducing the free chlorine available to control bacteria and viruses.

Most common types of swimming pool finishes

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Finding the best pool finish to satisfy your budget and needs can sometimes be tedious.  Below is a list of finish types most commonly used here in America.

Vinyl Lined:


The least costly of all pool finishes and found commonly in the northern region, This type of finish is layed out directly over the dirt foundation with (usually) a gunite shell no higher than half way up.  There is a fram around the top where the vinyl is folded over and finished off at the deck.  These finishes usually last about 5 years before deterioration and fading is present.


Fiberglass:

less costly compared to pebbletec or quartz, however, after about 5 years, you will start noticing a breakdown process of the resin. Also, Fiberglass is prone to a number of stains the other finishes will not have.

Marcite:

also, less costly compared to pebbletec or quarts, hoever, will show signs of wear after 5-10 years (chips, deterioration)

Quartz:

costly, however, lasts between 15-20 years before any noticeable wear on the surface. Also, there are many colors and styles to choose from!

Pebbletec:

The most costly, however it will also last between 15-20 years before any noticeable wear or missing stones. As with quartz, this also comes in many different colors.

What is the recommended pool pump run time?

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The recommended run time is usually atleast 8 hours, straight! the water filtered through one whole "turnover" isn't 100% as you may think. It really goes as below:

1'st turnover: 42% filtered / 58% unfiltered

2'nd turnover: 84% filtered / 16% unfiltered

3'rd turnover: 95% filtered / 5% unfiltered

4'th turnover: 98% filtered / 2% unfiltered

In order to achieve the maximum filtration, you must run the pump for the ENTIRE 3 or more turnovers straight. If you turn your pump off, wait, then filter some more later, it starts back at 42% filtered again. This is why many pool owners may have algal outbreaks or dirty/cloudy water even though they run 8 or more hours a day, yet they break the run time into smaller increments. The whole cycle must be done in one non-stop run.