Is Cyanuric Acid The Same As Muriatic Acid
Definitely, NOT
Many of us do get confused with the name and think that both are the same, but the reality is that both are very different.
As weve discussed so far, cyanuric acid act as a shield for chlorine against sunlight, and prevents it from getting disintegrated.
On the other hand, the main function of muriatic acid is to lower a pools pH level.
Though both these chemicals are used to manage chlorine efficiency still they are used for very different reasons.
As a pool owner, you need to utilize both these chemicals efficiently in order to maintain a healthy pool ambiance.
What Is The Recommended Cyanuric Acid Level In The Pool
The ORP level is also impacted by the pH level of the pool water. Higher pH levels reduce ORP level and vice versa.
The ORP level is also impacted by the pH level of the pool water. Higher pH levels reduce ORP level and vice versa. In the presence of Cyanuric Acid , the relationship between pH and chlorine is considerably altered.
For example, if your pool maintains a pH of 7.2, about 63 percent of the chlorine is in its active form. If you introduce just 30 ppm of cyanuric acid to the pool, this drops to 1.6 percent of the chlorine being in its active form.
Based on information collected from various reliable sources the CYA levels in a swimming pool should be between 20-60 ppm.
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Why High Cyanuric Acid Is Bad News
Having high CYA in your pool can lead to a few problems with the pool water:
- Inaccurate total alkalinity readings. High CYA can return false total alkalinity readings, because it can falsely contribute to your carbonate alkalinity . Balancing your water according to the Langelier Saturation Index will let you know precisely where your chemical levels are.
- Stalls chlorine effectiveness. High CYA will weaken your pools chlorine and keep it from doing its job. Referred to as chlorine lock, this happens because high CYA overpowers the free chlorine level in the pool. With compromised chlorine youll soon start seeing issues like algae and cloudy water.
- Plaster problems. High CYA usually correlates with low pH because the ineffective chlorine can throw off the pH level. So, if you have a plaster finish on your pool, the water will gradually eat away at it. Damaged plaster can be repaired but its a process that requires your entire pool be drained.
- ORP measures the waters oxidizing capacity. When too much CYA is present, youll see a decrease in the ORP of the water as it becomes less effective.
- Health issues. High CYA can impact your health, as a dangerous organism known as cryptosporidium parvum wont be properly removed from the water. It can infect a swimmers gastrointestinal tract, causing digestive issues and diarrhea.
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Cyanuric Acid Reduces Chlorine Degradation
I like to think of the CYA molecule holding a sun parasol, shielding the chlorine. While it absorbs up to 50% of the sun, you can expect to see a reduction of up to 50% of your chlorine usage. After adding CYA to the pool, youll immediately notice the increase in your chlorines lifespan, and your wallet size.
A pool without stabilizer can lose 90% of its free chlorine with just a few hours of bright sun. When stabilized, your chlorine level will last longer, and youll use about half of the tablets to maintain your chlorine residual.
Read Also: How To Remove Cyanuric Acid From Pool Water
Why Is My Pool Stabilizer So High
If the stabilizer level is too high in a pool it, will lock the chlorine molecules, rendering them ineffective as a sanitizer. This usually happens as a result of using chlorine tablets that contain cyanauric acid. This is because the chlorine molecules are locked up by the high cyanuaric acid level.
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Why You Have High Cyanuric Acid
Its chlorines job to keep your pool water clean, but depending on which type of chlorine you use, it may or may not contain cyanuric acid. Stabilized chlorine has CYA built-in, whereas unstabilized chlorine doesnt.
Heads up: Dichlor and trichlor are stabilized types of chlorine, and sodium hypochlorite , lithium hypochlorite and calcium hypochlorite are unstabilized.
The main reason for high CYA levels in your pool is from using too much stabilized chlorine. When the pool water evaporates, CYA remains in the water, much like other chemicals such as salt and calcium.
As an example, 1 lb. of trichlor in a 10,000 gallon pool will raise the CYA level by 6 ppm. With the ideal range for pool CYA being 30 ppm to 50 ppm, its easy to see how this level can quickly spike.
Does Cyanuric Acid Reducer Work
At the lower levels the chlorine is more effective however it evaporates faster at the higher levels the chlorine is less effective and evaporates slower. Bio-Active Cyanuric Acid Reducer works by reducing levels of cyanuric acid in swimming pools, maintaining the efficacy of chlorine and other sanitizing products.
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Lowering Cya Method : Chemical Way
Maybe your neighborhood regulations dont allow the displacement of that much water or there just isnt a viable spot anywhere in sight. The last thing we want is a whole neighborhood flooded with your pool water. If the dilution process works, awesome, but for those who couldnt confidently answer those questions will have to go the chemical route.
There arent a whole lot of options to chemically reduce CYA in your pool. Bio-Active sells a CYA reducing chemical product. The back of the package offers proof of its effectiveness. In a video below, a tech tries a similar experiment in six of his pools he services. The results indicated the CYA was lowered in his pools, just not quite as significantly as the packaging said.
Natural Chemistry also has a 2 to 3 part chemical process for reducing CYA levels. Now, keep in mind it will most likely take more than one 8 ounce package of Bio-Actives product. This can be considered in the economical aspect of lowering your CYA. These products have simplified instructions on the packaging.
So your final question will most likely be, is it cheaper to buy several packages of chemical or is it cheaper to drain and refill?
How To Test Cyanuric Acid Level
Testing the levels of cyanuricacid in your pool is vital to make sure the water chemistry is optimal for the safety of all users. And there are two main ways of testing cyanuricacid, which is by using test strips and doing the turbidity test.
Method 1: Using Test Strips
Then test strip method is the most straightforward way of testing for cyanuric acid levels in your swimming pool waters. All test strips will come with clear directions on what you need to do and how to read the color charts.
Overall, the test will entail submerging the test strips into the pool water for about 30 seconds to allow the color to change. You should then remove the strip from the water and compare the color on the strip with the provided chart to estimate the cyanuric acid levels.
Method 2: Using Turbidity Test
The turbidity test is more accurate when compared to using test strips, but it is also a more tedious test because, unlike the latter, it will entail taking a water sample.
When performing this test, you have to add the provided chemical reagent to the plastic vessel full of the pool water as per the manufacturer guidelines. You should then mix in the powder thoroughly by stirring or shaking and wait for about a minute for the chemical reaction to occur.
Note: The turbidity test kit manufacturer will provide clear and step by step instructions for measuring the cyanuric acid levels, and so you need to read and follow them for accurate results.
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Do My Pool Need Cyanuric Acid
Definitely, your pool needs a certain amount of cyanuric acid for the proper functioning of chlorine as well as reducing its disintegration in presence of sunlight.
So, if you own an outdoor pool that is exposed to sunlight then definitely you need CYA.
In fact, cyanuric acid saves you a lot of time and money.
You dont need to spend a good lump-sum amount on a chlorine testing kit.
Moreover, you can reduce the time that you spend on testing and balancing chlorine every day, a weekly test would do the trick for you.
Since CYA helps chlorine to function in a proper and effective way so the algae outbreak is kept under control in spite of you spending less time on maintenance.
On the other hand, you dont need to use CYA for your indoor pool until and unless it receives direct sunlight which may be possible if youve got lots of windows or open areas in the vicinity of your indoor pool.
Before we move further, please let me know, if were on the same page or NOT.
Master Maintenance Moving Forward
The best way to maintain your cyanuric acid? Well, its certainly not avoiding testing your water and hoping that it all works out. Any responsible DIY pool owner needs to regularly check in on their water levels to ensure its at optimal chemical balance, and cyanuric acid is just one of those chemicals. Its recommended that you test your pool at least every week. So thats your homeworksorry about that.
Since were thinking of the future, remember that as of 2021, the switch to variable-speed pumps will virtually be federal law. Thankfully, the Blue Torrent 2 HP Variable-Speed Pump is ultra-powerful, comes with a warranty, is eligible for rebates, and pays itself off in under a year by energy saved. As customer Robert Tafoya says, Pump works quietly, efficiently, and is easy to install.
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Why Too Much Cyanuric Acid Is A Bad Thing
When cyanuric acid levels get too high, it can cause something referred to as chlorine lock, which basically means your chlorine has been rendered useless.
Youll know it has happened when your chlorine test shows very or little chlorine even right after youve added it to the pool.
When your chlorine isnt working, bacteria and algae are not being treated!
How To Remove Cya From Your Swimming Pool
The simplest way to lower CYA in your swimming pool is using Reverse Osmosis filtration or what we like to call The Puripool Process. Oregon Pure Water utilizes RO filtration on residential and commercial swimming pools. With our service, there is no need to drain the swimming pool and we are able to give you the best water quality to swim in. We have had a lot of success processing pool water and would love to give you the opportunity to experience this service. Please contact us today to learn more!
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How To Lower Cyanuric Acid In A Pool
Many pool owners dont fully understand what cyanuric acid does to pool water. When they test the pool water to find its indicating a high or low level of cyanuric acid they usually ignore the test. After all, the pool water looks clear and clean so they assume everything is good.
When the pool water has a higher than normal level of cyanuric acid, or pool stabilizer chemical, it will reduce the chemical effectiveness of chlorine leaving your pool unsanitized and exposed to bacteria, viruses and other contaminants.
Adding more chlorine will have little effect because it will be neutralized by the excessive level of cyanuric acid.
The best way to reduce the concentration of stabilizer is to drain some water from the pool and refill with fresh water.
Drain And/or Dilute The Pool
Unfortunately, there are no easy fixes to high CYA levels. However, draining or diluting the water is usually the best course of action.
It is generally agreed that you need to keep your pool full to avoid it from popping out of the ground. However, you can swap the water out in portions in the form of partial drains.
How to:
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Lowering Cyanuric Acid In Swimming Pools In Oregon
The Puripool Process can and will remove excess CYA while the rest of the pool is processing and lowering calcium, TDS, salt, bacteria, viruses, phosphates, etc. In the Grants Pass area, we get called out to primarily lower CYA in areas where the concern over calcium removal is not the driving force. We know of nothing that is capable of removing excess CYA as quickly or efficiently as a Reverse Osmosis pool filtration because the only other option is a drain and refill which takes several days!
What is Cyanuric Acid?
Why Is Pool Cyanuric Acid High
If youre wondering why you have too much cyanuric acid in your pool or if youve found that the CYA is constantly too high, this is for you.
Cyanuric acid does not evaporate or degrade like chlorine and other chemicals do. It will stay in the pool water.
In fact, cyanuric acid has been known to stay in pools even after completely draining them it can get into the plaster. The only way to lower the levels is to drain some water and add water with no CYA in it.
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The Cdcs Model Aquatic Health Code
The Committee that writes the Model Aquatic Health Code released a 2016 update that indicates anupper limit of CYA in pools with a fecal incident. That upper CYA limit? Just 15 ppm. Yes, that may sound low, but there are practical reasons why. See Figure 2, showing how much more free available chlorine you needwith raised levels of CYAto obtain similar levels of Hypochlorous Acid :
Figure 2: Chlorine-CYA Chemistry 101, by Richard Falk
This chart basically shows that more CYA in your water means you need significantly more chlorine to have the same sanitization power. The CDCs recommended limit of 15ppm CYA is not necessarily a hard limit, but a practical one. Just look at how much chlorine is required to achieve the desired sanitation result. To keep water safe, sanitation is critical, and it needs to be practical.
If you have read the Orenda Blog, you already know our opinion of CYA is that it is a double-edged sword. At low levels it provides tremendous benefits, but at high levels, big problems. It slows chlorine dramatically, which lowers ORP. The problem is not stabilization of chlorine, it’s over-stabilization of chlorine. Here are three related articles:
x = 7.5 ppm FC minimum needed to prevent algae
x = 4.5 ppm FC minimum needed to prevent algae
x = 2.25 FC minimum needed to prevent algae
Why You Have Low Cyanuric Acid
The most likely reason is that youve only ever used unstabilized chlorine in your pool.
Heads up: Unstabilized chlorine, such as sodium hypochlorite , lithium hypochlorite, and calcium hypochlorite, is pure chlorine. Stabilized chlorine, such as sodium dichlor or trichlor, has added CYA to protect the chlorine.
When using unstabilized chlorine as your pool sanitizer, you need to add CYA to the water as well.
Unintended dilution of the pool water may also cause a drop in the pools CYA level. This can be due to water evaporation or a large splashout that requires refilling the pool, or even if it rains. Additionally, draining and refilling your pool will also result in low CYA levels.
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Cyas Negative Impact On The Lsi
As if CYAs impact on chlorine were not enough of a reason to keep its levels to a minimum, there is more. Another relatively misunderstood consequence of CYA is its impact on your waters overall balance. According to theLangelier Saturation Index , CYA matters because it leads pool operators to believe they have more carbonate alkalinity than they really do. This is because the LSI formula requires a CYA correction againsttotal alkalinity to find the carbonate alkalinity. Its complicated .
All you need to know is the higher your CYA, the lower your LSI. And you might be surprised at just how impactful CYA is when using the Orenda App LSI calculator.
