Inaccurate And Poor Alkalinity Readings
Your pool can register inaccurate and false alkalinity readings due to high CYA. This is because it can falsely send a supply to your carbonate alkalinity which makes up all of the alkalinity.
You should balance your water according to the Langelier Saturation Index. This will allow you to know exactly where the waters chemical levels should be.;
How Does Cyanuric Acid For Pools Work
CYA stabilizes the chlorine or stops the ions from breaking apart. The suns rays damage the chlorine ions, making them useless. This increases your pools chlorine needs and puts your pool at risk of more contaminants.
CYA bonds to the chlorine ions , keeping them together. Without cyanuric acid, your pool is at greater risk of bacterial growth much faster.
Can I Use Cyanuric Acid To Lower My Ph
Technically, CYA;is an acid, and is in the family of Sulfuric acid with a pH level of around 4.0. It will slightly reduce your pH level when added to the pool in measureable quantities, but may be hard to notice. So, no Cyanuric acid is best used for shielding your expensive chlorine from the sun but for lowering your pH, better to use Sodium Bisulfate.
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Cya’s Negative Impact On The Lsi
As if CYA’s 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.
The Relationship Of Ph Chlorine And Cyanuric Acid Levels
If your pH goes down, the effectiveness of your chlorine goes up. This is commonly understood. But in the presence of cyanuric acid, the relationship between pH and chlorine is substantially 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.
Depending on the size of a pool and jurisdiction, public pools have regulated limits for cyanuric levels of 40-100 ppm to prevent problems from over chlorination or unbalanced pH. Although cyanuric acid offers a low level of toxicity without any serious health concerns, having high-levels of this chemical in a pool puts people at risk because of the chlorines diminished ability to kill bacteria and viruses. In Florida, the Department of Health states that a pools cyanuric levels may not exceed 100ppm to prevent gastrointestinal illness, skin rashes, and other diseases.
Despite these ongoing issues, the industry has never found a cost-effective solution and environmentally safe way to remedy this problem.
On top of the pool chemistry problems, draining your pool presents environmental hazards:
If you were able to manage the levels of cyanuric acid in your swimming pool without draining it all these issues could be avoided.
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Is Cyanuric Acid Dangerous Or Unhealthy
Cyanuric Acid, by itself is not immediately dangerous or hazardous to ones health. It can cause eye or skin irritation if direct contact is made. It is not toxic or carcinogenic. Based on data from toxicological investigations, Cyanuric acid does not damage organs. Damage to the kidneys and bladder has been observed in rats tested with a saturated solution of Cyanuric acid for their drinking water. CYA;should not pose a risk to humans during; use in swimming pools. Cyanuric acid is quickly excreted unchanged from the kidneys.
The Breakdown: Cyanuric Acid And Chlorine
In order to fully understand how cyanuric acid functions in your pool, we first need to cover how chlorine usually reacts in the sun. Warning: were about to throwback to chem class again. When you put chlorine without cyanuric acid in your pool, its chemical makeup transforms to a compound called sodium hypochlorite, which is made up of ions. When ultraviolet rays hit those ions, they break apart and render your chlorine ineffective. In fact, in as little as under twenty minutes of exposure to the sun, your chlorine could be 50% less effective. And it only gets worse from there.
Unless you have an indoor pool that is completely hidden from ultraviolet rays, adding cyanuric acid is absolutely essentialand much cheaper than wasting massive amounts of ineffective chlorine. Its one of the many reasons its important that you choose the right chlorine for your pool and circumstances.;
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How To Raise Cyanuric Acid In Pool
Lacking cyanuric acid is a good problem, if there is such a thing. While it means youre chlorine wont last long, its an easy fix.
Add more cyanuric acid in the pool, but go slowly. Add too much and you have the opposite problem too much CYA. Read the manufacturers directions or talk to your local pool supply store.
One pound per 5,000 gallon of water will make your pool gain approximately 25 ppm of CYA.
Add a little bit and test the water again. Its easier to add more than it is to correct the problem .
How To Lower Cyanuric Acid
The only practical way to lower cyanuric acid is by replacing some of your existing water with fresh water. To calculate how much water should be replaced, subtract the desired concentration of cyanuric acid from the current concentration and divide the difference by the current concentration.
For example, if your pool has a current cyanuric acid concentration of 80 ppm and you would like it to be 60 ppm, then you would replace 25% of your pools current water with fresh water. As long as your cyanuric acid is at a reasonable level , you may find it more convenient to raise free chlorine than replace water. The pool calculator can help you figure out just how much chlorine you need to add given your cyanuric acid level.
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What Happens If Stabilizer Is Too High In Pool
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.
How Can I Lower Cyanuric Acid Level In Swimming Pool
Well, in this post, I would be walking you through some of the best ways to lower the level of Cyanuric Acid in your pool.
Frankly speaking, all the steps that well be mentioning in this post are newbie-friendly and you can expedite them without any hassle.
Many of the newbies wouldnt be aware of the fact that Cyanuric Acid is popularly known as a pool stabilizer.
It goes without saying that Cyanuric Acid plays a crucial role in maintaining the proper health of your swimming pool.
Well, lets understand it the other way round, that is, what will happen if there is a fluctuation in the CYA level.
Useless rendering of chlorine can happen if the cyanuric level gets too high.
So, enough of the introduction, lets have a quick at what all we would be learning in this comprehensive guide.
First and foremost, we would be learning about the optimal CYA levels.
Secondly, how can we test the Cyanuric acid level in our swimming pool effortlessly?
Lastly, I would be throwing light on some of the important ways of lowering the CYA level.
So, without any further ado, lets begin
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Do I Need To Add Stabilizer To My Pool
If you have an indoor pool that is fully shaded from the sun you do not need to add cyanuric acid to your pool. The free chlorine in the water will stay active longer than an outdoor pool because there is no UV light to dissipate the chlorine.
If you have a salt water outdoor pool you will need to manually add stabilizer to the pool. The salt chlorinator will produce chlorine when the pump is running. But without stabilizer the chlorine will evaporate and dissipate quickly.
If you have a fresh water pool you will need to add chlorine and stabilizer. You can add them separately or use a stabilized chlorine product that contains cyanuric acid.
Note: The danger with stabilized chlorine products is that you can overdose the pool with too much stabilizer. This will reduce the effectiveness of chlorine. Always test your water to ensure you have the correct chemical levels.
Cyanuric Levels That Are Too Low
For the most part, if you notice your cyanuric acid levels are too low meaning below 30 ppm it really isnt much of a problem, but if youre concerned about this, simply add some additional cyanuric acid granules per the manufacturers instructions and the CYA level should be just fine.
In fact, even adding a handful of these granules can greatly improve the CYA level, but keep in mind that as a general rule, there is no need to be overly concerned with low CYA levels.
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How To Reduce Cya In Pools
What can you do if your CYA levels are already high? Can CYA levels be reduced in a pool?
Yes, the most economical way to lower CYA is to partially drain and dilute the pool with fresh water. Consult a pool professional if you want to drain more than 1/3 of your water, because there are risks with hydrostatic pressure and other concerns. There are also some specialized filters that exist to capture CYA and remove it from water, such as reverse osmosis . RO is far more costly, but it may be the best option for people in regions of the country that are unable to drain their pools.
It really just comes down to cost and risk. Significant draining has risks and should only be done by a pool professional, so dilution over time is often the best option. The alternatives to draining your water are to 1) pay big money for filtration, or 2) try to manage the pool with high levels of CYA. Neither of those two options are as easy or affordable as replacing water with fresh water.
The bottom line: keep CYA levels low enough to manage sanitation and maintain LSI balance. If your CYA is too high, draining and diluting is the most cost effective means to reduce CYA in your pool.
1 Falk, R.A.; Blatchley, E.R., III; Kuechler, T.C.; Meyer, E.M.; Pickens, S.R.; Suppes, L.M. Assessing the Impact of Cyanuric Acid on Bathers Risk of Gastrointestinal Illness at Swimming Pools. Water. 2019, 11, 1314.
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.
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How To Raise Cyanuric Acid
Cyanuric acid levels are raised by adding pool stabilizer. Its called stabilizer because cyanuric acid stabilizes free chlorine from being evaporated by the sun. For more information, check out The Relationship Between Swimming Pool Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid.
Many chlorine products come with stabilizer already mixed in. Adding a chlorine solution with stabilizer will automatically raise your cyanuric acid levels. However, liquid and granular stabilizer solutions may be purchased and added separately
Benefits Of Bioactivie Cyanuric Acid Reducer
- Allows the sanitizing processes in your pool to be effective.
- Eliminates chlorine lock due to high levels of cyanuric acid.
- The full reaction is completed within 7 days.
- It is compatible with all outdoor pool filter and sanitizer systems commonly in use.
- 8 ounce size that can treat 25,000 gallons of water
- 16 ounce size that can treat 50,000 gallons of water
If you need to lower the cyanuric acid levels of your pool, and you want to do it without draining water, buy Cyanuric Acid Reducer today.
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Reduce Lippage And Work With The Warpage
Large-format tiles are more susceptible to warping. Luckily, you can use spacers to protect the tiles. Spacers regulate the elevation of each tile; in such a way, one tile piece is higher than another. This helps in preventing lippage. Pool pros advise offsetting the pool tiles by not more than a third of the tile. Remember, you dont want the end of the tile to connect with the highest point of the crown.
Ideal Cyanuric Acid Level Pools
The correct stabilizer levels for a chlorinated pool is 30-50 ppm and 60 ppm for a saltwater swimming pool.
You could have higher or lower stabilizer levels in your pool but you would need to adjust the amount of chlorine accordingly. The higher the stabilizer levels the more chlorine youll need.
However, there isnt a lot of point having high cyanuric acid levels as its effectiveness as a stabilizer doesnt really increase a lot above the ideal levels.
Unless you have a good reason, the best cyanuric acid and pool stabilizer levels are as mentioned above. In our other article, Cyanuric Acid for Pools The Complete Guide for Pool Owners, you can see a chart of Chlorine Vs Cyanuric Acid levels.
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Using A Cyanuric Acid Reducer
Government Regulations And Limits For Cya Levels
The CDC recommends keeping your pool pH at 7.27.8, and free chlorine at a minimum of 2 ppm if you are using CYA also. They dont have a recommended level of CYA, though, unless yours is a commercial pool and you have a fecal incident.
Your local and state government may also have guidance for CYA levels, you will need to check on your local public health department website for that up-to-date information.
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How To Increase Cyanuric Acid In Your Pool
Remember, the only time youll actually need to separately add cyanuric acid to your pool is when youre using unstabilized chlorine. Stabilized chlorine like dichlor and trichlor have cyanuric acid already included, and we love them for it. However, if your levels rise significantly while using stabilized chlorine, you do have the option of switching to unstabilized chlorine and adding your cyanuric acid separately, which will help you maintain better control over how much is added to your pool with each chlorine dose.
How Much Cyanuric Acid Does Your Pool Need
Depending on who you ask, you may get answers from 10 to 100 ppm. Research has shown that levels over 50 ppm dont provide any additional UV protection for your free chlorine. Also, anything over that amount can significantly slow down chlorines ability to kill pathogens.
So, if you can keep your CYA at or below 50 ppm, that should provide plenty of sunscreen protection for your chlorine.
But no matter what the CYA level is, youll want to keep testing your free chlorine levels to make sure the pool remains properly sanitized. A good balance is a free chlorine level thats 7.5% of your CYA .
For example, if you have a 50 ppm stabilizer level, your sanitizer should be about 3 ppm.;
The actual amount you add to the pool will depend on the volume of water and amount of chlorine in your pool. For every 10,000 gallons, youll need about 4 pounds of CYA per every 30 ppm it needs to increase.
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