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.
Calculate The Amount Of Water In Your Pool
You probably know how many gallons of water are in your pool, but if youve just bought a home with a pool or something like that, you may not. If this is the case, you might have to do a little math.;
Dont panic, though. Its not too hard to calculate. Just plug your numbers into one of these formulas:
Rectangular or square pools: length x width x depth x 7.5
Round pools: diameter x diameter x depth x 5.9
What Happens If You Have Too Much Stabilizer In Your 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.18 2019 .
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Test Your Chemistry Levels
If you think your pH levels are off, chances are youve already checked the pool chemistry to make sure. If not, go ahead and check them now to see exactly how far off the pH is.;
Ideal pH levels are between 7.2 and 7.6, with 7.4 being optimum.
So if your pH measures anything below 7.2, you need to take the steps to raise it.
Why Stabilizers Need To Be Balanced
But in spite of how important a pool stabilizer is, having the wrong amount in the pool can itself be a problem. As RentSmartUSA warns, you can either have too much or too little stabilizer in your swimming pool. And both will have adverse effects on the pool.
When stabilizer levels in a pool are too high, it overpowers the chlorine and makes it ineffective. This is because the Total Dissolved Solids in the pool escalates to the point where it impairs chlorines ability to kill bacteria and algae.
Too much CYA can also lead to a condition called “purple” or copper cyanurate. And it will cause chlorine block. This is a situation where chlorine tests read negative even when there is chlorine in the water.
Too little CYA, on the other hand, will leave the pools chlorine unprotected and in a few hours, it will be depleted by the sun. This leaves the pool exposed to bacteria and algae. Excessively low levels of CYA mostly happen when there has been heavy rainfall or after a large pool party where the pool water level was significantly lowered. Pool stabilizer levels dont easily drop because CYA is not easily depleted.
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How Much Pool Stabilizer Should You Use
Before you start adding chemicals to your pool, you need to know how much CYA is already in your water. CYA can get into your water just by adding chlorine tablets or some types of shock.
And before you test, you should know exactly how many gallons of water your pool holds. We have this handy built-in calculator you can use to find out:
Youll find wide variations among recommendations for the optimal levels of stabilizer in your pool, from a few parts per million to 100 ppm, and everything in between.
We recommend nothing higher than 50 ppm. At that concentration, the difference in chlorine effectiveness between pools with stabilizer and without becomes noticeable. You may also see more algae growth at levels above 50 ppm due to the negative effect on your free chlorine.
Just to reassure you even further, stabilizer levels above 50 ppm do not provide any significant increase in UV protection for chlorine, but they do increase the risk of bacteria and algae growth.
With your pool stabilizer at 50 ppm or lower, youll still want to monitor your available chlorine through regular, frequent water testing to ensure your pool is properly sanitized.
To maintain a healthy balance of free chlorine and stabilizer, aim to keep your sanitizer levels at 7.5 percent of your stabilizer level. This means if your pool conditioner is 50 ppm, youll want the free chlorine level to be around 3 ppm, the ideal level in any case.
When Should You Add Chlorine Stabilizer To Your Pool
Does adding chemicals to your pool once a year sound too good to be true? Well, it isexcept in the case of pool stabilizer. Because the chemical doesnt get used up while working, nor does it gas off like other pool additives, it simply remains in your water.
The levels typically wont ever decrease unless you have significant splashout or evaporation, requiring you to add water. Dilution will also lower stabilizer concentration in your pool.
When you use stabilized chlorine in your pool every week, youre adding a touch of stabilizer every time you add chlorine. You really wont need more than that throughout the year to keep pool stabilizer at the appropriate concentration.
However, its because of this that pool stabilizer levels can creep up over time, particularly if you dont need to top off your pool very often. Buy quality pool chemistry test strips, and youll be able to keep an eye on your stabilizer level when you test your water each week.
If you notice your stabilizer level creeping up, check your water level. Topping off your pool may be enough to knock it back down a bit.
You may also switch to non-stabilized chlorine, which comes in liquid and granules. Just be sure to monitor your water chemistry, so you can switch back or add stabilizer as needed.
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What Causes Low Ph
Because pH is such an unstable factor, many things can affect it.
But when its low, it is usually caused by things like rainwater or debris getting into your pool.
Total alkalinity is sort of the stabilizing factor for pH, so its important to test this level every time you test your pH levels.;
When it is off, pH is almost always off in the same direction as well.;
When Cya Levels Should Be Lowered
Cryptosporidium is a parasite that is immune to chlorineand thrives commonly in kiddie pools prone to fecal events. It should be worthnoting that excessive CYA degrees plainly indicates high crypto levels.
If so, you should straight away decrease your CYA degreesto a maximum of 15 ppm. You can do this by diluting and adding more water.
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Low Stabilizer In Pool: How To Fix A Common Issue
Low stabilizer in a pool is a common issue that can be easily fixed. When a pool is exposed to sunlight, chlorine breaks down and no longer sanitizes causing the sanitizer to be low. This happens quickly and on sunny days the chlorine level can go down to an unacceptable level in a matter of hours.
The following article will teach you about the benefits of using stabilizer as well as how to increase the pH along with the right products to use to do so. You will be on your journey to a clean and healthy pool in no time.
How Much Pool Stabilizer Do You Need
According to the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, the ideal range for pool stabilizer should be between 30 and 50 ppm when used in the average backyard pool. The concentration should never exceed 100 ppm, which is the absolute upper limit prescribed by the World Health Organization.;
Maintaining levels around 50 ppm will safeguard your chlorine, allowing it to do its job without getting destroyed by sunlight. Remember, more pool stabilizer doesnt mean more protection, it will actually just decrease your chlorines efficacy. This is a Goldilocks situation 50 ppm is just right and stabilizer is really only helpful at these specific levels.
Pro Tip for Indoor Pools: Pool stabilizer is not recommended for indoor pools that do not receive direct sunlight. Since indoor pools dont have to deal with the destructive effects of UV radiation , the pool stabilizer would actually counteract your chlorines effectiveness, rather than doing any good.
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Determine How Much To Add
The first thing you need to do is determine how muchstabilizer youll need to add so that your CYA level is at the right range. Asa general rule, youll need to add approximately 13 ounces of stabilizer so thatit can reach a level of 10,000 gallons. However, this may vary depending on thecurrent chemical level of your pool and the size.
The Downside Of Pool Stabilizer
This all sounds great, right? So, of course, there has to be a catch. Although pool stabilizer can provide some amazing benefits in protecting your chlorine and extending its lifespan, the downside is that the effectiveness of the chlorine is decreased.
When pool stabilizer bonds with chlorine, the chlorines ability to kill bacteria is somewhat limited. The term for chlorines sanitizing power is known as the Oxidation Reduction Potential. This potential is reduced when chlorine and pool stabilizer bond together. To put it simply, stabilized chlorine lives longer but is less powerful than it would be in its original state.
You also need to keep an eye on the stabilizer levels in your pool, just as you do with the other chemicals floating around in there. If the amount of stabilizer in your pool water gets too high, theres the possibility of getting chlorine lock when the chlorine is actually overwhelmed by the stabilizer.;
Chlorine lock is bad news because it completely throws off your water testing, giving a negative result for chlorine levels, even if its present in the pool.;
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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.
Why Is My Pool Stabilizer Always Low
Low stabilizer in a pool is a common issue that can be easily fixed. When a pool is exposed to sunlight, chlorine breaks down and no longer sanitizes causing the sanitizer to be low. This happens quickly and on sunny days the chlorine level can go down to an unacceptable level in a matter of hours.
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The Best Level Of Cyanuric Acid
Testing the water for a Cyanuric Acid level is the first step. The test for cyanuric acid is interesting; its called a turbidity test. The presence of CYA will turn the water sample cloudy, or turbid.
If you dont have a turbidity test for CYA, you can use these test strips to check your Cyanuric Acid, Hardness and Total Dissolved Solids levels. Since you only need to check these levels monthly, it makes sense to have separate test strips for these tests.
Maintaining the level around 30-50 ppm is recommended. There is little advantage in exceeding the level, and as shown above, the higher the level, the higher the kill time for your chlorine becomes.
Tips For Faster Dissolving Stabilizer
With the sock method, some people like to give the sock a squeeze every now and again to encourage the cyanuric acid to dissolve. Im not sure this has really been proven to dissolve stabilizer faster but give it a go it may work for you.
With both methods, its important to run your pump and circulate the water 24 hours a day for the first 48 hours. This will help the cyanuric acid mix and also dissolve quicker.
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How Long Does Cyanuric Acid Take To Dissolve
It depends how youve added the chlorine stabilizer to your pool as to how long it will take cyanuric acid to dissolve. The time it takes for cyanuric acid to dissolve is 2 to 5 days.
Its important to be patient during this time and wait for it to fully dissolve before adding more cyanuric acid to the water. Cyanuric acid levels will continue to increase until all of the chlorine stabilizer has completely dissolved.
You dont want to be adding more pool stabilizer than necessary. Too much cyanuric acid in your pool will mean the chlorine is less effective at fighting the bad bacteria. If you have added too much stabilizer, check out our article here on how to lower the cyanuric acid levels.
Sometimes it may seem like the pool stabilizer has dissolved, however be aware that it is unlikely to have dissolved fully in less than 48 hours.
How Much Stabilizer Do I Need For My Pool
The good question to know the amount of stabilizer needed gets so confusing as some experts proposed quantities vary. Well, the standard says your stabilizer should fall between 30ppm-50ppm. Most experts would say 80ppm could be the maximum, but this proposes a great risk to your water. I would not advise you to stick to that recommendation.
Even though your pool is stabilized at 50ppm or lower, you still need to monitor your water and do regular pool testing. The idea is to keep your water sanitized at 7.5%, which implies keeping it at 3-4ppm when the water is stabilized at 50ppm.
To treat your pool with a stabilizer, you should use about 4 pounds of cyanuric acid for 10,000 gallons of water in every 30ppm you need to maintain. Most of these instructions can be gotten in the products you purchase. Make sure to go through properly before adding chemicals to your pool.
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What Ph Balance Is So Important
As you can tell, off-balance pH levels can cause some issues. For example:
- Low pH irritates the skin and eyes. It can also irritate the mucous membranes in your nasal cavity. This is because acidic water will strip away your bodys natural oils.
- Low pH corrodes equipment. Everything in contact with acidic water is basically being worn away, which is why if left unchecked, it will corrode your plumbing, accessories, liners and other equipment.
- Unbalanced pH kills chlorines power. Whether its low or high, unbalanced pH is the super-villain of your pools germ-fighting hero. In this scenario, you can add all the chlorine you want and your pH levels will render it useless.
- High pH clouds the water. While cloudy water in and of itself is not necessarily unsafe, it does usually signal an underlying issue. And besides, no one wants to swim in murky water!
How To Increase Stabilizer In Pool Check The Addition Of The Stabilizer
If your residence is in a zip code location that has a moderate climate throughout the year, then top up the pool stabilizer levels once every week.
This is because the level of stabilizer remains the same if it doesnt get exposed to scorching heat.
Higher than normal stabilizer levels might turn the water into a reservoir of algal and bacterial spores, depending on your zip code.
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How Much Stabilizer Does Your Pool Need
Opinions vary a little among experts about the proper level of CYA a pool should have, but as a general rule, it should not dip below 30 ppm or rise above 50 ppm.
Some experts argue that it will be okay up to 80 ppm, but I disagree.
Most of the time, levels above 50 ppm cause chlorine lock, which is where you have added plenty of chlorine but your tests are reading 0.
You’ll still need to monitor your available chlorine levels with your chlorine stabilizer at 50 ppm or lower; you can do this with consistent water testing.
A good rule of thumb is to keep your sanitizer levels at round 7.5 percent of your stabilizer. So, doing the quick math, if your pool conditioner is 50 ppm, you should shoot for free chlorine levels between 3 ppm and 4 ppm.
You should use about 4 lbs of CYA per 10,000 gallons of water for every 30 ppm it needs to be raised. Some product instructions vary, though, so be sure to read the label for proper dosage.;
Most of the time, you will need to add CYA at the beginning of swim season and wont have to mess with it much after that.;
P.S. this handy little calculator helps with dosage calculations for your pool chemicals.;
Cyanuric Acid: What Is It And Why Do I Need It
Cyanuric acid, or CYA, is a stabilizer that partially blocks sunlight on chlorine. If you have low pH and stabilizer, the most common product to use is Cyanuric Acid. The way it works is .
With the correct level of CYA in the water, , you will have to add much less chlorine because the levels will be more stable.
Be advised, however, that while stabilizers do stop chlorine from breaking down they also reduce the effectiveness of the chlorine when it comes to disinfecting your pool. You will need to keep the chlorine level higher than you normally would when there is CYA in the water in order to keep the chlorine effective.
For example, when CYA is at 30 ppm, chlorine must be at 2 and 4 ppm, but when CYA is at 50 ppm, chlorine needs to be between 4 and 6 parts per million.
So, if you have to keep higher chlorine levels you will have to add more sanitizer. However, this will be nothing in comparison to the amount required to replace losses caused by UV exposure if you do not use a stabilizer. Also, you will have to add chlorine much less often if you use this method.
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