2. Dichloroisocyanuric Acid: Also known as “dichlor,” this is another type of chlorine shock. Dichlor contains both chlorine and cyanuric acid and will, over time, raise your cyanuric acid levels.
Step 2. Cal-hypo is the most popular shock used as well as the strongest shock available. Cal-hypo is a quick dissolving, unstabilized shock which means that the sun's uv rays will burn it off quickly and it will not increase the cyanuric acid level in the swimming pool.
Clorox has absolutely NO Cyanuric Acid (CYA) in it nor does it increase CYA at all when you use it. You should show them. It's mostly water, then sodium hypochlorite (i.e. chlorine), and sodium chloride salt, and then a small amount of sodium hydroxide and a very small amount of sodium polyacrylate.
In addition to raising available chlorine, cal hypo boosts pH, alkalinity and calcium hardness (CH) levels. Trichlor has the opposite effect on pH and alkalinity — reducing it. And where cal hypo affects CH, trichlor increases cyanuric acid (CYA).
Dichlor and trichlor contain both chlorine and cyanuric acid so it is not necessary to add cyanuric acid to the pool water. Stabilizer (aka cyanuric acid) is also sold at most pool supply stores. Cal-hypo and liquid chlorine do not contain stabilizer.
Unstabilized chlorine is simply chlorine that has not had cyanuric acid added to it. This means it dissipates more quickly, you won't get as much sanitizing power, and you'll have to add more chlorine more often. So if it's vulnerable to the sun, why would you use unstabilized chlorine?
Areas exposed to high levels of sunlight should maintain 60 – 80 ppm (parts per million). Pools using an ORP Controller (Oxidation Reduction Potential) such as the AutoPilot Total Control, should maintain 30-50 ppm. Indoor pools do not need cyanuric acid, unless it gets periodic exposure to sunlight.
What happens when CYA in a pool is too high? – CYA Levels exceeding a threshold of 70 parts-per-million of cyanuric acid can reduce the effectiveness of the chlorine in a pool. The amount of time it takes to kill bacteria lengthens as the concentration of CYA increases.
Shock does not contain any cyanuric acid, so after 24 hours, the elevated amounts of chlorine are no longer in the pool. as 90 percent of the chlorine in the water in two hours.
So, chlorine tabs lower pH and Total Alkalinity and increase cyanuric acid levels.
Trichlor: Because trichlor is a stabilized organic form of chlorine, the by-product of regular use is increased levels of cyanuric acid (CYA). Increased levels of CYA can reduce the effectiveness of disinfection from chlorine in pool water.
You do need to use both tabs and shock. Without tabs, the chlorine shock will dissipate quickly out of the water; without shock, the chlorine level will not get high enough to fully sanitize the water.
Yes both cyanuric acid and muriatic acid are both acids but they serve different purposes for the pool owner. Cyanuric acid has the chemical formula CNOH, whereas muriatic acid is a diluted form of hydrochloric acid, HCI.
Saltwater pool manufacturers recommend maintaining cyanuric acid levels around 60-80 ppm. This is a bit higher than the 30-50 ppm range recommended for non-saltwater pools. And if you live in an area where your pool gets a lot of direct sunlight, you may even consider bumping your cyanuric acid up to 80-100 ppm.
Yes, entirely possible. As you point out, there is a testing variance to consider and CYA will naturally degrade a few ppm per month, maybe a little more.
All alkaline materials are buffers. Cyanuric acid happens to be the most common buffer found in pool water. In effect, cyanuric acid helps stabilize both chlorine and pH. It binds with chlorine to prevent photolysis and it keeps pH elevated.
As mentioned earlier, it will take at least 48 hours and up to a week to fully dissolve. Powdered cyanuric acid is not so common and it may not be available to buy in your area. It's reported to not dissolve any faster than granular stabilizer.
For every pound of trichlor added (roughly two 3" tablets) to 10,000 gallons of water, the CYA increases 7 ppm. For every pound of dichlor added (roughly two 3" tablets) to 10,000 gallons of water, the CYA increases 6‒7 ppm.
Of the two forms of chlorine that will raise the CYA level (trichlor being the other), dichlor is the worst offender. It will raise the CYA level almost as much as it will the FC level.
No, cyanuric acid and baking soda work in very different ways in your pool. Baking soda raises the total alkalinity in your pool. But baking soda does not protect or stabilize your chlorine, like CYA.
CYA Removal Kit efficiently removes cyanuric acid from pool water. This revolutionary two-part system works without the need to drain or dilute water from a pool. CYA Removal Kit takes cyanuric acid (also known as CYA, stabilizer or conditioner) out of pool water.
Why You Have Low Cyanuric Acid
The most likely reason is that you've only ever used unstabilized chlorine in your pool. Heads up: Unstabilized chlorine, such as sodium hypochlorite (liquid chlorine), lithium hypochlorite, and calcium hypochlorite, is pure chlorine.