Sunlight breaks down free chlorine
Cyanuric acid is a double-edged sword, but is necessary for most outdoor pools. Its main benefit–perhaps its only benefit–is it protects chlorine from UV degradation.
The problem is that cyanuric acid does not dissipate or evaporate but instead lingers and gathers in the pool water. Over time, the pool technician would be required to constantly re-apply Tri-Chlor or Di-Chlor products to re-sanitize the pool.
With both methods, it's 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.
CYA is not consumed the way that chlorine is consumed. When adding pure CYA into a T-shirt in my skimmer, it dissolves completely over a day and registers fully in my pool within 2 days.
And stabilized chlorine (like dichlor or trichlor) already comes with CYA, so you'll likely be adding it to your pool water throughout the season. Because CYA is an acid, you'll need to handle it carefully. It can damage your filter and your pool, especially if you have a vinyl liner.
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.
We also found that cyanuric acid is denser than water so it sinks to the bottom of a body of water.
Although there are no known adverse health effects associated with high CYA concentrations, most health officials usually limit CYA levels to 100 ppm. Some states recommend a lower level for spas, and some jurisdictions ban the use of CYA altogether.
When bacteria get going consuming CYA, it tends to happen fairly quickly. In addition to water dilution, CYA can also drop by being slowly oxidized by chlorine, but that usually takes months to notice. It's possible that some chemicals in the water may make that reaction more rapid, but we don't know for sure.
– Unlike chlorine, CYA is never used up and accumulates in the pool water as a waste product. Once you have added it to the pool water, it will remain in the water. The best way to reduce CYA is to partially drain the pool and add fresh water.
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.
Such should not be found in well water, but there might be similar types of organic nitrogen compounds. cyanuric acid is used in salt pools as a disinfectant. Please look out for for salth pools near the study area.
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. You'll know it has happened when your chlorine test shows very or little chlorine even right after you've added it to the pool.
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.
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.
Answer: Cyanuric acid shouldn't be at Zero for an outdoor swimming pool because chlorine will deplete faster in hot and humid weather, leading to cloudy water. If your FC is at normal level of 3ppm, raise Cyanuric acid level to 40 ppm and you will reduce chloramine levels that make your water appear cloudy.
In the pool industry, Cyanuric Acid is known as chlorine stabilizer or pool conditioner. Cyanuric Acid (CYA) is a pool balancing product used to help chlorine last longer. Chlorine, in its natural form, is unstabilized—which means it degrades when exposed to sunlight.
Uses Advised Against: None identified. OSHA REGULATORY STATUS: This material is not considered hazardous by the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200).
When Is It Safe To Swim After Adding Cyanuric Acid? As a general rule though, you can swim in your pool within 20 minutes of adding cyanuric acid. Make sure you have the pump on when you add it so that it mixes in the water. It's always best to check the manufacturer's instructions though.
It is recommended to wait at least 20 minutes to an hour after adding water balancing chemicals. You should wait 2-4 hours (or one full cycle through the filter) to swim from the moment you use calcium chloride in your pool. It is safe to swim once your chlorine levels are around 5 ppm or after 24 hours.
Baking soda is the best way to raise total alkalinity with minimal effect to pH and cyanuric acid.
However, as the cyanuric acid levels increase, they will have an effect on the total alkalinity test result. The cyanuric acid/cyanurate system contributes to total alkalinity since total alkalinity is the sum of all titratable alkaline substances and cyanurate is a titratable alkaline substance.