Stabiliser is the generic name given to the use of
– Cyanuric acid is a chlorine stabilizer for swimming pools. been shown to reduce the amount of chlorine needed to maintain the minimum chlorine residual in an outdoor pool. In a small pool with a moderate bather load, cyanuric acid can significantly reduce the cost for chemical disinfection.
Cyanuric acid is used in outdoor pools to protect chlorine from destruction by the sun's UV rays. Sold commercially as “Pool Conditioner” or “Pool Stabilizer”, cyanuric acid sales amount to millions of metric tons per year for swimming pools and water treatment facilities.
What is cyanuric acid? - Cyanuric acid is a chlorine stabilizer for swimming pools. It is usually referred to as “stabilizer”. It should not be confused with muriatic acid which is used to adjust the pH.
The excessive levels of cyanuric acid reduce chlorine activity, facilitating microbial proliferation in pool water. This compromised disinfection may increase the risk of waterborne illnesses due to inadequate elimination of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens.
Too much stabilizer can cause your chlorine to become less effective at killing bacteria and algae, and it can also lead to cloudy or hazy and unsafe pool water. Additionally, high stabilizer levels can cause your pH levels to become imbalanced, which can lead to other water quality issues.
Acute toxicity: Cyanuric acid (syn: isocyanuric acid) is of low toxic in acute toxicity studies. This chemical is considered to be slightly irritating to eyes, but not to the skin.
Without a stabilizer, the sun's UV rays will burn off the chlorine in your pool quickly, which can lead to algae and bacteria growth. UV rays degrade the chlorine in your pool, leading to cloudy and less-than-deal- water conditions. That's where a chlorine stabilizer comes in.
How do pools get high CYA levels? Cyanuric acid is not naturally occurring and should not be in tap water. All the CYA in a swimming pool was either added directly (granular or liquid CYA products), or as a byproduct of stabilized chlorine (sodium dichlor or trichlor).
Polyhexamethylenebiguanide or PHMB is developed by certain brands such as Baquacil and Softswim as an effective alternative solution to chlorination. This is a more stable ingredient than chlorine and is not affected by sunlight. Hence, it does not require a stabilizer.
You do not need stabilizer for a pool but it will significantly help manage chlorine consumption throughout your season and save you money on chemicals. Can you use baking soda as pool stabilizer? Yes, you can use baking soda as pool stabilizer, but the baking soda will also raise the alkalinity level.
If the pool is clear, but has no chlorine, then it is best to shock the pool first, wait at least an hour, and then add the stabilizer. It is recommended that you add stabilizer when there is a measurable amount of chlorine in the pool.
Adding a chlorine stabilizer reduces the sun's impact on chlorine loss. Maintain a stabilizer level between 30-150 ppm. The longer chlorine is present in pool water, the longer it's available to kill bacteria and sanitize the water.
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate is naturally alkaline, with a pH of 8. When you add baking soda to your pool water, you will raise both the pH and the alkalinity, improving stability and clarity. Many commercial pool products for raising alkalinity utilize baking soda as their main active ingredient.
By carefully adding muriatic acid, you can reduce high pH levels, preventing water cloudiness, ineffective chlorine, and scale formation. Additionally, muriatic acid's corrosive properties enable it to remove stains, scale, and calcium deposits from pool surfaces and equipment.
– 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.
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.
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.
A pool with a stabilizer level of over 70 ppm runs the potential of being over stabilized. Too much stabilizer can begin to lock the chlorine in your pool (chlorine lock) and render it useless.
Stabiliser is the generic name given to the use of cyanuric acid (also known as iso-cyanuric acid) or its chlorinated compounds of sodium dichloro-isocyanurate and trichloro-isocyanuric acid. When added to an outdoor swimming pool cyanuric acid bonds loosely to chlorine to minimise its degradation by UV light.
Usually, you will only need to add stabilizer when you open your pool every year.
The maximum safe chlorine level is 3 parts per million (ppm). Anything above 5ppm is considered a hazard and should be addressed immediately. If you find numbers as high as 7-10ppm, the pool should not be used until chlorine levels return to safer levels.
Cyanuric acid (CYA) protects chlorine from the sun's UV rays (think of it like chlorine sunblock). If an outdoor pool is using chlorine and no cyanuric acid present is in the water, the sun will quickly break it down. This means you'll constantly be feeding your pool chlorine to keep the pool water chemistry balanced.
Is Cyanuric Acid the Same as Baking Soda? 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.