What is a pool stabilizer? It is often referred to by several names—chlorine stabilizer, pool conditioner, chlorine pool stabilizer, among others—but basically, it is a chemical additive that functions to stabilize and extend the active life of the chlorine in the pool water.
If it is too low, you would add an alkaline material, typically sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate. They will usually be labeled pH up or increaser and ph down or decreaser. Stabilizer - if it is too low, you add cyanuric acid.
When to Add Chlorine Stabilizer
The product is typically added to the pool when it is first opened for the summer season. Open your pool under normal procedures, and let the filter run with its normal amount of chemicals. When all the other chemicals, such as chlorine.
If you need the pH level in the pool to rise, you need to add pool conditioner or stabilizer directly to the pool.
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.
Adding Stabilizer
In general, about 13 ounces of granular stabilizer will raise the CYA level of 10,000 gallons of water by 10 parts per million. Add the stabilizer to the skimmer basket while the pump is running, and keep the pump running for 24 hours after you add the stabilizer.
The addition of a cyanuric acid stabilizer to pool waters treated with chlorine is necessary to protect the active life of chlorine and its derivatives in the waters from the damaging effects of the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. When exposed to UV rays, chlorine evaporates rapidly.
There are two methods you can use to dissolve stabilizer into your pool water. You can either add the stabilizer to a pool skimmer box sock and hang the sock in front of the return jet or place it in the skimmer box. Or you can simply mix it in a bucket of water first and dump it into the skimmer box.
Just make sure that you wait at least 20 minutes after adding chlorine stabilizer (and that it's completely dissolved into the water) before you go swimming. The same rule applies to all other swimming pool water chemicals including adding alkalinity increaser, chlorine, algaecide, and more.
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 cyanuric acid.
For pools with plastic piping, Stabilizer 100 can be added VERY SLOWLY through the skimmer with the pump running. Circulate continuously for at least 24 hours.
Pool stabilizer is also sometimes called pool conditioner, chlorine stabilizer, or cyanuric acid (CYA). Its purpose is to stabilize the chlorine in your pool water, so the sanitizer lasts longer. This will ultimately help keep your water clean for a longer period of time.
Using liquid chlorine raises the pH of the water.
Liquid chlorine does not raise pH. When added to water, liquid chlorine (which has a pH of 13) makes HOCl (hypochlorous acid – the killing form of chlorine) and NaOH (sodium hydroxide), which raises pH.
Low pH is bad for swimmers, your pool and your wallet. Acidic water is corrosive. The most immediate effect is felt by swimmers as the water will sting their eyes, nasal passages and will dry out skin and hair, causing itching.
Low pH levels lead to a number of issues from maintenance headaches like premature erosion of grout and corroded fixtures like ladders and diving boards. Low pH causes pool liners to become brittle and crack. It also causes discomfort for swimmers like burning eyes and itchy skins.
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.
Adding Stabilizer
Some suppliers suggest adding granules via the skimmer so that they dissolve in the filter, releasing stabilizer to the pool over several days. Pool owners should avoid backwashing the pool for three days after adding stabilizer, allowing time for the product to fully dissolve and circulate.
With pump running, remove skimmer lid and slowly pour the required amount of stabilizer granules into the pump system. ADD IN SMALL AMOUNTS! Do not put more than 1 pound of stabilizer* into the skimmer over the course of an hour as the particles could jam your pump basket.
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.
As a quick refresher, total alkalinity is the measure of the ability of water to resist changes in pH, or its "buffering capacity." Cyanuric acid, also called stabilizer, is commonly used in outdoor pools to reduce photodecomposition of available chlorine.
Stabiliser is also available as sodium dichloro-isocyanurate (dichlor) which contains between 56% to 62% available chlorine depending on the formulation and does not affect the pH of the pool water when added.
Rule of thumb is to do the PH first. And do not bother to drive to pool store to spend the extra money for a PH DECREASER. Buy a plain baking soda for 50cents a pound in Walmart! Chlorine will not work fully until your PH is in the proper range.
Non-stabilized chlorines like calcium hypochlorite (cal hypo), sodium hypochlorite (liquid chlorine), and salt chlorine generators all tend to raise the pH of the pool. One common habit in the pool business is to add some acid to "offset" the pH rise that liquid chlorine causes.
Add soda ash if your pool's pH level is below 7.2. Add Muriatic Acid or Sodium Bisulfate if it's above 7.8. Continue to add appropriate product until your water has a pH level of 7.2-7.8 (ideally 7.4-7.6).