What Is Cyanuric Acid, and What Does It Do to My Pool?
There’s nothing quite as refreshing as swimming in a clean, serene pool. That feeling quickly disappears when you approach an unmaintained pool. Many know that pools require chlorine, but very few realize the importance of cyanuric acid in Pisgah Forest, NC.
There’s acid in my pool?
There is indeed acid in your pool. When our customers in Pisgah Forest, NC ask us, “What is cyanuric acid?”, we start with the basics. Known as pool conditioner, pool stabilizer or CYA, this acid is a chemical compound available in liquid or granulated forms. Some suppliers offer CYA combined with chlorine tablets or sticks (trichlor) and in chlorine shock (dichlor).
Cyanuric acid plays a crucial role in maintaining your pool. Ultraviolet rays rapidly break down chlorine molecules. In as little as two hours, the sunlight can diminish your pool’s chlorine content by up to 90 percent. CYA protects chlorine from the sun’s UV rays.
Chlorine and your pool
Without chlorine, your pool would be an E. coli breeding ground. This chemical is essential to keeping your pool and any swimmers safe. Without a pool stabilizer, you would need to add about eight times the amount of chlorine currently required. Of course, you couldn’t add all of this chlorine at once, so you would have to slowly combine it with your pool water throughout the day.
Your pool contains free chlorine, combined chlorine and total chlorine. Free chlorine is the amount of this chemical compound that still actively sanitizes your pool water. Combined chlorine refers to the amount of the sanitizing compound already used, killing bacteria and other foreign elements in your pool’s water. The sum of free and combined chlorine equals the total chlorine. Adding a pool stabilizer extends the life of the free chlorine in your pool water.
Maintaining free chlorine levels
After being added to your pool, chlorine transforms into sodium hypochlorite ions. UV rays break apart these ions, causing the chlorine to evaporate. This is why you use a pool stabilizer, such as cyanuric acid. The CYA chemically bonds with sodium hypochlorite ions. This prevents the ions from breaking apart in the sunlight. With the correct amount of pool conditioner, your free chlorine effectively kills bacteria for up to five times longer than untreated water.
Adding pool stabilizer
Once you understand what cyanuric acid is, you’ll likely see the value of adding it to your pool in Pisgah Forest, NC. However, you don’t want to go overboard with the pool conditioner. You must strike a delicate balance, ensuring you have enough chlorine and CYA, but never too much of one or the other.
Balancing the chemical and pH levels in a commercial pool requires expertise and years of experience. If you have questions about maintaining a commercial pool with chlorine and cyanuric acid in Pisgah Forest, NC, get in touch with Royal Water Works, Inc. today.
Our local, family-owned business has everything needed to test, treat and maintain the water in your pool. We’ll provide you with a complete assessment of your pool water and make recommendations about the right products. Contact us now.
Categorised in: Pool Water