- [Narrator] Cyanuric acid, also known as CYA or stabilizer,
helps protect your chlorine from being destroyed
under the sun's UV rays
and when you don't have enough CYA in your water,
your chlorine will quickly break down,
so here's a quick guide
on how to raise your cyanuric acid levels.
Let's dive in.
(upbeat music)
(water splashing)
Real quick, if you want more help taking care of your pool,
be sure to grab our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet.
It's totally free and will help keep your pool clean
and clear throughout the year.
First, what causes low cyanuric acid?
Chances are your CYA levels are low
because you're not using stabilized chlorine.
Stabilized chlorine,
like dichlor granules or trichlor tablets,
already contains cyanuric acid.
This helps protect the chlorine
from being destroyed by the sun's UV rays.
So if you're using unstabilized chlorine,
like liquid chlorine or bleach, it won't have any CYA in it.
Without cyanuric acid,
your chlorine will quickly break down
under the sun's ultraviolet rays.
Your CYA levels can also drop when your water's diluted.
So if you had to partially drain
or refill your water recently, your CYA levels could be low.
Low cyanuric acid can cause high chlorine demand
or the inability to maintain chlorine levels.
That means no matter how much chlorine you add to your pool,
the levels drop quickly
and low chlorine can mean algae growth.
The ideal range for your cyanuric acid is
between 30 and 50 parts per million,
but it's the ratio of CYA to chlorine
that's the most crucial.
Your free chlorine levels should be 7.5%
of your cyanuric acid levels.
So if your pool CYA levels are 40 parts per million,
you'll need to keep your free chlorine levels
at three parts per million
to effectively sanitize your water.
But not everyone has to worry about their CYA levels.
Indoor pool owners don't have to worry about cyanuric acid
since the chlorine isn't directly impacted
by the sun's UV rays
and cyanuric acid only helps stabilize chlorine
so it won't work in a bromine pool.
Okay, here's how to raise your cyanuric acid.
There are two ways to bring up your CYA.
Add stabilize chlorine to your water
or add pure cyanuric acid,
also known as chlorine stabilizer.
Before you add anything to your pool, test your water,
then balance your pH and total alkalinity.
This will help any chemicals you add later
work more effectively and keep in mind
that it's much harder to lower cyanuric acid levels
than it is to raise them, so don't overdo it.
You can always add more stabilized chlorine
or CYA later if needed.
Number one, add stabilized chlorine.
Chlorine like dichlor granules
or trichlor tablets are stabilized,
meaning they already come with cyanuric acid.
So if you've been using an unstabilized chlorine,
like liquid chlorine,
switching to a stabilized form
will bring up your CYA levels.
If you start regularly using stabilized chlorine,
be sure to frequently test your water
and keep an eye on your levels.
Your CYA can increase dramatically
if you're using too much stabilized chlorine in your water
and the only way to bring down these levels
is by diluting your water.
Number two, add pure cyanuric acid,
AKA chlorine stabilizer.
If you want more control over the amount
of cyanuric acid in your water, you can add pure CYA,
also known as chlorine stabilizer, directly to your pool.
In general, if you have a 10,000 gallon pool,
it takes about three ounces of pool stabilizer
to raise your CYA levels by 10 parts per million.
Remember that your CYA levels
should be between 30 and 50 parts per million
and CYA also lingers in the water,
so you usually only need to add it once or twice a year.
Remember, it's easier to add more cyanuric acid
than it is to lower your levels, so take things slowly.
Finally, cyanuric acid is exactly that, an acid.
Vinyl liners are incredibly susceptible to CYA damage.
So if you don't add pool stabilizer correctly
or your chlorine tablets
start to dissolve in your pool in one place,
it could damage your pool's surfaces
and as always, be sure to wear protective gear,
like goggles and asset resistant gloves,
when handling chemicals.
If you need more help with pool maintenance,
grab our free pool care cheat sheet
at swimuniversity.com/cheatsheet
and if you found this video helpful,
subscribe for more pool maintenance tutorials
throughout the season.
That's it.
Thanks again and happy swimming.