Here in Arizona we are blessed with lots and lots (and lots) of sunshine and we love our pools. Whether your pool is Salt water or you have an old fashioned floater in it, or both, your pools main protection from harmful bacteria and algae is chlorine. Chlorine, whether generated by your salt generator or from a jug is quickly degraded by the sun. So fast, in fact our Arizona sun can wipe out 75-90% of the chlorine in just two hours. That means half your chlorine is gone in as little as 45 minutes! The good (and bad) news is in 1956 Cyanuric acid was discovered!
CYA is a double edged sword
Cyanuric acid, also referred to as conditioner or stabilizer, protects chlorine from the sun and slows the chlorine burn off from the sun. Thats great so more is better right? The answer is unfortunately no. As CYA levels climb it begins to weaken the chlorine’s ability to work and it takes more and more chlorine to keep a pool clean and sparkling.
Why does my CYA level keep rising?
Every chlorine tablet and most shocks contain Cyuranic acid also referred to as stabilized chlorine. Every time these products are used to sanitize the pool it adds a little more to the pool. The more a pool is used the more chlorine is added, and the faster the CYA level rises. CYA doesn’t evaporate and is only removed when water is removed which is the only sure way to remove it.
What can I do keep it from rising so fast?
Introduce fresh water regularly. This can be in the form of back washing if you have a sand filter or pumping water out while introducing fresh water. Ultimately, however you are doing the same thing draining a pool will do. Some of our commercial customers drain their pools several times a year to keep CYA at bay. Residential pools however vary. Pools that aren’t used much often can go as long as 4 years. Others, who use their pools a lot may be as short as 1 year.
Whats the bottom line?
If you have an outdoor pool, and you live in Arizona, Cyanuric acid is your friend, most of the time. Stabilized chlorine is still king when it comes to protecting your pool, and the swimmers from things that wish to harm us. We all change the oil on our cars because over time the oil gets dirty and the filter can’t get it out. Swimming pools in Arizona are very much the same. Every 1-4 years you need to plan on giving your swimming pool an “oil change”. Anyone who tells you differently is either trying to sell you more chemicals in the form of algaecides, chlorine, or they simply don’t know what they are talking about. In closing, If your having trouble keeping your water clear, or you have algae, and the chlorine levels are fine, you can bet you have high CYA and its time to give your pool and oil change.