Cyanuric acid (CYA) is known as stabilizer/conditioner for your swimming pool. I'm not sure if this has been posted elsewhere and I've read quite a few posts but not seen it mentioned. A chlorinated pool with cyanuric acid will remain chlorinated in direct sunlight; whereas, without a stabilizer, chlorine will dissipate and leave the pool unprotected without free chlorine in a matter of hours. Stabilized chlorine contains cyanuric acid, which adds to the amount of stabilizer that is already in the water. Consequences of a high cyanuric acid level Chlorine’s potential to oxidize, often measured as oxidation reduction potential (ORP), is a good indicator of the effectiveness of chlorine to oxidize and sanitize swimming pool water. I probably didn't search the best way and maybe Polyvue or someone else can post a link. Although cyanuric acid offers a low level of toxicity without any serious health concerns, having high-levels of this chemical in a pool puts people at risk because of the chlorine’s diminished ability to kill bacteria and viruses. I was wondering if there were any discussions on this site about the potential for high levels of cyanuric acid to deteriorate plaster or cementitious surfaces in a pool. Now that we know that cyanuric acid stays in your pool water for a long time and doesn’t get used up the way chlorine does, testing often is super important. example: pump water high in cyanuric acid out of a swimming pool and the add fresh water to the pool. This stabilisation prevents the free chlorine from being decomposed by UV light. Most complete pool test kits come with a test for cyanuric acid but you can also get separate tests or test strips to check your levels. Maintaining the proper CYA level is vital to prevent the loss of chlorine as having too much can actually bind up chlorine and prevent it from functioning correctly. How it happens: With high levels of CYA, the acid actually leaves the water and attaches itself to the plaster. Once a level of 70 mg/l is exceeded, cyanuric acid becomes problematic. Cl) by ultraviolet (UV) rays in sunlight. Remove some water in container (10-20%) and add new water. As long as the cyanuric acid concentration is less than 20 mg/l, there will not be any problem. For example, pools using salt chlorinators need a cyanuric acid level ranging between 80-100 parts per million since tablets are not used. High Cyanuric Acid Levels & How it Effects Your Pool & Some Ways to Lower it Down & Keep it Down One of the most common water balancing issues is having high Cyanuric Acid (CYA) in your pool. Cyanuric Acid Facts. The function of cyanuric acid in the swimming pool. 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. Cyanuric acid is a substance used as a stabilizer, mixed into pools to keep the chlorine from being lost due to exposure to sunlight over time. Cyanuric acid ends up in your pool water via regular chlorine tablets and chlorine granules. Unlike swimming pools, the concern with hot tubs is that cyanuric acid is too high. CYA is so important to keep to a minimum that we decided to make Minimal CYA our fourth Pillar of Proactive Pool Care. This lowers the amount of bacteria a given amount of chlorine can clean up. the proper level of cyanuric acid in your pool. This is accomplished by formation of chloroisocyanyurates that do not appreciably ab-sorb UV light. If you broadcast Cyanuric acid (CyA) directly in your pool, opening delays are caused by the sight of the pool chemical at the bottom of your swimming pool.