Cyanuric acid is a chemical often included in the maintenance list of any saltwater pool owner or manager. So do you really need cyanuric acid in your saltwater pool? The short answer is yes, and here’s why it matters — especially if you’re counting on an automated system, such as a robotic pool cleaner, to keep your pool pristine.
In this blog post, we will discuss how cyanuric acid works in a saltwater pool, how it interacts with your pool’s sanitation system, and why it’s essential to keep proper levels of CYA to ensure the effectiveness of your pool cleaning equipment. Whether you’re using a pool vacuum robot or a swimming pool robot cleaner, the right chemical balance is essential to your pool robot’s cleaning efficiency.
What is Cyanuric Acid?
Cyanuric acid (CYA), commonly known in pool circles as a “chlorine stabilizer,” is a chemical compound that prevents chlorine from breaking down too quickly under the sun’s glare. In conventional chlorine pools, CYA helps protect chlorine from UV rays. This is especially obligatory in saltwater pools in which chlorine is created by electrolysis. Low levels of CYA result in quick breakdown of the chlorine generated inside a saltwater pool which in return compels more chlorine leading one to struggle as a pool owner to maintain a clean and safe pool.
Do Saltwater Pools Need Cyanuric Acid?
Even though saltwater pools are created using a salt chlorinator that produces chlorine, this chlorine is still susceptible to the sun’s UV rays. Without cyanuric acid, chlorine will dissipate more quickly, which means you’ll need to add more chlorine to keep an effective level of sanitation. One important function Cyanuric acid plays is as a stabilizer, which helps keep all of the active chlorine in your pool effective for a longer amount of time.
So, here are the 4 major reasons why you need cyanuric acid for a saltwater pool:
It Safeguards Chlorine from Degrading in the Sun — Chlorine degrades in direct sunlight. Cyanuric acid makes this process slower, preserving the effectiveness of the chlorine. This means if you have a robot pool cleaner it’ll be able to work even more efficiently because the chlorine remains in the pool longer and provides better sanitation for your robot and pool surfaces.
Lowers the Frequency of Chlorine Adds: W/o enough cyanuric acid you’d be adding chlorine more often (to keep the pool sanitized). The process could be resource-intensive. Reduce chlorine consumption by adding cyanuric acid, which also allows your pool cleaning robot to work better without being obstructed by bad water quality.
Facilitates Consistent Pool Chemistry: It ensures proper levels of cyanuric acid so that your pool chemical balance remains as it needs to be, which is important both for your robotic pool cleaner, as well as the swimmers. Chlorinator Efficiency Low CYA causes a significant round in the chlorine demand, resulting in significantly less efficiency of your pool cleaner.
Recommended Cyanuric Acid Levels in Saltwater Pools
In a saltwater pool, cyanuric acid should be between 30–50 ppm (parts per million). Not enough CYA and the chlorine will break down too fast, but too much and it becomes difficult for the chlorine to sanitize. Too-high CYA can hinder chlorine’s germ- and algae-killing power, and that will make it all the more difficult for your pool cleaner robot to do its job.
If you’re relying on a pool skimmer or pool vacuum robot to help control debris, the water must stay balanced for these tools to function optimally. When the CYA levels are too high, the water becomes cloudy and your swimming pool robot cleaner can’t move freely or collect as much debris.
How to Increase Cyanuric Acid in a Saltwater Pool
If your cyanuric acid levels are low, you will have to add it to your pool. Here’s a straightforward method for adding cyanuric acid to a saltwater pool:
Calculate Dosage: The amount of cyanuric acid required is based on the volume of water in your pool and the current CYA level. Test your CYA levels using a pool test kit and balance them to be within the proper range.
Cyanuric Acid Mix: Cyanuric acid should not be poured directly into the pool. Instead, combine it with water in a bucket, turning it into a slurry. This also prevents an undissolved deposit of acid from accumulating in the bottom of the pool.
Step 5: Add the Solution to Your Pool Slowly molecular compound of your pool is close to the return jets or deep end. Moving water will help carry it around the pool.
Run Your Pool Pump: Once the cyanuric acid has been added, turn on the pool’s filtration system and allow it to run for a few hours to dissolve the acid and spread it evenly throughout the pool.
Check the Chemistry in your Pool: After allowing the acid to circulate for some time, test the pool water again to make sure that the CYA levels fall within the range that is recommended.
Maybe what is a Cyanuric Acid and How Does It Affect Your Robotic Pool Cleaner?
In fact, the chemical balance of the pool has a remarkable effect on the efficiency of your robotic pool cleaner or pool robot cleaner. Cyanuric acid helps to maintain chlorine as one of the primary sanitizers in your pool, which keeps your pool cleaning robot running in clean, clear water.
What’s in your water matters; for instance, if the chlorine in your pool breaks down too quickly thanks to a lack of CYA, your robot pool vacuum may need to work overtime to remove algae or debris that could’ve been prevented with proper chemical balance. Plus, you should know that your pool cleaner robot can’t work as well in water with inconsistent levels of chlorine, which can encourage bacterial growth or simply make the water cloudy enough that your robotic pool cleaner can’t work.
Having the right level of cyanuric acid also means that your pool cleaning robot, whether that’s the Beatbot AquaSense Pro or another high-performing machine, will be free to do its work, unhindered by poor water chemistry.
Conclusion
To summarize, the stabilizer cyanuric acid, although not a necessity, is needed in a saltwater pool in order for the chlorine to work to its fullest potential. Your robot pool cleaner for sale pool vacuum robot or swimming pool robot cleaner will not rest, and neither should the balance of chemicals in your pool, including the levels of CYA.
When you add cyanuric acid to your saltwater pool, it serves a dual purpose: it protects the chlorine from sunlight degradation and reduces the frequency with which you must add chlorine. That means clearer water, superior sanitation, and a more effective pool cleaner robot. So, keep an eye on your pool’s CYA levels and tweak them as necessary to extend the life of your robotic pool cleaner.
