A part of your swimming pool’s chemical chemistry is cyanuric acid. It is also commonly known as CYA, pool conditioner, chlorine stabilizer, or pool stabilizer. The right amount of cyanuric acid helps decrease chlorine loss in your swimming pool by protecting it from the sun’s UV rays. 

It is a vital part of healthy swimming pool maintenance to add cyanuric acid to your swimming pool. Cyanuric acid is a weak acid which is why a high level of it has a small amount of toxicity and provides no serious health risks.

However, a high level of cyanuric acid will reduce pool chlorine’s effectiveness, thus keeping it from doing its job. Here are some ways on how you can reduce the levels of cyanuric acid in your pool. 

Drain and Dilute Your Swimming Pool 

The first method to manage your swimming pool chemistry and reduce cyanuric acid is to drain and dilute your swimming pool. This is the best method you can do most of the time to help balance the cyanuric acid levels in your swimming pool. 

Completely draining out your pool can be risky. It can cause hydrostatic pressure, which can cause your pool to pop up and get damaged. If you plan to drain your pool more than one-third, it would be best to contact a professional and let them do the proper draining. This way, you can avoid hydrostatic pressure and damage your pool altogether. 

Nevertheless, you can opt to drain your pool partially to avoid any damage. Here are the steps to properly drain your swimming pool to lower the cyanuric acid levels in it. 

Here is How:

• First, you need to test the pool water to know the current level of your cyanuric acid to use as the baseline. There are swimming pool testing kits available in the market to help you. You can opt for a digital test kit, a liquid test kit, or a test strip. 

• If you have a submersible pump, you can use it to drain water from your pool. It is easy and convenient to use. However, if you do not own a submersible pump, your swimming pool’s filtration system can also help do the job. 

• When draining using a submersible pump, you need to place it in the water and attach a hose to the pump and make sure that you place the other end as far from the pool as possible. If there is a sewer nearby, it is best to place the other end there. This ensures that the water draining will directly go to the drainage system and avoid pooling around your swimming pool. 

• If you plan to use your filtration system to drain your pool, set the valve into a backwash setting or sometimes referred to as waste or drain. When you choose to use your filtration system to drain your pool, always be aware and never let the water level reach below the skimmer. If this happens, the skimmer will suck in air which results in damage to your filtration system. 

• Only drain the pool water up to a few inches. This is why it is important to do the draining slowly so that you can control the process. 

• Once the pool is partially drained, add fresh water to your swimming pool by using a garden hose. Fill the pool to the halfway point of the skimmer. 

• Once your swimming pool is filled up to the right level, it is now time to retest the water. Compare it to the first test you took earlier. Repeat the procedure until the cyanuric acid levels in the water reach 30 to 50 PPM and not higher. 

Add Cyanuric Acid Reducer to the Pool Water

The next method of reducing cyanuric acid levels in your pool is to use a reducer. Again, there are products in the market that can help you decrease cyanuric levels, such as Bio-Active Cyanuric Acid Reducer. 

If you plan to use a CYA reducer, remember not to use any other chemicals in your pool water, such as algaecides, clarifiers, or phosphate treatments, seven days before the CYA reducer treatment. Follow these steps below to ensure that you are using cyanuric acid reducer the right way. 

Here is How:

• Prep up your swimming pool water the day before the treatment. The swimming pool should have a temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the perfect water temperature to let the CYA reducer do what it intended to do. Although it can still work at a much lower temperature, it can be at a much slower pace. Moreover, the product will not work  when the water temperature hits below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. 

• Once the pool is already prepped up, the next step you need to do is to test the water. Make sure that the pH level of your water is between 7.2 and 7.6 and the alkalinity is between 80 to 120 PPM. The chlorine should also be tested and should be around 1 to 5 PPM only.

• Cyanuric acid reducer comes in two different size packaging. If your pool has 25,000 gallons of water, it is recommended to buy the 8-ounce pouch of CYA reducer. In contrast, it is advised to purchase the 16-ounce pouch for 50,000 gallons of water swimming pools. So choose the right size according to your swimming pool size.

• Create the mixture of the cyanuric acid reducer by filling a 5-gallon bucket halfway with water. Then add the cyanuric acid reducer powder to the bucket and mix well using a stick. 

• Add the mixture into your swimming pool by slowly pouring it as you walk around your pool. 

• After adding all the CYA reducers into your swimming pool, you will need to wait 7 to 10 days to retest the water. If the cyanuric acid levels are still high, repeat the process until you achieve the correct levels.

Why Cyanuric Acid Levels Get Too High?

Cyanuric acid is a chemical that does not evaporate or degrade. Unlike other chemicals in your pool water like chlorine, it evaporates over time. Thus, its levels tend to go lower. Cyanuric acid, on the other hand, will stay in your swimming pool. 

Even after you completely drain your swimming pool, cyanuric acid will still be present. This is because it gets into your swimming pool plaster. This is why adding freshwater with no CYA present is the best way to manage the levels. Using the reducer can also be a quick fix. As long as you choose the method you are most comfortable with, then you are good to go. 

Start Reducing the Cya Now!

If your swimming pool has high cyanuric acid levels in its water, it is best to act sooner and reduce it to a safer level. Never wait until you or a family member gets sick because CYA has hindered the chlorine from sanitizing your pool water. Thus bacteria will thrive.