STABILISERS ( Chlorine Protector or Cyanuric Acid )
As an owner of a pool it is very important that you put stabiliser in your swimming pool especially during the hot summer months. Having the right amount of stabiliser in your pool will protect the chlorine from the negative effects of UV and heat.
Stabiliser is a chemical that is added to the pool water to help keep the chlorine from being used up too quickly. It also reduces the amount of chlorine we need to add to the pool water in order to maintain these levels of disinfection. When chlorine is added to the pool, it takes up the form of Hypochlorous Acid (HOCI) and Hypochlorous Acid is very unstable in the presence of sunlight and dissipates very quickly. It is therefore very important to have the correct levels of stabiliser in your pool to protect the chlorine in your pool, and your stabiliser levels should be maintained between 50-80ppm ( parts per million ) as pools without stabiliser can lose about 90% of their total residual chlorine in about two to three hours on a sunny day.
If you have too much stabiliser in your pool then the following problems will occur:
The chlorine usage in the water will be increased because with too much stabiliser in the pool water, the stabiliser forms a stronger bond with the water and thereby reduces the effectiveness of the chlorine and therefore interferes with the ability of the chlorine to effectively to do its job. The only way to reduce the high levels of stabiliser in pool water is to physically remove the stabilised water, by part draining your pool and re-filling the pool with non-stabilised water.
If you have too little stabiliser in your pool then the following problems will occur:
The chlorine will be rapidly lost from the water in the presence of sunlight. While the chlorine is in the water, it will be very effective but, the chlorine usage of the pool will be inordinately high.
To achieve optimum chlorine stabiliser protection in newly filled pools, add 1kg of stabiliser per 50 000 litres to achieve 50ppm.
REMEMBER:-
- Be extremely careful with Stabiliser as it is acidic and will corrode the marble plaster and your concrete paving.
- Monitor your pH levels as Stabiliser ( being acidic ) will lower your pH.
- If not confident when dealing with pool chemicals, ask for support from your local pool shop as they are the pool professionals.
Parts of the information were extracted from:
www.home-dzine.co.za/garden/garden-pool-tips.htm
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