When do you know if your CYA is too low? Your pool’s cyanuric acid levels should be between 30 and 50 parts per million (PPM) and even a little higher for saltwater pools. However, indoor pool owners don’t have to worry about CYA levels, since the chlorine isn’t directly impacted by the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Cyanuric acid is only really a concern for outdoor pool owners.

In order to raise your cyanuric acid levels, you’ll need to add a pool stabilizer or pool conditioner to your water. You can also start using stabilized chlorine, like sodium dichlor or trichlor, to sanitize your pool.

If you’re wondering why these levels are low in your pool and how to bring them up, here’s everything you need to know about what causes low cyanuric acid levels and how to raise cyanuric acid in your pool.

What Causes Low Cyanuric Acid?

Chances are, your CYA level is low because you’re not using stabilized chlorine in your pool. Stabilized chlorine, like sodium dichlor or trichlor tablets and granules, already contains cyanuric acid. This helps protect it from being destroyed by the UV rays from the sun. If you’re using unstabilized chlorine, Unstabilized chlorine, like sodium hypochlorite (liquid chlorine), lithium hypochlorite, and calcium hypochlorite, does not contain cyanuric acid.

Other things like rain, splashout, and water dilution can cause a decline in your cyanuric levels as well. So if you’ve had to partially drain and refill your water recently, you will also have low CYA levels.

By the way, if you find pool maintenance confusing and you’d like more step-by-step help, check out our Pool Care Video Course.

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What Happens if Cyanuric Acid Levels are Too Low?

When the level of cyanuric acid is too low in a pool, you can end up with all kinds of chlorine problems and unsanitary water issues.

Chlorine Use Increases

Sunlight naturally breaks down pool chlorine — and quickly. An entire pool’s worth could be gone within a few hours and without CYA present to protect it, you could find yourself adding more chlorine daily to keep it clean.

Chlorine Won’t Sanitize As Effectively

Because the sunlight is essentially eating your chlorine, there’s just not enough available to keep the water clean. Pollutants, bacteria, and viruses can easily take over the water.

Pool Water Can Turn Green with Algae Growth

When you’re water isn’t clean, it may become the perfect breeding ground for algae growth. And green isn’t the only color you need to worry about. Some bacteria can even lead to black algae or pink slime – and no matter what color it is – it’s unsafe for swimmers. It’s every pool owner’s nightmare.

Unbalanced Pool Water Chemistry

Your chlorine level drops if there is not enough CYA in the water to protect it. Inadequate chlorine levels can’t keep the water clean and set off a chain reaction affecting total alkalinity and pH balance.

Chlorine Smell and Chloramine Build up

With low CYA, the free chlorine gets used up faster. When the chlorine in the pool binds to pollutants like urine, sweat, and sunblock, it creates combined chlorine or chloramines. This kind of chlorine is less effective as a sanitizer and contributes to that strong chlorine smell you’ve undoubtedly experienced at public pools.

How To Raise Cyanuric Acid Levels in A Pool (2 Ways)

There are two things you can do to increase your CYA levels: add stabilized chlorine or add a pool stabilizer and conditioner (pure cyanuric acid).

Before you add anything to your pool, test your water using a liquid test kit or test strips. Then balance your pH level and total alkalinity first. This will help any chemicals you add later work more effectively.

Note: It’s much harder to lower cyanuric acid levels than it is to raise them, so don’t overdo it. You can always add more stabilized chlorine or CYA later if needed.

1. Add Stabilized Chlorine

If you purchase a form of stabilized chlorine, such as dichlor or trichlor granules or tablets, your chlorine will come with cyanuric acid. So if you’ve been using unstabilized chlorine or liquid bleach, this can be a way to introduce CYA into your water. You can buy stabilized chlorine in chlorine tablets, granular form, or liquid chlorine.

If you have chronically low cyanuric acid levels, look for tablet or granular chlorine products with cyanuric acid and consider having them on hand as part of your regular pool chemical supply.

Our Top Pick

3-Inch Stabilized Chlorine Tablets

Stock up and save money on chlorine tablets for the season by getting the standard 3-inch stabilized chlorine pucks.

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2. Add Pure Cyanuric Acid (Pool Conditioner or Stabilizer)

If you want to control the amount of cyanuric acid in your water, you can add pure CYA directly, also known as a chlorine stabilizer or chlorine conditioner.

Pool Mate Pool Stabilizer & Conditioner - 7 lbs.

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As a general guideline, 3 ounces of pool stabilizer will raise a 10,000-gallon pool’s CYA levels by 10 ppm. Remember that your CYA levels should be between 30 and 50 ppm. Keep in mind that because CYA lingers in the work, you usually only need to add it once or twice a year. And it’s easier to add more cyanuric acid than it is to reduce it, so take things slowly.

Finally, cyanuric acid is exactly that: an acid. So if you don’t add the pool stabilizer correctly, it could damage your pool. Vinyl pool liners are incredibly susceptible to CYA damage. And be sure to wear protective gear, like goggles and acid-resistant gloves.

How To Add Pool Stabilizer and Conditioner

Before adding any chemicals, start by testing and balancing your pool water so you know how much you need to raise your CYA levels.

Start with a 5-gallon bucket of pool water. Add the pool stabilizer or pool conditioner to the bucket of water. Do not add the water to the CYA – you don’t want splashback! Then pour all five gallons of water-CYA solution into the pool’s skimmer and run your pool pump for several hours to help it circulate. Finally, retest your pool’s chemical levels and adjust if needed. Repeat the process if you still have lower cyanuric acid levels than expected.

Be sure to add your pool stabilizer slowly. You can always add more later. But if you end up with too much cyanuric acid, you won’t need to completely drain it to balance your pool chemistry. Slowly drain a few inches of water off and refill the pool with fresh water. Keep the water above the pool pump to prevent it from taking in air and getting damaged. If you need more help reducing your CYA levels, be sure to check out our guide on How To Lower Cyanuric Acid.

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Raise Cyanuric Acid

Need more help with cyanuric acid? Here are some common questions and answers.

What do I add to my pool if the cyanuric acid is too low?

If during the course of regular pool maintenance, you find your cyanuric acid levels are too low, you can either add stabilized chlorine or pure cyanuric acid, also known as pool conditioner or pool stabilizer. Stabilized chlorine already contains cyanuric acid.

Does baking soda raise cyanuric acid?

No baking soda doesn’t increase your CYA level. It does, however, raise your pool’s total alkalinity. It won’t protect or stabilize your chlorine levels.

Does pool shock raise cyanuric acid?

Pool shock can raise your cyanuric acid levels, depending on the type you use. If you use a stabilized chlorine shock, then yes, it will raise CYA because it’s the stabilizing ingredient.

Does Clorox bleach have cyanuric acid in it?

Clorox does not contain any CYA in it and will not increase the CYA levels in your water if you use it. Household bleach is unstabilized chlorine and will be destroyed by the sun’s UV rays.

Will low cyanuric acid make a pool cloudy?

If you’ve got an outdoor swimming pool and have low cyanuric acid, you may experience cloudy water. This is because CYA helps to keep your chlorine levels where they should be. And without it, the chlorine depletes faster, which leads to unstanitary cloudy water.

Does a saltwater pool need cyanuric acid?

Saltwater pools need CYA, and manufacturers recommend keeping it on the slightly higher side: between 60 and 80 PPM. In saltwater pools, you don’t add chlorine directly. Instead, you add salt, and the salt generator creates sodium hypochlorite, which also degrades under sunlight. Salt chlorine generator manufacturers recommend running with higher free chlorine levels, since the generators continuously create chlorine, it’s crucial to protect the existing chlorine.

Need More Pool Maintenance Help?

• Download our free Pool Care Cheat Sheet. It’s a free, easy-to-use guide to help you keep track of taking care of your pool.
• Subscribe to our Swim University YouTube Channel. We publish free video tutorials throughout the pool season.
• Check out our Pool Care Course. You’ll get 30+ step-by-step videos and a downloadable guide with everything you need to know about pool maintenance.

The post CYA Levels Low? Here’s How To Raise Cyanuric Acid in a Pool appeared first on Swim University®.

Here’s a quick guide on the difference between clarifier and flocculant and how to use clarifier for crystal clear water. You can watch the quick video below. Or keep reading for the complete pool water clarifier tutorial.

What is Pool Clarifier?

Pool clarifier clears cloudy water by clumping together the small particles and contaminants. When you add a clarifier to cloudy water, those smaller particles coagulate into bigger particles that can be captured by your filter.

Most clarifiers don’t destroy the particles in your cloudy water. Instead, they bond the tiny particles together into larger clumps. Without a water clarifier, those small particles would simply pass through your pool pump and filter and head right back into your pool water.

Here’s the pool clarifier that we recommend:

Our Top Pick

Pool Water Clarifier by Swim University

Clears cloudy pool water by combining particles making it easier for your filter to remove. Let your filter do all the work! This fast-acting formula improves filter efficiency for the more effective removal of dead algae and organic debris. Apply clarifier directly to the pool. Great for all pools including inground, above ground, concrete, plaster, vinyl liner, and fiberglass. It's also compatible with salt water, mineral, ozone, and non-chlorine pool water. 

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What are the Benefits of Pool Clarifier?

If your pool is only mildly cloudy and you’re not in a rush to clear up your water, pool clarifier is an easy choice for several reasons:

• Pool Clarifier is less work. There’s no need to vacuum out or remove the clarifier once you use it. All you have to do is add the clarifier to the water and wait for it to do its job.
• Pool Clarifier is good for mild cloudiness. If your swimming pool water is just a little cloudy, but you can still see your pool floor, a clarifier is the right choice. And it’s a nice option to use after a pool party.
• Pool Clarifier saves water. Because it uses the natural function of your pool filter, you won’t have to remove any water from the pool when using a clarifier.
• Pool Clarifier can be used anytime. Even when your pool’s not noticeably cloudy, you can add a little clarifier to give the water a little boost and help it look extra sparkly.

What are the Downsides of Pool Clarifier?

Before using a swimming pool clarifier, there are a few instances when it’s not the best option to clear up a cloudy pool:

• Pool Clarifier works slowly. It may be two or three days before your pool is completely clear, depending on the severity of the cloudiness.
• You’ll need to clean the filter using a Pool Clarifier. Once the clarifier has worked, all those clumped particles will be in the filter. You’ll have to backwash your sand filter, clean and backwash your diatomaceous earth or D.E. filter, or clean your cartridge filter medium.
• Pool Clarifier is less powerful. Compared to pool flocculant, clarifier isn’t as effective at clearing up cloudy pools. It’s better suited for mildly cloudy water.

If you want to never deal with cloudy water again, check out our pool maintenance video course! It’s a step-by-step guide to help you prevent cloudy water problems in the future.

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How Long Does it Take for Pool Clarifier to Work?

Depending on your pool’s level of cloudiness, it can take 2-3 days to clear up your water using pool water clarifier. You’ll need to balance your water and run your filter 24/7 while the clarifier is at work. And if you have an algae problem, you’ll have to address that first before adding clarifier. Be sure to check out our guide on The Smart Way To Kill Algae In Your Pool Quickly.

How To Use Pool Clarifier

Pool clarifier is easy to use, but it’s important to follow the correct steps in the right order to help the clarifier work effectively. Remember: if you also have algae in your pool, address that problem first before using water clarifier. No amount of clarifier is going to get rid of algae.

1. Skim, Brush, and Vacuum Your Pool

You’ll want to make sure the clarifier can work effectively in your water, so start by removing any large debris with a skimmer net. Then brush your walls with a stiff pool brush and vacuum your pool manually.

2. Test and Balance Your Pool Water

Test your water with test strips or a liquid test kit. Then, adjust your pH and alkalinity as needed. Your pH levels should be between 7.4 and 7.6 and your alkalinity levels should be between 100 and 150 ppm.

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3. Shock Your Pool Water

If you have any algae or high levels of combined chlorine (also known as chloramines), you’ll need to shock your water first. Adding a high dose of chlorine, also known as shocking your pool, will help kill any contaminants in your water. If your cloudy water was caused by pool algae bloom, you’ll have to double or triple shock your pool depending on the type of algae.

Run your filter and let the shock dissolve overnight or for at least 8 hours. Then retest your water.

4. Keep Your Filter Running 24/7

Over the next several days, continuously run your filter to help clear up the cloudy water. You can return to your regular filter schedule once your water is cleared up.

Because you’ll be using the power of your filter to clear up the water, your pool will clear faster depending on the type of filter you own. D.E. Filters have the strongest filter capacity and will clear up cloudy water very quickly. Cartridge filters will take a bit longer and sand filters will take the longest.

5. Increase Your Pool Circulation

In order to get all of your pool water through your skimmer and into your filter system, be sure your pool has good water circulation.

You can help churn the cloudy water up from the bottom of the pool to the top by pointing your return jets down at a 45° angle and all in the same direction.

For inground pool owners, make sure your main drain is pulling water from the bottom of the pool into your filter system. If you don’t have a main drain, you can use a manual vacuum cleaner and turn it upside down at the bottom of the pool to act as a main drain.

6. Add Clarifier

After your pool shock has dissipated, it’s time to add pool clarifier. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions and add the correct amount for your size pool. Use a pool calculator if you need help figuring out your pool’s volume. Remember, keep the filter running 24/7 while the water clarifier is working.

Here’s our recommendation for a pool clarifier:

Our Top Pick

Pool Water Clarifier by Swim University

Clears cloudy pool water by combining particles making it easier for your filter to remove. Let your filter do all the work! This fast-acting formula improves filter efficiency for the more effective removal of dead algae and organic debris. Apply clarifier directly to the pool. Great for all pools including inground, above ground, concrete, plaster, vinyl liner, and fiberglass. It's also compatible with salt water, mineral, ozone, and non-chlorine pool water. 

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7. Clean Your Filters and Retest Your Water

After 2 or 3 days your water should be clearer. Clean or backwash your filters and retest your water chemistry. Some pool clarifiers may increase your pH levels, so use a pH decreaser as needed.

Our Top Pick

pH Decreaser for Pools

Use this chemical to lower just the pH level in your pool water.

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Should You Use Clarifier or Flocculant?

If your pool is only a little cloudy or you have a cartridge filter, use a pool clarifier. You can use this in any situation with any filter setup. It’s just not as powerful as flocculant and it takes longer to work. If you’ve got extremely cloudy pool water or you want to clear your water fast, use pool flocculant. The flocculant works more effectively at clumping together particles. But you’ll need to manually vacuum out your water while bypassing your filter.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pool Clarifier

Looking for more help using pool clarifier? Here are some common questions and answers.

When should I add Pool Clarifier to my water?

If you have cloudy water but your water chemistry (pH, alkalinity and chlorine) is balanced and your filters are clean, you can add pool clarifier. Pool clarifiers are helpful to use when you’re opening your pool or with mild cloudy water. However, be sure to kill any algae before using pool clarifier (this can usually be done by shocking your pool before using a clarifier).

Most pools can be treated with clarifier up to once a week. Just be sure to keep your pool water chemistry balanced and your pool filter running 24/7 as you’re using the clarifier. However, if you’re constantly experiencing cloudy pool water, you may have other underlying issues like poor filtration or bad water chemistry.

Can I put too much Clarifier in my pool water?

Like many pool chemicals, using too much water clarifier can create more pool problems, including murky water and bacteria growth. However, it is okay to use a clarifier once a week. Be cautious when using pool clarifier if you use a metal sequestrant in your pool water. These two products work counter to one another and can create even more problems in your water.

Be sure to always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and add the appropriate amount of clarifier based on your pool’s volume. And be sure to keep your water chemistry balanced, including your pH, alkalinity, and chlorine levels. If you need more help with pool chemistry, check out our Basic Pool Chemistry 101 guide.

Can you use Pool Clarifier and Algaecide together?

Before using any water clarifier, you must treat any algae in your pool. No amount of water clarifier will eliminate algae in your water so you need to shock your pool first. If you have the early stages of algae growth, pool flocculant can help bind floating algae particles, making it easier to vacuum. Regardless, you should never add two chemicals to your pool water at once.

Can you use Clarifier in a Saltwater Pool?

Yes, a water clarifier works in any type of pool. Be sure your other levels, like your pool chlorine, alkalinity, and ph levels, are within range.

Can you swim in cloudy pool water?

We do not recommend swimming in cloudy pool water. Cloudy pool water is full of debris and contaminants that cause eye irritation. And because visibility is limited, there’s an increased risk of drowning. Avoid swimming in your pool until your water is clear.

What causes cloudy pool water?

Cloudy pool water is caused by poor filtration, low chlorine levels, poor water chemistry, or contaminants in the water, like debris or algae. Pool clarifier can help clear up cloudy water, but it will not solve underlying issues. So be sure your filter system is functioning properly, your pH, alkalinity, calcium hardness and chlorine levels are balanced, and your water is free of algae or debris.

Need More Pool Maintenance Help?

• Download our free Pool Care Cheat Sheet. It’s a free, easy-to-use guide to help you keep track of taking care of your pool.
• Subscribe to our Swim University YouTube Channel. We publish free video tutorials throughout the pool season.
• Check out our Pool Care Course. You’ll get 30+ step-by-step videos and a step-by-step downloadable guide with everything you need to know about pool maintenance.

The post Pool Clarifier: How Does It Work and Is It Better Than Pool Flocculant? appeared first on Swim University®.

Here’s a quick guide on the difference between flocculant and clarifier and how to use flocculant to clear cloudy water. You can watch the quick video below. Or keep reading for the complete pool flocculant tutorial.

What is Pool Flocculant?

Pool flocculant, also known as pool floc, clumps together the tiny particles in your pool that cause cloudy water. Once those particles have coagulated, the larger clumps sink to the bottom of your swimming pool where they’re vacuumed out.

Here’s the pool flocculant that we recommend:

Our Top Pick

Fast Floc by Swim University

A fast-acting formula that drops cloudy water particles to the bottom of the pool so you can vacuum it out. Fast Floc will help you remove dead algae and non-living organic contaminants from your pool fast.

It's safe for all pools and filters including inground, above ground, concrete, plaster, fiberglass, vinyl liner, and more.

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What Are the Benefits of Pool Flocculant?

In many cloudy water situations, pool flocculant is an effective option for clearing up your pool:

• Pool flocculant works quickly. Unlike clarifier, you won’t have to wait days for flocculant to do its job. The particles quickly coagulate together and sink to your pool floor in a matter of hours.
• Pool flocculant is very effective. Flocculant keeps particles clumped together until you remove them with a vacuum. No stragglers are left behind causing cloudy spots in your swimming pool water.
• Pool flocculant works well with sand filters and diatomaceous earth or DE filters. Those filters have multiport valves that include a “Waste” setting. And that means it’s easy to bypass the filter when vacuuming out the clumped particles and flocculant.

What Are the Downsides of Pool Flocculant?

Before you opt for a pool flocculant over a pool clarifier, there are a few reasons why it might not be ideal:

• Pool flocculant requires more work. Once the clumps form on the bottom of the pool, you’ll need to remove them with a manual pool vacuum. An automatic pool vacuum will not work.
• You’ll lose pool water using pool flocculant. When you vacuum the clumps out, you’ll need to vacuum on the “waste” setting and bypass the filter. All of that water will leave your pool and your water level will drop.
• You can’t use pool flocculant with a cartridge filter. Unless you have a custom plumbing setup that allows you to bypass the filter when you vacuum, you won’t be able to use pool flocculant with a cartridge filter system.

By the way, If you want to learn how to never want to deal with cloudy water again, check out our pool maintenance video course! It’s a step-by-step guide to show you how to prevent pool problems before they get out of hand.

Frustrated by adding chemicals and trying to keep your pool clear all the time?

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How Long Does it Take for Pool Flocculant to Work?

Pool flocculant can clear up your cloudy pool water in 1 or 2 days. Though it works faster than pool clarifiers, it will need 8 to 16 hours to clump together the particles before you can vacuum. Add flocculant to your pool with your filter on “recirculate.” Then let the flocculant sit overnight with your pool pump off. Once it has settled to the bottom of your pool, use a manual vacuum to remove all of the coagulated particles.

How To Use Pool Flocculant

Before you use pool flocculant, make sure your pool filter has a “waste” setting. Remember, the coagulated particles cannot be removed by your filter, so you must be able to bypass your filter and vacuum the water out of your pool.

1. Set Filter to Recirculate

Turn your sand filter or DE filter multiport valve to “recirculate.” Do not allow pool flocculant to get into your filter. It’ll block everything up, rendering your filter useless until you replace the filter medium altogether.

2. Balance pH

Your pH should be between 7.4 and 7.6 before adding pool floc. Test your water levels. Then, adjust your pH with a pH increaser or pH decreaser.

3. Add Flocculant (Floc) to Pool Water

Add the correct amount of flocculant based on your size pool. If you need help figuring out your pool’s volume, you can use a pool calculator to help you. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions before adding any chemical to your water.

Here’s our recommendation for a pool flocculant:

Our Top Pick

Fast Floc by Swim University

A fast-acting formula that drops cloudy water particles to the bottom of the pool so you can vacuum it out. Fast Floc will help you remove dead algae and non-living organic contaminants from your pool fast.

It's safe for all pools and filters including inground, above ground, concrete, plaster, fiberglass, vinyl liner, and more.

Buy Now From Swim University

If you click this link and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

4. Circulate the Flocculant

Run the pool pump for two hours to circulate the floc throughout the water. Remember to keep your filter set to “recirculate,” not “filter.”

5. Let Pool Flocculant Sit for 8 Hours

Turn off your pump and allow the pool to sit for at least eight hours. This is easiest to do overnight. If you have an automatic timer set on your system, remember to turn it off.

6. Vacuum Particle Clumps Out of Pool

Set your pool filter to ”Waste” and connect your manual vacuum. If you don’t have a multiport valve, open your filter’s drain port and let the water drain out as you vacuum. And if you need help vacuuming your pool, be sure to check out our guide on How To Use A Manual Pool Vacuum.

As you vacuum the particle clumps from the bottom of your pool, the movement may stir up the particles and cloud your pool again. If this happens, take a break, allow the particles to settle, then begin vacuuming again. Try to move slowly. And you may need to vacuum two or three times to remove all the clumps.

7. Check Pool’s Water Level

If your water level has gone down (it likely will), use a garden hose with a filter to add fresh, clear water and bring the level back up where it needs to be. You can also keep the hose in the pool while you’re vacuuming, though this may also stir up the particles.

8. Test and Balance Water

Because you’ve removed and replaced water in your pool, you’ll need to rebalance your water chemistry. Test your pool water and adjust your Alkalinity and pH. Once those levels are balanced, add chlorine. Be sure to run your filter system normally when rebalancing your water.

Should You Use Flocculant or Clarifier?

If you want to quickly clear up your cloudy water (like for a pool party) or if you’ve got a really cloudy pool, use pool flocculant. Even though the vacuuming takes more work, floc works more effectively at clumping together particles. Just make sure you have the ability to bypass your filter when vacuuming water out of your pool.

If your pool is just a little cloudy, opt for the pool clarifier. You can use this in any situation with any filter setup. It’s just not as powerful as floc.

Frequently Asked Questions About Pool Flocculant

Looking for more help using pool floc? Here are some common questions and answers.

Can you swim in cloudy pool water?

No, you shouldn’t swim in cloudy pool water. A cloudy pool is full of contaminants that can cause eye irritation. There’s also an increased risk of drowning since visibility is limited. Avoid swimming in your pool until the water is cleared up.

When should I add Flocculant to my pool water?

If you have cloudy water but your water chemistry is balanced (pH, alkalinity, and chlorine levels) and your filters are clean, add pool flocculant. It’s also helpful to add floc after a rainstorm when debris and dirty water enter your pool or if you have early-stage algae growth. Because pool flocculant needs 8 to 16 hours to work in your water, it’s most helpful to add it at dusk and let it sit overnight.

Can you use Flocculant and Algaecide together?

Like any chemical, you should never add algaecide and pool flocculant at the same time to your pool water. But pool flocculant is useful at fighting the early stages of algae growth. It helps bind floating algae particles, making it easier to vacuum them out of your pool.

Can I use Aluminum Sulfate as a Pool Flocculant?

Yes, you can Aluminum Sulfate, also known as Alum Floc, as a pool flocculant. Look for food-grade, garden-grade or technical-grade Aluminum Sulfate. Depending on the condition of your pool, you’ll want to use around 4 lbs of Alum per 10,000 gallons of water. It works just like a packaged pool flocculant, so be sure your water chemistry is balanced before adding it, and be sure to vacuum to waste.

Can you use too much Pool Flocculant?

Yes! Using too much pool flocculant can actually make your pool water even more cloudy. Just like any other pool chemical, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and add the appropriate amount based on your pool’s volume.

If you end up constantly needing to use pool flocculant or clarifier, check that you clean or backwash your filtration system regularly. And be sure to keep your pH levels balanced. If you need more help with water chemistry, be sure to check out our Basic Pool Chemistry 101 guide.

Need More Pool Maintenance Help?

• Download our free Pool Care Cheat Sheet. It’s a free, easy-to-use guide to help you keep track of taking care of your pool.
• Subscribe to our Swim University YouTube Channel. We publish free video tutorials throughout the pool season.
• Check out our Pool Care Course. You’ll get 30+ step-by-step videos and a step-by-step downloadable guide with everything you need to know about pool maintenance.

The post Pool Flocculant: How Does It Work and Is It Better Than Pool Clarifier? appeared first on Swim University®.

But here’s our recommendation. Take a step back, learn what nitrates are, and whether or not you actually need to worry about them.

What Are Nitrates?

Much like pool phosphates, nitrate is a naturally occurring chemical usually found in manure, fertilizer, and the liquid waste that comes from septic tanks. Bacteria in soil are able to convert nitrogen into nitrate, which helps grass, plants, and trees grow.

Where Do Nitrates Come From?

This can depends on where you live, but some factors are a concern regardless of location.

Manure Runoff

In rural areas, nitrates most likely come from water runoff, particularly if you live near cattle grazing areas.

Septic Tanks and Wells

If your home isn’t on the municipal wastewater treatment systems and you have a septci tank, it likely contains nitrates, which can seep into the ground and then make their way into your pool.

Wells are also known to contain high amounts of nitrates, which is a particular concern if that’s the water source you use to fill your pool.

Lawn Fertilizer and Rain

Runoff from the grass, plants, and trees in your yard can put nitrates into your pool. This is especially true if you use fertilizer on your lawn or plants.

Even rain can deposit nitrates into your pool if you don’t cover it during a rain shower or thunderstorm.

Animal Waste

Local wildlife, and even your pets can contaminate your pool with nitrates, because they relieve themselves in the yard. Even if you clean up after them, some residue will remain, and when it rains, that residue—and the nitrates it contains—will run into your pool.

In The Swim Cal-Hypo Unstabilized Pool Chlorine Granules - 50 lbs.

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Birds and Waterfowl

Birds and ducks in your pool are particularly bothersome as they’ll land in the water and contaminate it with their feces.

Family Pets

Your dog may love to swim with you, but they can bring nitrates into the pool on their paws and fur. Dogs can pick up nitrates just by walking on grass that’s been fertilized or that has feces residue on it, or by rolling around in the yard.

Nitrates from the grass and other plant life may attach to their paws and coats, and will wash off into the pool as they swim.

Humans

Sweat, oils, and other waste from our bodies combined with cosmetic and toiletry products can add small amounts of nitrates to your pool. Over time, these levels can build up until there’s enough present to allow for quick growth of algae.

How Do You Get Rid of Nitrates?

In your yard, nitrates are a good thing.

But think for a minute. If nitrates are in fertilizer to feed the plants outside your pool, wouldn’t they be a food source for plants in your pool? Like, say, algae? Yes. Yes, they are. So you must need to remove nitrates from your pool, right? No. No, you don’t.

Here’s the thing. You’ll never be able to remove all the nitrates from your pool, just like it’s impossible to remove all the phosphates from your pool. And though both substances are food sources for algae, the remedy to prevent algae isn’t to remove the food source. That’s like saying the way to keep pests out of your vegetable garden is to remove the vegetables.

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Use the entire contents of the bag when opened. If any granules settle to the bottom of the pool use brush to disperse them. Add the right dosage of this product during evening hours while the filter pump is running.

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Prevention is the Answer

Instead, you need to treat the problem, not the symptoms. In this case, that means preventing algae from growing in your pool in the first place before it has a chance to eat any nitrates.

The answer is to keep your pool clean and sanitized. Simple, right? It really is. It just requires following a maintenance schedule, and testing your pool water on a regular basis, more often if your pool is susceptible to one or more potential nitrate sources.

Make sure the chlorine (or whatever sanitizer you use) level remains in the proper range, and shock your pool at least once a week.

Maintaining sanitizer levels and keeping the water clean are the keys to algae prevention. Do that, and the nitrates in the pool won’t matter.

Keep Your Focus Where It Matters

You’ll just drive yourself up the wall if you try to control or remove the nitrates in your pool. Instead, focus on keeping it clean, and enjoying it the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

Happy Swimming!

The post The Truth about Nitrates in Your Pool appeared first on Swim University®.

Spoiler alert: The answers are no and no.

Some pool pros and pool chemical sellers will tell you that only by removing phosphates from your pool can you fully and completely control algae growth. You see, phosphates are a nutrient source for algae. The more phosphates in the water, the more yummy food there is for algae to consume, and the faster the algae will grow.

But this is only half the story. Actually, it’s only about a quarter of it. Removing the food source isn’t truly addressing the problem.

Look at it this way. Say you have a vegetable garden in your back yard, and it’s being wrecked by beetles that love to eat those veggies. How are you going to address the problem? By ripping out your garden to remove the beetles’ food source? Of course not. You’re going to use an insecticide to kill the existing beetles, and to keep the beetles that haven’t arrived yet from damaging your garden in the first place.

OK, we admit this isn’t a perfect analogy. But it’s apt because to us, the idea of using a phosphate remover in your pool is just as silly and unnecessary as destroying your entire vegetable garden to get rid of pests.

We decided to put on our researcher caps and do a deep dive into the topic to demonstrate why phosphates in pool water are not where you should be focusing your attention—or spending your money.

The Condensed Version

Phosphates are not toxic or harmful, and removing them as a remedy to the formation and proliferation of algae is ineffective. Your best bet is to maintain proper chlorine levels, regularly use an algaecide to prevent algae from blooming in your pool, and occasionally shock your pool to give it a really good sanitizing whammy.

Our Top Pick

Calcium Hypochlorite Pool Shock (Cal-Hypo Shock)

This fast-acting, quick-dissolving swimming pool shock from DryTec kills bacteria, controls algae, and destroys organic contaminants in pools. It comes in easy-to-use 1-pound bags.

Use the entire contents of the bag when opened. If any granules settle to the bottom of the pool use brush to disperse them. Add the right dosage of this product during evening hours while the filter pump is running.

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If you click this link and make a purchase, we earn a commission at no additional cost to you.

If you’d like to stick around to the end, we’re going to explain exactly why this is true. It all starts in the 1940s. But before we go back into phosphate history, let’s take a look at exactly what we’re dealing with here.

What Are Phosphates?

We’re so glad you asked! The quick answer is they’re chemical compounds that contain phosphorus. If you remember any of your high school chemistry, you’ll know this is a naturally occurring, non-metal element. In addition to phosphorus, phosphates contain oxygen and sometimes hydrogen, as well as other chemicals.

For example, when phosphorus is combined with salt, the resulting compound is sodium triphosphate, also called sodium tripolyphosphate, or STPP. This may sound foreign to you, but chances are, you’ve used it before, possibly every day. And this is where we travel back in time to the mid-1940s, with a quick stop in twelfth-century Spain.

A Soapy History

Soaps and detergents used to be made from natural ingredients such as wood ashes and animal fat, or tallow. And you’ve probably heard of Castile soap and know that it’s a vegetable-based cleanser, but you may not know why it’s called that.

Legend has it that vegetable oil-based soap, was created millennia ago in Syria, and then, in the eleventh century, was discovered by Crusaders who brought the “Aleppo soap” back to Spain and Italy. Whether this is actually true has yet to be verified.

What is true is that sometime in the twelfth century, soapmakers began producing olive oil-based soap in the Castile region of Spain. Castile soap eventually came to mean any vegetable oil-based soap.

While soap made from natural ingredients can be good for the environment, it’s not always the most effective cleanser, particularly when it comes to detergency, which is the soap’s ability to dissolve grease. And, as you might’ve guessed, that’s where the word detergent comes from.

Natural soaps were used for centuries until just after World War II, when the soap industry began to develop synthetic detergents that could perform better in areas with hard water, and didn’t rely on fats and oils, which were in high demand. And so began a revolution in laundry rooms across the country, and around the world.

Stick with us. We promise we’re going to get to the phosphates in your pool water.

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01/27/2023 05:44 pm GMT

No More Ring Around the Collar

Synthetic laundry detergents contain a few primary components: a surfactant (a wetting agent that floats dirt off fabric surfaces), a builder, and other ingredients like brighteners and perfumes. We’re going to focus on the builder.

The builder’s function is to soften water and to release hard-to-clean stains and calcium buildup. Because phosphates—in particular, STPP—are especially good at removing calcium deposits, the soap industry began using it as the primary builder in laundry detergents, and eventually in other industrial and domestic cleaning products such as dishwasher detergents.

The first company to create synthetic laundry detergent was Procter & Gamble (P&G) with their brand Dreft®, launched in 1933. They soon found it didn’t clean heavily soiled clothes very well, though, so they marketed it as a gentle detergent for delicate fabrics and baby items, which it continues to be today.

Their next experiment was much more successful. With the addition of phosphates, they created an efficient detergent that cleaned better than any formula that had come before it. The result was Tide, launched in 1946. By 1949, P&G’s production of detergent far exceeded that of soap.

As a result, laundry wasn’t as difficult a chore as it once had been. It was easier to get clothes clean, and with less effort. The laundry detergent industry boomed. Everything seemed peachy keen. That is, until the late 1960s.

Mid-Century Mayhem

By 1959, nearly all the laundry detergents produced in the United States contained builders made up of 30% to 50% phosphate. Other products were also manufactured using phosphates such as household cleaners and dishwasher detergent.

Where does that phosphate end up? In our lakes and streams. Here’s how.

The water that comes out of our taps at home starts out as rain, falls into lakes and reservoirs, and is sent through water treatment plants to be cleaned and sanitized so it’s potable (drinkable) and suitable for things like washing our clothes and dishes.

When we’re done with the water in our homes, it goes down the drains and makes its way to wastewater treatment plants where the waste substances are removed. The water is then pumped out of the plant, and back into our lakes and streams to start the process over again.

Sounds pretty efficient and green, right? The problem is that in the ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s, no one realized that all the phosphates that had been added to detergents and cleaners had the potential to wreak havoc in those natural aquatic environments, or that wastewater treatment methods remove only a small amount of phosphates from water.

Now we get back to phosphate being an ideal food for algae. Just one pound of phosphate can produce 700 pounds of algae. All the phosphate being pumped into lakes, rivers, and streams from wastewater plants created huge algae blooms. By the late 1960s, thousands of lakes and rivers—including the Great Lakes and the Potomac River and its estuary—had been affected.

In fact, as recently as 2014, communities that depend on Lake Erie for their drinking water were contending with algae contamination, although in that case the problem was caused mostly by fertilizer used by farms, and leaky septic systems. The point is, too much algae in our natural water sources continues to be a problem.

How Phosphates Damage the Environment

Ecosystems rely on delicate balances. Prey and predators. Rainfall and plant growth. The presence of food, water, and oxygen, the most basic needs of all living organisms.

In aquatic environments, fish, plants, and numerous other creatures and organisms that live underwater depend on the presence of oxygen in the water. This includes algae. The more algae in the water, the less oxygen there is for the other beings that depend on it, a process called eutrophication. Without oxygen, those creatures begin to die.

Algae stores phosphates to sustain itself. When it dies, algae sinks to the bottom of whatever body of water it’s in, and the phosphate it was retaining is released back into the water to serve as food for remaining algae, and for new growth. The cycle continues and worsens, especially with new phosphate still being introduced from outside sources. This excess of algae is called nutrient pollution, and it continues to be one of the worst types of pollution in our world today.

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In addition, the more algae in a source of drinking water, the less clean water there is to drink, so the mammals that depend on a lake or stream will also either begin to die, or they’ll be forced to move in order to find water.

Finally, remember those lakes that act as the source of the water that comes into our homes? When they become polluted with an overgrowth of algae, it has a negative effect on water treatment by clogging intakes, making filtration more expensive, increasing pipe corrosion, and causing taste and odor problems.

The increased effort to make algae-infested water suitable for our use costs money, and that cost gets passed on to us by our water utilities.

Phosphates ending up in our water sources was causing an enormous environmental crisis. Something had to be done.

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The Detergent Industry Cleans Its Conscience

Starting in 1970, the three major detergent manufacturers in the United States—P&G, Lever Brothers, and Colgate-Palmolive—began a concerted effort to reduce phosphates in the laundry detergents they produced.

However, it wasn’t until the early 1990s that phosphates were completely removed from laundry detergents produced in the U.S. after several states banned phosphate detergents. Numerous countries about the world, most notably in the European Union, have also instituted such bans.

In 2010, several U.S. states also banned dishwasher detergents that use phosphates. In response, manufacturers stopped using phosphates in their dishwasher detergents because it didn’t make sense, nor was it cost effective to produce non-phosphate detergent for some states, and traditional detergent for others.

Phosphates, and the algae that feed on them, continue to be a problem in natural bodies of water. Which brings us to the phosphates in your pool, and why you don’t need to worry about them.

Phosphates in Pool Water Aren’t Going Anywhere

As we’ve said, phosphates as a food source for algae have been, and still are, a problem in our natural bodies of water, and our sources of drinking water.

We don’t need to tell you that your pool is neither of those things.

We also don’t need to tell you that you’re not going to be draining your pool very often, which means you won’t have thousands of gallons of phosphate-laden water pouring into your municipal water system on a regular basis, and eventually making its way to your local lakes and streams.

Not only that, we’re pretty sure that if you’re a conscientious pool owner, you’re using chlorine or some other kind of sanitizer in your pool, which means you’re already making the water inhospitable to algae.

And if you’re using an algaecide on top of that (which we highly recommend you do), you’re decreasing the likelihood of developing pool algae to almost nil.

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01/28/2023 08:22 am GMT

So why on earth would you spend more money on yet another chemical to stop feeding the thing you’re already killing and preventing? It just doesn’t make any sense. In fact, aside from expense and futility, we discovered a couple of reasons why you’ll actually want to avoid using phosphate removers.

Phosphate Removers Can Be Toxic

Since we’ve been talking about the environment, let’s look at phosphate remover’s effects there first.

Some of the most popular phosphate removers have an active ingredient—the substance that actually works on the phosphates—called lanthanum. It’s a soft metal element that’s classified as a rare earth element despite the fact that it’s almost three times more abundant than lead.

In 2016, the scientific journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety published an article titled “Aquatic Ecotoxicity of Lanthanum – A Review and an Attempt to Derive Water and Sediment Quality Criteria,” which revealed some interesting findings about lanthanum.

First, lanthanum is classified as “moderately toxic,” which seems to be borne out in this study. Remember that while phosphates are indeed a food source for algae, they are not toxic. The study showed that freshwater crustaceans were particularly sensitive to lanthanum. The study goes on to say (emphasis and parentheses ours):

“As with other metals, the availability of lanthanum is strongly influenced by pH and by the presence of other cations in the environment. It can be accumulated by organisms, it can interfere with cellular functions and it adsorbs to (is absorbed by) particles.

More study is required to fully determine the level of its toxicity to organisms, including humans, but based on these preliminary findings, lanthanum doesn’t sound like something we’d want to pour into our pools.

Phosphate Removers Can Negate the Effects of Sequestrants

Let’s say you have a high level of copper or iron in your pool water. Maybe you get your water from a well. Left unchecked, a high copper level will eventually turn your pool green, while iron will give it a lovely rusty brown color. Yuck.

So you break out the metal sequestrant to bind with the copper or iron and keep it it from oxidizing or rusting, which will prevent your pool water from turning those ugly colors.

Here’s the thing. The most effective metal sequestrants are phosphate-based. If you have metal in your pool, and you use a phosphate-based sequestrant, and then use a phosphate remover, you’re negating the effects of the sequestrant.

You’ll lower the phosphate level, but have little to no success counteracting the effects of the metal, which means you’ll be wasting money on two fronts.

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01/27/2023 04:34 pm GMT

What About Salt Water Chlorinators?

In addition to the general debate about phosphates, you may have seen some websites mention that phosphates can cause salt water chlorinators to malfunction. Interestingly, at least one article that says this is a problem is published on a site that contains advertising by one of the main companies that produces and sells phosphate remover.

Aside from any potential biases, though, the fact is no scientific studies have been done, which means no verifiable, objective data exists to support this theory.

Some pool owners may claim that phosphates are to blame for their chlorinators being unable to produce appropriate amounts of chlorine. But what if it’s the other way around? What if the pool contains more phosphates because the chlorinator is not producing enough chlorine in the first place to kill the contaminants and organisms that produce phosphates?

We don’t know for sure because, again, no scientific studies of this possible phenomenon exist, and we don’t have access to a large enough number of pools to test it ourselves.

So until we see hard evidence, we’re going to stick with our advice that a phosphate remover is unnecessary, even in a salt water pool.

What to do About Phosphates in a Salt Water Pool

If you have a salt water pool, your phosphate levels are high, and your chlorinator isn’t producing enough chlorine, the first thing to check is that your chlorinator is built to handle the size of your pool.

Even if it is, you may still need to supplement with regular chlorine once in a while, depending on where you live, and what the environmental conditions are like there.

And finally, are you shocking your pool often enough to kill phosphate-producing organisms? Maybe you need another shock or two per month, and perhaps even more when it rains.

Examine all the possible factors that may be contributing to low chlorine levels before jumping to the conclusion that you need to douse your pool with potentially toxic phosphate remover.

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The Verdict: You Really, Truly Do Not Need a Phosphate Remover

If you’ve stuck with us to the end, hooray! Now we can feel good about all that time we spent reading scientific journal articles, and boning up on the history of detergent. (We are so ready to kick butt on Jeopardy!)

But we feel even better about providing you with information that will help you save money, and will put your mind at ease about how you maintain your pool.

Focus on the three most important algae fighters—sanitizer, algaecide, and the occasional pool shock—and your pool will be just fine.

Happy (and less expensive) Swimming!

The post The Truth About Phosphates in Pool Water appeared first on Swim University®.

No problem, you might think. I’ll just get an algaecide. But before you reach for this particular pool chemical, ask yourself: Is algaecide really the best way to get rid of algae? Despite the name, the answer is, probably not.

What is Algaecide, Anyway?

It may surprise you to learn that algaecide isn’t a magic bullet for getting rid of algae in your pool. In fact, algaecide is more effective as a preventive measure than a treatment. Don’t get us wrong—it still helps as an algae treatment, just not in the way you might think.

How Algaecide Works

Many algaecides are copper-based—either made of copper sulfate or copper chelates, which are chemical compounds with a metal as the central atom. A few registered algaecides instead use the herbicide endothall or sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate.

These chemicals all disrupt algae’s regular cellular processes, although research hasn’t really explained exactly how they accomplish that. It may be they disrupt energy transport or algae cell division, or maybe they inhibit the synthesis of new cell proteins, which are crucial for cell survival.

Essentially, we know algaecides work—to some degree—but the reason why they work is still unclear.

It’s important to note that if you live in an area that has high metal content, and you’ve filled your pool with that water, you could be risking oxidation which can stain your pool. Adding even more copper in the form of algaecide can speed this process.

If that’s the case, look for a copper-free algaecide to help protect your pool surfaces.

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01/28/2023 08:22 am GMT

You Have No Idea How Lucky We Are

Out of the tens of thousands of varieties of algae in the world, we only deal with a handful. Sure, they’re a pain, but it’s not like we’re handling anything crazy like “red tide,” which is extremely toxic to both animals and humans, or the delightfully named “rock snot” (Google it—we dare you.).

Algae fall under the classification domain of protists, which is the category biologists put things in when they have no idea what to do with them. We’re not kidding. The common definition for protist is a eukaryote, or cell with a nucleus, that “isn’t a plant, animal, or fungus.”

Super helpful, right?

But the lack of variety really is lucky for us, since it makes the algae we do see easier to prevent, identify, and treat.

The Only Algae You Really Need to Worry About

The most common types of pool algae you’ll see and hear about are:

• Green algae: By far, the most common, especially if you forget to wash your swimsuit after a dip in a lake.
• Yellow or mustard algae: Much rarer, but it’s a persistent and particularly annoying uninvited pool guest.
• Black algae: The toughest type of algae to get rid of.
• Pink algae or pink slime: Technically bacteria, but is often mistaken for algae thanks to its slimy appearance.

Your Best Weapon Against Algae

So here’s the main thing you need to know about pool algae. Chlorine—yep, your typical sanitizer—is much more effective at killing algae than algaecide is. Even if your water gets cloudy and your walls get slimy, chlorine can still kill it.

That’s because chlorine oxidizes bacteria and single-celled algae, which means they trade electrons. It doesn’t sound like much, but this trade of miniscule particles has a huge effect on algae cells. The oxidized cell walls rupture, which causes the loss of vital nutrients, and halts both growth and replication processes.

So as long as you maintain your pool chemistry—that means 3 parts per million (ppm) for chlorine, 3 ppm to 5 ppm for bromine, or 30 ppm to 50 ppm for biguanide, in addition to balanced pH levels—you shouldn’t have to worry about algae growth.

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Shock the Monkey—Or in This Case, the Pool

If your pool gets infected by an outside source, shocking your water like it’s your full-time job between intense scrub-downs will usually get rid of the problem. Algaecide can help speed this process along, but it’s not entirely necessary to rid your pool of algae.

Unless, of course, you’re dealing with chlorine-resistant algae like mustard algae or black algae. This is one of the few times you may need to consider using an algaecide. But even then, it should be used in addition to chlorine or other sanitizers, not instead of them.

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Prevention is Always Easier Than Treatment

Regularly checking and maintaining your pool chemistry is the number one way to prevent algae from taking root in your pool. The second-best prevention method is to reduce the chances of outside contaminants invading your pool water.

That means if you’ve recently been in the ocean, natural lakes, or natural rivers, you absolutely, positively need to throw your swimsuits in the washing machine for a good cleaning.

And if you brought your usual pool toys along, they also need to be sanitized before you put them back in the pool. That means using a bleach solution or bleach-based cleaner to ensure no errant algae is transferred to your pool.

If you live near a natural body of water where you regularly swim, it might not hurt to use algaecide in your pool as an additional precautionary measure. If it’s a particularly sunny day—algae loves sunlight—adding a preventive dose in the morning might reduce your risk of an algae bloom. Some algaecide manufacturers list prevention instructions first on their packaging, since it could be an effective use of the product.

Off-Season Pool Protection

One time when you really do want to add algaecide to your pool is when you close it. Your pool is going to sit covered and unused, probably for months, and that dark, humid environment is just prime for algae to move in while you’re not looking.

Whether you’re closing an inground pool, or winterizing your above ground pool, make sure algaecide is on your list of essential closing supplies.

Our Top Pick

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01/28/2023 08:22 am GMT

Don’t Bother Unless You Absolutely Have To

Algae happens, but you usually don’t need an algaecide to get rid of it. Keeping your water chemistry clean and well balanced will prevent growth in most cases, while superchlorination with pool shock can handle minor and common infestations. In fact, algaecides usually require a shock treatment before application anyway.

Our Top Pick

Calcium Hypochlorite Pool Shock (Cal-Hypo Shock)

This fast-acting, quick-dissolving swimming pool shock from DryTec kills bacteria, controls algae, and destroys organic contaminants in pools. It comes in easy-to-use 1-pound bags.

Use the entire contents of the bag when opened. If any granules settle to the bottom of the pool use brush to disperse them. Add the right dosage of this product during evening hours while the filter pump is running.

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So unless you’re dealing with mustard algae or black algae, leave the algaecide on the shelf and get ready to shock the heck out of your pool. But when dealing with regular ol’ green pool algae, chlorine is your best bet to kill it dead.

Happy Swimming!

The post The Truth About Using Algaecide In Your Pool appeared first on Swim University®.