Swimming Pool Stabilizer Maintenance

What is swimming pool stabilizer?

Chlorine stabilizer, also known as conditioner, is cyanuric acid and is added to the pool to keep the chlorine to protect the chlorine from sunlight. That is beneficial and at the correct levels, the stabilizer is very effective and saves money by allowing the pool to be sanitized using less chlorine. Unfortunately, with pools that used stablilized chlorine, the stabilizer level builds up over time. When the stabilizer level gets too high, it stops working leaving the pool water unprotected and unsanitized.

Why does the stabilizer level get too high?

Most pools are sanitized using chlorine tablets which contain about 50% stabilizer. For every pound of chlorine tablets that is used in the swimming pool, half a pound of stabilizer is added. If you consider that over the course of a year, the average pool could use approximately 50 pounds of chlorine tablets, which is equal to adding around 25 pounds of stabilizer to the pool. Considering the maximum recommended level of stabilizer is 100 ppm, depending on the size of the pool, it could easily reach a reading of 100 ppm within a year of two

Why is high stabilizer level a problem?

As the stabilizer level approaches 100, the chlorine becomes less and less effective. The pool will begin to require more and more chlorine as the level rises. Since the chlorine is getting less effective, the pool becomes more susceptible to algae and will start looking cloudy and un-sanitized more often. At some point between a stabilizer level of 100 – 200, the pool water will enter into a state called "chlorine lock". At this point, it can be difficult to hold a chlorine reading for even one day. The pool will begin to be cloudy most of the time and recurring yellow algae will become a problem.

How is the stabilizer level reduced?

The only practicle way to reduce the stabilizer level in the pool is to partially drain and refill the pool. This will dilute the level of stabilizer. Take a sample of the pool water to the local pool store and ask them to test the cyanuric acid level. Then do the math and figure out how many time you will need to partially drain and refill the swimming pool. For example, if the stabilizer level is at 200 ppm, drain half the pool, then refill and the level should be 100. Drain half the pool again and refill and the level should be 50. Do this until the stabilizer level is in the recommended range of 30 – 80 ppm, preferably lower, since it will be rising again as you add more stabilized chlorine as time goes on.

Annual Pool Maintenance.

For a number of reasons, it is a good practice to partially drain a swimming pool every 2 – 3 years. Doing so can help keep in check not only the Stabilizer level, but also some other very important elements of the swimming pool water such as Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Phosphates, which also naturally rise in the typical swimming pool. Adding a partial drain and refill to the annual maintenance plan for a swimming pool will help dilute these elements of the pool water, is healthy for the pool, will save money in chemicals, and will increase the odds of having a sparkling clean swimming pool all year long.

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