Chlorsave (stabiliser/Cyanuric Acid) Everything you need to know
CHLORSAVE (also known as stabiliser or Cyanuric Acid) - EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW
- WHAT IS IT?
- DO YOU NEED IT IN YOUR POOL?
- IF SO HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU USE?
- HOW TO TEST YOUR CYANURIC ACID LEVEL?
What is it?
CHLORSAVE is also called stabilizer. It is a chemical called Cyanuric Acid and it protects chlorine from being degraded by UV rays. It works like a sunscreen for pools by protecting the chlorine in your pool water from UV rays which would otherwise deplete/burn off the chlorine. This is especially important in the summer when UV rays are stronger than in winter and also chlorine is in high demand because you are using your pool more.
Research/testing shows that by adding Chlorsave/Stabiliser to an unstabilised pool you can save up to 30% on the cost of other cleaning chemicals over the summer.
Chlorsave is available in granular or tablet form and research/testing shows it can reduce chlorine usage by up to 50%, meaning you need less chlorine to keep your pool sparkling clean all summer.
Do you need it in your pool?
CHLORSAVE is especially important for salt water chlorinated pools. This is because you are adding salt which is then turned into chlorine. Salt does not contain any chlorsave/stabilizer/cyanuric acid and therefore you need to add it separately in the form of chlorsave.
If you have a chlorine pool and primarily use liquid chlorine or chlorine granules to keep it clean then you will also need to add chlorsave separately as liquid chlorine and chlorine granules do not include clorsave/stabilizer/cyanuric acid.
If you use stabilised chlorine in your pool particularly in the form of the 200gram tablets of Trichlor or Multi Tabs you are getting chlorsave in those tablets. Both Trichlor and Multi Tabs are stabilized chlorine which includes Cyanuric acid. You should still test your cyanuric acid levels, particularly in summer when the suns UV rays are burning off the chlorine to see if you need to add some more.
How much should you use?
Ideally, your cyanuric acid levels should be between 30 and 50 parts per million (PPM) and a bit higher if you have a saltwater pool. But if your levels are a lot higher, it may be time to lower the cyanuric acid in your pool. It should not exceed 100 parts per million. Salt water pool manufacturers recommend levels between 60 and 70 parts per million.
If your cyanuric acid level is too low then it can be increased by adding chlorsave. If it is too high then stop adding stabilised chlorine to your pool and add fresh water to your pool to dilute and lower the cyanuric acid level.
As a rough guide you should use about 500 grams of chlorsave per 10,000 litres of water for every 30 ppm it needs to be raised. Some product instructions vary, though, so be sure to read the label for proper dosage.
How to test your cyanuric acid levels
Both Aquachek gold 7 in 1 and Aquachek silver 7 in 1 test strips test for Cyanuric Acid levels
We sell Chorsave in 200gram tablets (1kg, 2kg and 4kg) and in 3kg and 1.5kg granules