Determination of Cyanuric Acid in Pool Water: Water Quality Control

Analysis Methods and Water Quality Control

What is Cyanuric Acid?

Cyanuric acid is a chemical compound that acts as a chlorine stabilizer. It optimizes the disinfection process by protecting free chlorine from rapid degradation caused by the effect of sunlight. It is especially common in outdoor swimming pools.

Advantages: Increases the stability of chlorine against UV rays. Reduces chlorine consumption.
Risks: Reduces the disinfection effect of high levels of free chlorine. It can cause the water to become unstable and lead to so-called “chlorine lock-up”.

Chlorine compounds with stabilizers, which are widely used in outdoor pools, are prohibited for use in indoor pools. Cyanuric acid, tri-chlorine (trichloroisocyanuric acid) and di-chlorine (sodium dichloroisocyanurate) substances added to pool water in granule, powder or tablet form are forms of chlorine that contain cyanuric acid, dissolve in water and persist for a long time.

Cyanuric acid should be between 20-50 ppm in open pools. It is not correct to add cyanuric acid to the water continuously. When the amount of cyanuric acid in the pool water exceeds 100 ppm, it causes chlorine locking. In this case, it prevents the chlorine added to the pool water from working.

Ideal Cyanuric Acid Level in Pool Water

Keeping the cyanuric acid level within the correct range is important for both chlorine effectiveness and user safety.

Ideal Levels:

20-50 ppm (mg/L): Provides an effective and safe balance.
100 ppm and above: Severely reduces the effectiveness of chlorine.

Usage According to Pool Types:

Indoor pools: Cyanuric acid is not used because they are not exposed to UV rays.
Outdoor pools: The use of cyanuric acid is necessary for optimum stabilization.

Cyanuric Acid Determination Methods

The determination of cyanuric acid in pool water requires precise measurements. These measurements guide pool water management by accurately determining the concentration of cyanuric acid.

1. Chemical Test Kits: They are the most commonly used methods for measuring cyanuric acid. It is based on the principle that a chemical reagent reacts with cyanuric acid and a turbidity is observed in the solution. This turbidity is directly proportional to the concentration of cyanuric acid.

2. Spectrophotometric Methods: Based on the principle that cyanuric acid absorbs light at a specific wavelength. This absorption allows the concentration to be measured.

3. Test Strips: Used as a fast and practical measurement method. The cyanuric acid sensitive strip is immersed in water and the color change is observed. The resulting color is compared to a reference scale to determine the cyanuric acid level.

4. Titrimetric Method: It is a more detailed method that measures the concentration of cyanuric acid as a result of a chemical reaction. However, it is generally preferred in a laboratory environment because it is impractical.

Nanolab Laboratories Group continues to provide services within the scope of Cyanuric Acid Determination in Pool Water. We also provide services in Sea Water Analysis.

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