Just wanted to double check some safety tips on storing chemicals with everyone. Can I store jugs of bleach and muriatic acid in one of those rubbermade sheds (obviously locked, though not sure that does much on one of those plastic sheds)? The shed is partially in the shade, but probably still gets pretty warm.

Thanks!

- Eric

Bleach breaks down more quickly at elevated temperatures. It's better to store it indoors.

Do not store bleach and muriatic acid together! Possible "KA-BOOM"!

Not together? as in how close NOT together?

You want them enough apart so that if both leaked the puddles wouldn't touch each other.

I store my muriatic acid in the bucket I use to dilute it before adding it to the pool. It's a heavy 4-gallon plastic bucket. When I'm done adding acid, I set the jug in the bucket and put it behind the filter in the pump room. The bucket will contain any leaks of MA, and protects the MA from both physical damage and any external leaks.

whewwww, ok I thought ya'll were talking not in the same room

Actually, PI, I was, but I am not a guru.

After reading a long thread on the possible interacting effects of bleach and MA FUMES (not just liquid spill) a long while back, I moved my MA to a bucket outside under the far end of my deck behind a brick column. It gets heat but not sun. (It is also within ten feet of where it is added to the pool )

Also, I point out that I may be considered overly cautious with chemicals; however, they can be dangerous and I treat them with lots of respect!

I am 'chemically sensitive' and DH was hospatilized for 2 wks. in '05 for chemical induced pnemonia after power washing a house w/bleach. I have a lot of respect for fumes.

Thanks for all the info everyone.

Just to summarize (correct me if I get something wrong) , it seems it is best to store bleach in a cooler environment while muriatic acid can be stored anywhere, just best if not stored where spills of fumes may interact with other chemicals.

Thanks!
- Eric

I use an old pickup truck camper as chemical storage and pool lab. The test kit is in the 'fridge' which is an insulated box.

The HCl bottle is set inside a bucket on the floor. I keep the bleach (in a 3 gallon carboy from the pool store) in the garage and syphon it into an empty Clorox bottle as needed. That bottle also sits in a bucket on the floor in the 'lab'. The dry chems are stored in the various cabinets from which I removed the doors, soda and borax on one side, trichlor on the other.

It gets pretty warm in the lab but with the windows open I've never noticed any chemical smell.

AnnaK

We get a lot of over 110 degree days here in the summer (Tucson area) I have my bleach in the house. The muratic acid is on the carport, where it is always in the shade. Is it okay there; it still gets the heat, just not the sun.

That must have been nasty for your DH! I can relate..I had a reaction to bleach fumes myself not too long ago. Not fun. I'm chemically sensitive as well, in addition to extreme allergies with intermittent asthma.

I'm trying to get comfortable with the idea of working with MA. Do you wear a mask? I have those dust masks I use when I clean the house and wonder if they'll work for the chemical fumes or should I get something else? I'll also use rubber gloves and I got a pair of safety glasses.

A normal dust mask won't help. You would need a special chemical fumes mask, which is expensive. Just figure out which way the wind is blowing and stay up wind from the acid. Safety glasses/goggles are a great idea. In practice the most common problem is getting a drop on your clothes, which can ruin the clothes. Getting some on your skin isn't a big deal, just rinse it off in the pool.

I don't know how everyone stores the 96 oz. jugs of bleach. I generally buy 18 jugs at a time and then I store them in some old milk crates. They stack real easy and they don't take up much room in the pool shed. I noticed also that by keeping them stacked, they get air flow and not as hot as when they were on the floor. By the way, my pool is crystal clear and soft and my kids say the water feels so good. I have not had to shock the pool in over 1 month! I am sold on the BBB method! Thanks for all the informative posts.

I just keep them both in the garage at opposite ends.

Quick word here kids - ANY chlorine stored indoors will gas off and start oxidizing any metal in the area! One of the plastic storage bins kept outside and (preferably) in the shade is a GOOD idea

Enjoy those pools and keep them sanitary, but it's best to store the chlorine outside

I keep my bleach lined up in the garage on the floor up against the wall. The MA goes in the basement because I hardly ever use it.

Yes, most chlorine and Muriatic Acid bottles have vented caps so if pressure builds up there will be chlorine or acid coming out of the bottles and these will tend to corrode whatever is nearby. You can tell this is true if the instructions warn against tipping and say to keep the bottle upright due to vented caps. The acid is probably worse than the chlorine, but neither is good. So if kept indoors, make sure it is very well ventilated and ideally it should be kept cool.

Will my leftover chemicals make it through a northeast winter? (temps or the 9 months -- stored in outdoor shed)

Almost everything will. You don't want to allow your test kit to freeze. Bleach and liquid chlorine will both lose strength. The higher the starting percentage the more strength you will lose. Usually, the strength loss for household bleach is acceptable, but for liquid chlorine you tend to lose too much strength to be worth storing. All of the solids will be fine. Some of the liquids may freeze and either break their containers, of leak out the top.