Disposing of Old Bottles of Muriatic Acid

[Sallie]

I didn't know where to post this. I have about 4 old bottles of muriatic acid. How do I dispose of them?

 

[PoolStored]

Muriatic doesn't go bad. Why do you want to get rid of it?

 

[Sallie]

Muriatic doesn't go bad. Why do you want to get rid of it?

I thought it went bad. These bottles look OLD! I'll just use them then. Thanks for your reply.

 

[SecoSteve]

The bottles will deteriorate eventually. I've been buying my Muriatic Acid from a Home Depot near me, and they have had the same lot numbers there since last year. The "display" out in the garden center is utterly terrible. It looks like a chemical dump of two pallets of the stuff. The boxes are brittle and some of the bottles look suspect.

I have been getting them to give me 50% off this whole season, just by showing a manager the condition.

With your vinyl pool, does your Ph even rise very much? If not, you may think about giving some to someone with a plaster pool who WILL use it before the bottles break down. You can't even use it to clean your filter because you have a sand filter.

 

[Busch09]

Hi, how do I dispose of an EMPTY muriatic acid container? Trash or hazardous waste?

 

[mknauss]

Hi, how do I dispose of an EMPTY muriatic acid container? Trash or hazardous waste?

Welcome to the forum.
Trash. Rinse with pool water.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I recycle well-rinsed jugs of MA & LC with my other plastics. Does anyone think they are too tainted by their former contents to do this?

 

[an1vrsy]

I recycle well-rinsed jugs of MA & LC with my other plastics. Does anyone think they are too tainted by their former contents to do this?

I do the same and I am not in CA anymore. Not tainted anymore from my perspective.

 

[Dirk]

Hmmm, I have to admit, I never considered rinsing out my MA bottles before throwing them in the recycle can. I dilute my acid 1:1 in my IntellipH. I dump in a gallon of acid, then fill the same container with water and then dump that in. So I guess that's a rinse. But I can do another in the pool, so I will.

I learn something every day here...

(Yes, yes, I know I'm mixing acid and water in the wrong order, but it's the safest way, believe me I've tried every other way.)

 

[Dirk]

@Sallie, be sure to store containers of MA (new or old) well away from anything metal. They can vent acid fumes that will attack and corrode metal, even if the jugs have never been opened. Don't keep them in your garage or in a shed. I store mine in an all plastic yard box, outside, in a well ventilated area of my yard, with nothing in the box that isn't plastic. Suncast makes great yard boxes for this. Some come with metal hinges, but some models don't have any metal, like this one.



I transport my acid jugs inside an all-plastic bucket. I never open the jugs outside of the bucket, and I place the bucket hanging over the edge of the pool before lifting the jug out, only over the water. After dispensing acid, the jug goes right back into the bucket. The jug, open or closed, is never over anything but the bucket or the pool water. I learned this trick from a seasoned pro that regularly handles dangerous chemicals.

I used to carelessly handle and carry acid jugs and measuring cups full of acid over my concrete deck, many years ago. The stains from an accidental slosh are still there to this day.

 

[Mdragger88]

I like the bucket idea! Stealing that one!

 

[AW139]

@Sallie, be sure to store containers of MA (new or old) well away from anything metal. They can vent acid fumes that will attack and corrode metal, even if the jugs have never been opened. Don't keep them in your garage or in a shed. I store mine in an all plastic yard box, outside, in a well ventilated area of my yard, with nothing in the box that isn't plastic. Suncast makes great yard boxes for this. Some come with metal hinges, but some models don't have any metal, like this one.

View attachment 531005

I transport my acid jugs inside an all-plastic bucket. I never open the jugs outside of the bucket, and I place the bucket hanging over the edge of the pool before lifting the jug out, only over the water. After dispensing acid, the jug goes right back into the bucket. The jug, open or closed, is never over anything but the bucket or the pool water. I learned this trick from a seasoned pro that regularly handles dangerous chemicals.

I used to carelessly handle and carry acid jugs and measuring cups over my concrete deck, many years ago. The stains from an accidental slosh are still there to this day.

I have a small pool, so I only need 1 gallon of MA on hand at any time. It lives inside a home depot bucket with the lid on, behind the shed. I grab the bucket, and take it over to the pool. Pop the lid off the home depot bucket, grab the jug of MA, and pour it right next to the pool. Back into the home depot bucket it goes, lid goes on, and back behind the shed. Minimal handling, no moving with an open container. Only "risk" would be the potential build up of fumes inside the home depot bucket. I may drill a couple tiny holes to let it vent.

 

[Mdragger88]

I rarely use MA - infact I am finally almost done with the last bottle from a 2pack I bought well over 5 years ago. It’s container’s integrity makes me nervous so I’m deploying a bucket method as we speak!

 

[AW139]

I rarely use MA - infact I am finally almost done with the last bottle from a 2pack I bought well over 5 years ago. It’s container’s integrity makes me nervous so I’m deploying a bucket method as we speak!

Does your pH not rise much?

 

[PoolStored]

Does your pH not rise much?

My pH has been 7.4 all year.

pH rise is mainly caused by...

• High TA
• Low pH
• New plaster (up to a couple years)
• Aeration (i.e. using water features, spa etc.)
• High TA fill water (causing high TA, see above)

pH rise can be minimized by...

• Lowering TA to 60-80
• Using a solar cover (less CO2 outgassing)
• Not running water features

PH TA Relationship - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Mdragger88]

Does your pH not rise much?

Not really- my ta is 60 & i have a viny pool.
I have added ma twice this year & none last year.
I mostly only ever need it upon a complete fill & in my hot tub.
My fill water ta is around 110

 

[Dirk]

I may drill a couple tiny holes to let it vent.

Do that. That'll keep fumes from building up and slapping you in the face when you open the bucket, and maybe keep the inside at ambient air temp, instead of heating up.

 

[Bill1974]

Lot's of great information here. I need to change how I store my MA. It's on a shelf in my garage. I like the 5 gallon bucket and lid solution. Also did not realize the bottles get brittle over time. Mine is probably 5 year old. I may use a cup or two a year at most.

 

[mknauss]

I may use a cup or two a year at most.

16 ounces of 31.45% MA in your 32000 gallon pool would change pH by 0.1 points.

If that is true, you have no need to have MA on hand. You never need it.