New pool owner trying to understand test strip reading

Pas_pool · 2025-04-29T21:57:51-0400

PoolStored said:
I get it at Ace hardware or paint stores. Look for 31.45% or 20 Degree Baume. Big box has the watered down stuff.

Transchem Muriatic Acid 1 gal Liquid Mfr# 1335100001 - Ace Hardware

Professional Strength 31.45% HCL (Muriatic Acid), excellent for pH reduction in swimming pools or to clean and etch masonry surfaces, excellent for pH reduction in all commercial and residential pools.Find the ACID MURIATIC GAL at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

Of course my ACE doesn’t have it.

PoolStored · 2025-04-29T21:58:39-0400

What city are you in?

Pas_pool · 2025-04-29T21:59:10-0400

PoolStored said:
What city are you in?

Near Hartford, CT

Pas_pool · 2025-04-29T22:00:24-0400

PoolStored said:
What city are you in?

Champion No Scent Muriatic Acid 1 gal Liquid Mfr# CH516 - Ace Hardware

Champion Muriatic Acid is NSF 60 certified for water treatment, this product has many commercial and home uses.Find the MURIATIC ACID LIQ 1 GAL at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

They have this one

PoolStored · 2025-04-29T22:03:04-0400

Larsen Ace Hardware
982 Farmington Ave
West Hartford, CT 06107-4100

Katz Hardware
2687 Main St
Glastonbury, CT 06033-2023

Windsor Ace Hardware
296 Broad St
Windsor, CT 06095-2939

All show this in stock...I'd avoid the no scent.

Transchem Muriatic Acid 1 gal Liquid Mfr# 1335100001 - Ace Hardware

Professional Strength 31.45% HCL (Muriatic Acid), excellent for pH reduction in swimming pools or to clean and etch masonry surfaces, excellent for pH reduction in all commercial and residential pools.Find the ACID MURIATIC GAL at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

Pas_pool · 2025-04-29T22:06:23-0400

PoolStored said:
Got it. Since you don't know what your CYA and FC levels were over that time, it is best to confirm you DON'T have algae before you raise CYA.
If you have to SLAM, higher CYA levels become longer, more difficult and consume more liquid chlorine.
Let's get a real bead on your CYA level. Print out those instruction I linked and follow them.
When you have a chance, do the OCLT. Print those instruction I linked and follow them...doesn't have to be tonight, but some night soon.
Let's do those two before we raise CYA.

On the pH, add enough muriatic acid to lower pH to 7.6 from 8. Retest after 30 minutes with pump running, and report your results. Like to get a feel if your "8.0" is an 8.0 or something a bit higher.

PoolStored said:
Larsen Ace Hardware
982 Farmington Ave
West Hartford, CT 06107-4100

Katz Hardware
2687 Main St
Glastonbury, CT 06033-2023

Windsor Ace Hardware
296 Broad St
Windsor, CT 06095-2939

All show this in stock...I'd avoid the no scent.

Transchem Muriatic Acid 1 gal Liquid Mfr# 1335100001 - Ace Hardware

Professional Strength 31.45% HCL (Muriatic Acid), excellent for pH reduction in swimming pools or to clean and etch masonry surfaces, excellent for pH reduction in all commercial and residential pools.Find the ACID MURIATIC GAL at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

I’ll stop at the Glastonbury location. Thanks.

I actually have PH lower left by the PB in my basement. That’s the same stuff right?

How much of it should I add to lower PH to start?

Then tomorrow when I get home from work I can try the CYA test as well. Then, tomorrow night I can try the overnight test.

PoolStored · 2025-04-29T22:10:27-0400

I'd get a couple gallons, your TA is high and you will fight your high TA for a bit. After you get a feel for your acid consumption, then you can make another trip.
Muriatic Acid does not go bad.
Muriatic Acid (MA) produces a gas that causes rusting in metal parts.
Do not store MA near liquid chlorine
Read this on chemical storage:

Chemical Storage and Safety - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Pas_pool said:
I actually have PH lower left by the PB in my basement. That’s the same stuff right?

No. Do not use that. It contains sulfates and will damage plaster, concrete and metals. Use muriatic acid.

Pas_pool said:
How much of it should I add to lower PH to start?

Do you have pool math? If not, get it. Use the same login/pw as TFP. Configure your pool volume. Get the subscription...$8/year...allows you to track your tests, chemical additions and share with TFP. Click my username and you can see my logs. After you enter your results, you can click on pH, enter a target and a chemical and it will tell you how much to add. Link-->PoolMath

Pas_pool said:
Then tomorrow when I get home from work I can try the CYA test as well. Then, tomorrow night I can try the overnight test.

Great plan!

Pas_pool · 2025-04-29T22:25:07-0400

PoolStored said:
I'd get a couple gallons, your TA is high and you will fight your high TA for a bit. After you get a feel for your acid consumption, then you can make another trip.
Muriatic Acid does not go bad.
Muriatic Acid (MA) produces a gas that causes rusting in metal parts.
Do not store MA near liquid chlorine
Read this on chemical storage:

Chemical Storage and Safety - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

No. Do not use that. It contains sulfates and will damage plaster, concrete and metals. Use muriatic acid.

Do you have pool math? If not, get it. Use the same login/pw as TFP. Configure your pool volume. Get the subscription...$8/year...allows you to track your tests, chemical additions and share with TFP. Click my username and you can see my logs. After you enter your results, you can click on pH, enter a target and a chemical and it will tell you how much to add. Link-->PoolMath

Great plan!

Just upgraded my pool math subscription. I’ll check it out. And add my first test results from tonight.

sande005 · 2025-04-29T22:26:41-0400

Just as background - there is a relationship between TA and pH. The higher your TA, the higher your pH will want to be. Adding acid will lower both - but the effect on TA is a lot less, so it takes time. Those that really want to get after it will add acid to lower pH to 7.2-7.4. Then repeat when the pH gets above 8. You don't have to be that aggressive, though. It will still come down over time with smaller acid adds. Once you get into the TA range near 60, your pool will tend to want to stay in the high 7's. So you'll hardly need to add much thereafter. I used almost a gallon for the whole year, last year. In general, any pH in the 7's is good. It is not something to obsess over, like CL might be.

sande005 · 2025-04-29T22:29:22-0400

Pas_pool said:
Just upgraded my pool math subscription. I’ll check it out. And add my first test results from tonight.

Ohhh...but you added the dry acid.......
(Not preferred....but I have used it at times too, because it was there....)

Pas_pool · 2025-04-29T22:37:06-0400

Pas_pool said:
Just upgraded my pool math subscription. I’ll check it out. And add my first test results from tonight.

That is what I is saying to lower it to 7.6

PoolStored · 2025-04-29T22:59:24-0400

Great, get it and add it. Test 30 minutes later and see what you get!

Pas_pool · 2025-04-29T23:04:23-0400

PoolStored said:
Great, get it and add it. Test 30 minutes later and see what you get!

Might be a dumb question, but as I have never done it before. Does it just get poured in the pool water? And specific location or doesn’t matter.

PoolStored · 2025-04-29T23:09:37-0400

Lower the jug into the water, don't put the mouth of the jug under water, it will help support the weight. With additions, it is more horseshoes and hand grenades than absolute precision.
Pour the muriatic acid in a pencil thin rate in front of a return (like a gallon per 2 minutes...slow). The return will mix the acid with the pool water quickly. Take a brush and brush the area to the bottom a bit. We just don't want the acid to sit on the bottom (acid is heavier than water).

Pas_pool · 2025-04-30T05:53:57-0400

PoolStored said:
Lower the jug into the water, don't put the mouth of the jug under water, it will help support the weight. With additions, it is more horseshoes and hand grenades than absolute precision.
Pour the muriatic acid in a pencil thin rate in front of a return (like a gallon per 2 minutes...slow). The return will mix the acid with the pool water quickly. Take a brush and brush the area to the bottom a bit. We just don't want the acid to sit on the bottom (acid is heavier than water).

Sounds good. Thank you! Will be doing this this after work as well.

sande005 · 2025-04-30T08:04:07-0400

A minor, and obvious, note to PoolStored's advice - try for a return in the deep end. Further for the heavier acid to fall and dilute itself before it gets to a surface, than if in a shallow end.

Pas_pool · 2025-04-30T08:13:28-0400

sande005 said:
A minor, and obvious, note to PoolStored's advice - try for a return in the deep end. Further for the heavier acid to fall and dilute itself before it gets to a surface, than if in a shallow end.

Great. Thanks!

Pas_pool · 2025-04-30T18:19:43-0400

PoolStored said:
That might be 20. You need to do the test outdoors. Repeat in the morning and follow these instructions to a T before you add more.

CYA - Cyanuric Acid Test

Cyanuric acid (CYA) is the chemical name for the product commonly called “pool water stabilizer” … Read more…

www.troublefreepool.com

I redid the text and I did it outside this time.

Now clarifying question. If I squeeze the bottle into the test tube fast it does blur away but that could be from the bubbles right? Or is that the way you do this test? If not. And you squeeze slowly this was the end result with the water all the way up to the 30 line.

Thoughts?

Pas_pool · 2025-04-30T18:23:46-0400

Pas_pool said:
I redid the text and I did it outside this time.

Now clarifying question. If I squeeze the bottle into the test tube fast it does blur away but that could be from the bubbles right? Or is that the way you do this test? If not. And you squeeze slowly this was the end result with the water all the way up to the 30 line.

Thoughts?

I double checked with a test strip to see if that shows low stabilizer too and it does. So I think it’s low. Thoughts?

TinFoilHat · 2025-04-30T18:35:24-0400

All you do is squirt a bit into the tube and glance. Then squirt more and glance again. It is low. Get yourself a couple of lbs of granular CYA and put it in a sock in front of one of the pool returns so it can dissolve. You can squeeze the sock to help it along. Give it 24 hours before you test it again.

New pool owner trying to understand test strip reading

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