I got muratic acid...now what?

[my2kidsmom]

I need to lower my Ph and according to the pool calculator, I need to add roughly 2 cups to muratic acid to the pool. I say roughly because I always have a very hard time "reading" the color on Ph I know it is higher than it needs to be and it might not be quite 8 pH, but it is high at 7.8 or 7.9.

so, I have a gallon jug of this stuff...do I just put on some safety glasses and pour from the gallon jug? Can I pour it into a plastic bowl first (that I've marked the 2 cup line on) and then pour into the pool? I understand that I need to pour slowly in front of the jets and leave the pump running for at least 30 minutes (will leave it on longer though). If we were going to swim, how long would we need to wait after adding the acid?

TIA

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Here's from Pool School:

"You should always wear eye protection when handling muriatic acid. You do not want to breathe muriatic acid fumes. If you spill any on your clothes it will cause damage. Muriatic acid may sting a bit if you get it on your skin, but won't normally cause any serious harm as long as you rinse it off right away.

Muriatic acid should be added to the pool by pouring slowly in front of a return jet with the pump running. You should pour slowly enough that pouring an entire jug takes more than two minutes. Leave the pump running for at least 30 minutes after adding muriatic acid."

Not sure about how soon you can swim....I'm looking though.

 

[JasonLion]

You can swim after half an hour. You can pour it into a plastic or glass measuring cup, but not anything metal.

 

[PaulR]

I have a plastic measuring cup and a bucket that are exclusively for pool chemicals. They live in the shed with the filter, so nobody uses them for anything else. I also use rubber gloves when pouring acid. Probably overkill, but it impresses the kids that this stuff is not to be trifled with.
--paulr

 

[Guest]

You can also pour the acid into a bucket of water and then broadcast it over the pool. Always acid to water and NEVER add water to acid or it can boil out violently!