Decanting acid--what to use

[OutWest]

I have a small-ish pool and when I need to add muriatic acid, I usually only need to add a cup or three.

I've been using measuring cups from my kitchen (and washing them thoroughly afterward!). There must be a better decanter for acid, one that would both make it easy to measure out from the gallon jug and pour into the pool.

What do you use?

 

[wjr75]

I use a plastic measuring cup when I close our pool and have our spa open only. I usually only need a few onces for the spa every few days. Otherwise when I add it to our pool I just eye ball how much is required and pour it right from the jug.

 

[JVTrain]

I use a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup if I need to dose the spa. I'll typically kneel next to the spa with MA jug in the right hand, measuring container in the left hand. I'll float the MA jug on the water surface to support some of the weight and pour into the measuring container, then pour the measuring container into the spa. Might be more difficult with the water level below your knees, with a pool.

I'm usually adding less than a cup so the oversized measuring container versus my needed volume helps make it easier.

 

[yangcha1]

I made the measuring cup from a plastic milk container. I cut a hole on the top and mark the container by adding watering using kitchen measuring cup. The good thing about it is that I feel safe, because it is more splash-proof.

I have a small-ish pool and when I need to add muriatic acid, I usually only need to add a cup or three.

I've been using measuring cups from my kitchen (and washing them thoroughly afterward!). There must be a better decanter for acid, one that would both make it easy to measure out from the gallon jug and pour into the pool.

What do you use?

 

[dakhath]

I use a wide mouth pint mason jar. It is the only thing made of glass allowed anywhere near the pool. It has markings on the side in 4oz increments up to the full pint of 16oz. Because my pool is small I usually only need between 4 to 6 oz of acid. So when I need 6oz I just fill halfway between the 4oz and 8oz markings. You don't really have to be very precise with acid just in the ballpark for dosage.

 

[Marlahoutex]

I use a glass Pyrex measuring cup also. Sometimes I use the 2 cup and sometimes the 4 cup depending on how much is needed. I pour the acid into the cup on an old wooden table and carry it to the pool (although I will need to try JV's method). I then slowly dip the cup into the pool by the return and allow the water to mix with the acid and eventually it flows out of the cup. I then give it a good rinse in the pool. Also, I make sure I have on eye protection and something covering my nose and mouth.

I wash the measuring cup out afterwards and also put it in the dishwasher. Then back in the cabinet it goes. I am glad you posted this because I was also wondering if I should just get a measuring cup and dedicate it to MA.

 

[Propbndr]

I use an 8 oz Pyrex measuring cup that I have just for pool chemicals. I add whatever I need to a 5 gallon bucket half filled with pool water, mixing with a large paint stick. Then pour the diluted mixture into the streams of my 3 pool jets.

 

[rajung]

I use a quart sized stainless steel pitcher,the kind used at your urologist to pee in.I'm sure it was written off in his taxes so I stole it from him.
Monkey see-Monkey do.
I found the plastic ones eventually fade/haze and get brittle

 

[gwegan]

With all due respect you folks are crazy. The less you are handling the acid the less accidents there will be and the less time for mistakes to occur.

This is an addition of MA to a pool. It does not require precision. A one gallon jug is 128 oz. Estimate from there. The more practice the better you get. The vast majority of pools have rising Ph. Overdosing is naturally corrected.

 

[_Eric_]

I use a quart sized stainless steel pitcher,the kind used at your urologist to pee in.I'm sure it was written off in his taxes so I stole it from him.

I don't even...

 

[Propbndr]

With all due respect you folks are crazy. The less you are handling the acid the less accidents there will be and the less time for mistakes to occur.

Simple safety measures can be taken, wear long cuff rubber gloves, don't pour acid from a tall distance (keep it as low as possible), when diluting always pour acid into water - never water into acid, handle acid down wind from your face (fumes).

This is an addition of MA to a pool. It does not require precision. A one gallon jug is 128 oz. Estimate from there. The more practice the better you get. The vast majority of pools have rising Ph. Overdosing is naturally corrected.

I beg to differ, from the school of hard knocks, I have found my pool levels very sensitive to over correction. More than once I have "eyeballed" the amount of a liquid chemical only to find I have over shot the numbers I want. When using PoolMath, I always cut the suggested amount by 75%. I would rather have to add a little more chemical, if needed, than to try to recover from an over correction.

 

[JVTrain]

With all due respect you folks are crazy. The less you are handling the acid the less accidents there will be and the less time for mistakes to occur.

This is an addition of MA to a pool. It does not require precision. A one gallon jug is 128 oz. Estimate from there. The more practice the better you get. The vast majority of pools have rising Ph. Overdosing is naturally corrected.

I pour directly from the jug for the pool as well. Not much precision needed for 30K gallons and pH, if TA is in normal range (60-100 ppm). If TA were low, then pH would swing more wildly with acid additions. Within 10-20 ounces in a large pool is fine, otherwise, you shouldn't be adjusting because the pH change isn't that significant. I only lower my pH when it rises ABOVE 7.8 and then I lower it to 7.4. In my case, that's 58 ounces of full strength MA. I add about half a gallon and it's very close to the desired change each time I've done it.

The 2 cup measuring container only comes into play when I'm adjusting pH in my ~350 gallon spa.

 

[Marlahoutex]

But for those of us who have smaller pools, 10k or less, isn't it better to measure? I usually have to add about 13 oz so I use my measuring cup. I'm not exact with that (if I'm over or under a bit I'm ok) but feel more confident that I have about the right amount.

 

[JVTrain]

About 20 ounces is a gray area, I guess. Myself, I'd eyeball it on the pour, erring on the side of not adding too much. If you're doing it safely and feel more confident with measuring in a separate container, that's great.

 

[Cinic]

I use one of these for the acid. http://www.lowes.com/pd/United-Solutions-1-Quart-Residential-Paint-Bucket/3735443

It has gradations in 4 oz increments which is close enough to eyeball anything in between.

I have a 64 oz version I use for bleach or liquid chlorine.

 

[gwegan]

Error on the side of not adding too much. That is the key. Even if you measure precisely the pool does not always behave correctly. So sometimes it takes me a couple of doses to get where I want.

But estimating from the jug is easier, safer and after a while you get good at it.

 

[jmastron]

I've said this before, but I used to be a measuring cup person -- until I was adding acid at night using a headlamp, and it showed clearly just how much fuming was happening.

What I did was take an empty acid jug and a stick, and fillled the jug with water in increments using a measuring cup, marking the levels on the stick. Now when I take out a new jug, I just use the stick and a sharpie (kept with the supplies) and quickly mark the levels on the jug. To pour, I take the cap off, put the jug partly in the water, pour some and move back to vertical to check, and recap when done. Very little fuming this way when I do the nighttime headlamp check.

I did 4 x 32oz increments and pour that much at a time, but 8 x 16oz marks (2 cups) should be pretty accurate too. 16 x 8oz might be tricky, but 2 cups at a time should keep the pH swing reasonable even in a smaller pool.

 

[Marlahoutex]

I always add mine in the morning. Is it better to add at night? Still learning....

 

[JVTrain]

MA, it doesn't matter when you add. Sometimes at night it can be easier to see the fumes and to gauge how they're moving in the wind as you pour... but the higher relative humidity and night around here means it's fuming even before it's coming out of the bottle!

I much prefer adding bleach/chlorine at night because then your highest FC is overnight and isn't burned off at all by sunlight until morning.

 

[yangcha1]

It is a very good idea. Could you put your stick and a ruler side by side and show a picture here? So we can duplicate yours. Thanks.

Another way is to mark 4 slant lines on the bottle, so you don't need to move back to vertical to check. I will do some experiments to creates the slant marks.

I've said this before, but I used to be a measuring cup person -- until I was adding acid at night using a headlamp, and it showed clearly just how much fuming was happening.

What I did was take an empty acid jug and a stick, and fillled the jug with water in increments using a measuring cup, marking the levels on the stick. Now when I take out a new jug, I just use the stick and a sharpie (kept with the supplies) and quickly mark the levels on the jug. To pour, I take the cap off, put the jug partly in the water, pour some and move back to vertical to check, and recap when done. Very little fuming this way when I do the nighttime headlamp check.

I did 4 x 32oz increments and pour that much at a time, but 8 x 16oz marks (2 cups) should be pretty accurate too. 16 x 8oz might be tricky, but 2 cups at a time should keep the pH swing reasonable even in a smaller pool.

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