Is muriatic acid essential?

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I keep MA on my back porch out of the sunlight in a plastic tote with a lid. It's mostly harmless that way.... Common sense goes a long way with this stuff. Even the 120F temperatures are not a problem you just want two barriers (one being the bottle) in case one fails. You also really don't want to put it in an enclosed space in case vapors get loose.. mainly because the stuff is highly corrosive.. I wouldn't worry about breathing more than a few feet away from it....

I am starting to keep track of the manufacturers who put it into a gallon milk carton (Kem-Tec at Lowe's, Hasa at pool stores) instead of proper plastic bottle and avoid buying those brands... it's worth the extra fifty cents more to get them in a proper "Bleach" (style!) bottle.
 
gorocket1981 said:
I always use dry acid each week or when required to lower ph. What will happen? What the sulfates will do exactly? For what is it harmful? For the people or the pool itself?
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Sulfates will destroy metal and concrete. Your heater is the most susceptible.

Store MA bottles in a plastic trash can or other receptacle outside. I use a 20 gallon plastic trash can with lid. If you have children you may want to get one that can be secured.
 
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I just bought muriatic acid at Tractor Supply that is, I believe, 20% strength. I just store it in a plastic container in my pool area. I used it today to lower pH, worked just peachy.
 
Rattus Suffocatus said:
I keep MA on my back porch out of the sunlight in a plastic tote with a lid. It's mostly harmless that way.... Common sense goes a long way with this stuff. Even the 120F temperatures are not a problem you just want two barriers (one being the bottle) in case one fails. You also really don't want to put it in an enclosed space in case vapors get loose.. mainly because the stuff is highly corrosive.. I wouldn't worry about breathing more than a few feet away from it....

I am starting to keep track of the manufacturers who put it into a gallon milk carton (Kem-Tec at Lowe's, Hasa at pool stores) instead of proper plastic bottle and avoid buying those brands... it's worth the extra fifty cents more to get them in a proper "Bleach" (style!) bottle.
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The Kem Tec that I bought at Lowes was in regular bleach bottles. It comes as a 2 pack.
 

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mknauss said:
Sulfates will destroy metal and concrete. Your heater is the most susceptible.

Store MA bottles in a plastic trash can or other receptacle outside. I use a 20 gallon plastic trash can with lid. If you have children you may want to get one that can be secured.
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Really? That can destroy my heater? OMG!! :cry:

Since I am North and I have to lower the water level of the pool in Autumn, does the dilution with the new water reduce the damage by not over accumulating the sulfates all year?

I did calculations. It would be a bit cheaper using the Muriatic Acid as some people said.
Suppose I get Muriatic Acid in a plastic bottle and like you said I store the bottle in a trash can, can the trash can be placed not far from the pool or the equipment? Will the potential fumes will still corrode the equipment or the pool?
 
I have been buying MA at HomeDepot. I buy 4 boxes at a time and it is a little cheaper. You can always also get it a Leslies in a pinch. Pool stores are considered essential services in Florida. Leslies has curbside service as well these days, in case you dont want to go in the store.
 
I store my MA in a resin/plastic seat thing from Wal-Mart just big enough to store it and some cheap plastic measuring cups that we got at a dollar store and a 5-gallon bucket. :)
 
Rattus Suffocatus said:
See?View attachment 135386

Worse yet, it's 14.5% not 31.5%. Well, I won't buy that from Lowe's again.... I totally got ripped off...
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Doesn't the Hasa dealer (E-Konomy in Tucson) carry the refillable 4 gallon tote pack? Those are 31.45% and come in the studier jugs.

Most of the 2 pack cardboard boxes use the cheap throw-away jugs you show - at least here in AZ.
 
If you're concerned about storing MA (Muriatic Acid) I buy it by the quart from Ace Hardware. Since I rarely ever use any, a quart isn't much to handle or store. It's very stable so it can be stored outside, as long as you can do it safely. A five gallon plastic bucket with a snap on lid works wonderfully.

I'm not in any way afraid of MA. We used to wash brick houses with it in the summers when I was a teenager, so I've been handling it for many many years and I notice no adverse affects.
 
proavia said:
Doesn't the Hasa dealer (E-Konomy in Tucson) carry the refillable 4 gallon tote pack? Those are 31.45% and come in the sturdier jugs.

Most of the 2 pack cardboard boxes use the cheap throw-away jugs you show - at least here in AZ.
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Actually, No. They only carry the throwaway Hasa muriatic acid. They obviously sell the refillable jugs for liquid chlorine. Or at least that was the case the one time I bought it from them.

I love dealing with them but their closest location is 33 minutes away, 23.5 miles closest each way according to Google. It's one of the reasons that I decided to put in the SWCG....

(It is also reason why I use about half LC from them and half LC from Wal-mart which is 7 miles/10 minutes away. There is a little independent pool store there that also sells Hasa muriatic for about a dollar more a two pack and probably that is where I will go for that in the future...though I will need to go to E-Konomy at least one last time to return 8 jugs)
 

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