I don't have a heater and was thinking maybe adding MA to the skimmer when necessary will cut down the times I would have to soak the Salt Cell. Crazy?
Muriatic Acid in skimmer
- Thread starter Philo
- Start date
- Jun 1, 2018
- 14,051
- Pool Size
- 26000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
No - just no…
Please don’t do that - its a good way to kill all your equipment seals/gaskets & orings.
Acidic products & skimmers/ pumps don’t mix.
If you are having to clean your cell that often you possibly have a chemistry problem.
Most people who follow Recommended Levels
Rarely need to clean their cell with acid.
Remember- Every time you clean it with acid it loses some of it’s life. If you can, dislodge any scale with a popsicle stick or perhaps a credit card before resorting to an acid bath.
www.troublefreepool.com
Please don’t do that - its a good way to kill all your equipment seals/gaskets & orings.
Acidic products & skimmers/ pumps don’t mix.
If you are having to clean your cell that often you possibly have a chemistry problem.
Most people who follow Recommended Levels
Rarely need to clean their cell with acid.
Remember- Every time you clean it with acid it loses some of it’s life. If you can, dislodge any scale with a popsicle stick or perhaps a credit card before resorting to an acid bath.
Calcium Saturation Index (CSI)
How is CSI calculated? Very simple – use our PoolMath tool. To ensure long plaster life and save money, click here to learn more.
www.troublefreepool.com
What you say sounds intuitive but remember the acid come in plastic containers with no harm. My jug even has a rubber gasket in the cap that is fine.
i have never cleaned my cell in 10 years
has one growth about the size of grain of rice
has one growth about the size of grain of rice
There are many different types of plastics, and they aren’t all designed to do the same thing. The acid jugs are made of polyethylene and are designed to resist corrosive chemicals. Your pool pump is made of a different combination of plastic and metal.
You should not put acid in the skimmer for the same reason you don’t put pucks in the skimmer. Highly acidic water isn’t good for anything, especially the salt cell.
If your salt cell is scaling, it’s probably because your CSI is out of whack (too far positive) and needs to be maintained in a slightly negative (acidic) range.
BowserB
Silver Supporter
- Jul 29, 2018
- 782
- Pool Size
- 15000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Pump impellers are plastic but the drive shafts, bushes and seals behind them are not. Think as well about the time that you spend soaking the cell to clean it. It's relatively quick if you use a strong acid solution, but you're still talking a few minutes. You need sufficient concentration and sufficient contact time for the scale to dissolve.
Then think about the flow rate through the pump and the residence time in the cell. You would be pouring acid in for quite a while to get the cell clean and all that acid is now in your pool. So now you need to adjust your pH, your TA and possibly resurface your pool due to pitting of the plaster.
Seriously don't go there.
PS: Muriatic acid is as corrosive as heck, probably not the best thing for cleaning the cell, although it is fast. Personally I prefer to use a less corrosive option and soak it longer.
Then think about the flow rate through the pump and the residence time in the cell. You would be pouring acid in for quite a while to get the cell clean and all that acid is now in your pool. So now you need to adjust your pH, your TA and possibly resurface your pool due to pitting of the plaster.
Seriously don't go there.
PS: Muriatic acid is as corrosive as heck, probably not the best thing for cleaning the cell, although it is fast. Personally I prefer to use a less corrosive option and soak it longer.
