Need some advice for using Muriatic Acid

[Genny]

The pool store confuses me. They say to only add the most 32 oz of muriatic acid at a time. And wait 4 hours with pump on to add and then check and if need to add more and wait another 4 hours. I was driving myself nuts waiting every 4 hours for each. But all the forums don't seem to have a limit on how much to pour. Please advise. And then other chemicals like Chlorine were 4 hours. But everything I have read in these forums is like pour all and let pump before 1 hour, pour and then wait 1-2 hours. Please . Which one.

My pool is pebbletech, which I assume is plaster, new pool filled in February. 14,555 gallons.

 

[Genny]

Moved from HERE

New pool. My pH constantly rises. Will adding the borates to 50ppm help the pH drifting? Chlorine pool. 14,555 gallons

 

[Genny]

Hi, I'm Genny. I live in Northern California. We just had a pool build and almost finished. Right now its chlorine. We are waiting for the salt generator. The pH keeps going upward. After 2 gallons of Muriatic acid. So I read that this is not unusual since its fresh gunite and pebbletech. But can the borates help with this?

 

[Texas Splash]

Hello Genny from NoCal. Welcome to TFP! Use the link below to get started. Have a nice weekend.

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Texas Splash]

The pool store at it again. As usual their advice is off the mark. You don't need to wait that long, nor are there such dosage restrictions when you have good water movement. With MA, the big things are:
- Handle carefully to avoid splashing on skin or eyes
- Watch wind direction to avoid inhalation
- Pour slowly near a return jet(s)
- Do not add at the exact same time or exact same location as liquid chlorine. Chlorine and acid do not mix. But you can add them within just a few minutes apart. If you have poor circulation, feel free to brush the area.
- Store outdoors in a separate (plaster/rubber) container away from any metal (corrosion). Keep away from kids and pets. It will be fine in the heat/cold outside.

The link below shows you all the recommended chemical sand how to apply them

Recommended Pool Chemicals

Which should I buy? TFP's recommended pool chemicals are cheap, easy, and won't unbalance your pool water.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Casey]

It's always best to under shoot the acid when dropping pH. I'm not sure what you're trying to do with the MA? If you go with half the recommended dosage for what you're trying to achieve to creep up on your target level, just let the pool turn over for a half hour n brush the MA through the water (you can never brush a poolto much anyways), retest and re-add. No good reason to waste your whole day adjusting pH because the pool store has you waiting 4 hours between doses. If we followed all their recommendations, nobody would ever get to swim in their pools... and some people hang onto every word that comes out of their mouths n off their printers except us. We do things the TFP way here.

Welcome!

 

[Mdragger88]

Their advice is 1/2 right- likely motivated by fear of people lowering ph too much or them being liable for someone dumping everything in at once after they recommended you buy 40 different concoctions.
You just don’t want ph to go below the 7’s so as @Casey said creep up on it. This will prevent over dosing as well as help u dial in your pool volume based on the outcome of your dose.
& remember to brush, brush, brush

 

[Mdragger88]

Hi Genny
Read through all the info @Texas Splash linked to get a handle on caring for your pool.
Your plaster can take a year to fully cure so patience & regular adjustment of ph is a must. Only after plaster is fully cured & ph stabilizes a bit should borates enter the equation. If you do it now you will just have to use MORE Muriatic acid to combat your ph rise which is likely the opposite of what you want.
Borates aren’t the magic end to ph rise- just a helping hand.
For now you should follow the startup procedure recommended by the manufacturer for your finish.

Borates - Why and How

Borates - Why and How Why Adding borates can improve your experience with your pool, but is completely optional. If you do plan to use borates, wait until everything else is settled down before adding borates, especially TA and PH. The only situations where we specifically recommend using...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[PoolStored]

Can you help us with a little more information? Do you do your own testing? Test Kits Compared What are all your chemical values? In particular, your TA? Do you have a plaster pool or vinyl? How old is it?

Can you also fill out your signature like mine below, with type of pool and your equipment?

 

[hawkmoon7]

The pool store confuses me. They say to only add the most 32 oz of muriatic acid at a time. And wait 4 hours with pump on to add and then check and if need to add more and wait another 4 hours. I was driving myself nuts waiting every 4 hours for each. But all the forums don't seem to have a limit on how much to pour. Please advise. And then other chemicals like Chlorine were 4 hours. But everything I have read in these forums is like pour all and let pump before 1 hour, pour and then wait 1-2 hours. Please . Which one.

My pool is pebbletech, which I assume is plaster, new pool filled in February. 14,555 gallons.

This is sort of "fail safe" advice. Muraitc Acid is heavy, and dumping in a lot could cause it to sink to the floor and with poor circulation it could cause a problem with the plaster. 1st off, why the need for that much in one shot? secondly, I normally dilute the acid in a larger bucket and slowly add around the pool by the returns with the pump on high. I'll test again in an hour. I would feel fine adding a gallon that way, but again, I'm not sure I ever needed more than 32oz at a time for an adjustment.

Anyhow, the important thing is understanding WHY they gave that advice. They don't want you to dump a bunch in and have it settle to the floor uncirculated. Plus, more than 32oz may result in overshooting the demand. So keep that in mind, and you won't have to strictly stick to their guidance.

 

[mknauss]

I normally dilute the acid in a larger bucket and slowly add around the pool by the returns

Please do not do that. It adds a lot more chance for spillage, getting the acid on you, etc. Handle the acid once, pour in a pencil size stream directly into the pool at a return with the pump running.

 

[Lineman7]

avoid inhalation

That only takes one time. Lesson learned quickly!

 

[Enumjon]

Due to my water and climate conditions in my area I have become much more of an expert on muriatic acid than I would like. Now that the pool is reaching ideal levels my use has calmed down, but I put in 30-35 gallons a few years ago. Anyhow, I second what mknauss posted above. Gradually dump it into the stream of a pool return. I regularly dump in a gallon at a time, will do 2-3 gallons at once if there is a big need - such as at pool opening. No issues of any type doing it this way. But I know how the acid affects my pool, so I am not going to overshoot levels putting accidentally.

 

[Mark McLeroy]

Moved from HERE

New pool. My pH constantly rises. Will adding the borates to 50ppm help the pH drifting? Chlorine pool. 14,555 gallons

I have a SWG and used borates last year. Definitely saw noticeable stabilization in PH. Doing it again this year.

 

[SouthernAlaPool]

The pool store at it again. As usual their advice is off the mark. You don't need to wait that long, nor are there such dosage restrictions when you have good water movement. With MA, the big things are:
- Handle carefully to avoid splashing on skin or eyes
- Watch wind direction to avoid inhalation
- Pour slowly near a return jet(s)
- Do not add at the exact same time or exact same location as liquid chlorine. Chlorine and acid do not mix. But you can add them within just a few minutes apart. If you have poor circulation, feel free to brush the area.
- Store outdoors in a separate (plaster/rubber) container away from any metal (corrosion). Keep away from kids and pets. It will be fine in the heat/cold outside.

The link below shows you all the recommended chemical sand how to apply them

Recommended Pool Chemicals

Which should I buy? TFP's recommended pool chemicals are cheap, easy, and won't unbalance your pool water.

www.troublefreepool.com

Great...common sense advice. I check my PH about 15 minutes after and again in a hour or so (i have good circulation). If I am still real high...I top off the acid. Also, not sure where this 32 oz limit comes from...unless they are basing it solely on the size/gallons for your pool. However, the way I determine it is always acid demand...using the gallons of the pool, current PH reading and letting these great calculators they have tell you how much to put in - TFP has one u can get, or use one online.

What is a bit frustrating however...is the new "Green" Muriatic Acid (MA) which is all they sell now in the BIG BOX stores (Note that Green= we dilute it for you using water) and then they charge MORE for GREEN - adding water to your product.
But from what I have found after much searching, is the BIG Brand of GREEN acid is 20% (vs 31.45% for Old non watered MA). So if you use about 50% more or adjust your Calculator site for the 20% MA you should get the amount of MA demand pretty close. And then after a couple of days I check again and unless your fighting a new Pool/PH rise....then you should be pretty good!

 

[Texas Splash]

What is a bit frustrating however...is the new "Green" Muriatic Acid (MA) which is all they sell now in the BIG BOX stores

Is this in the paint section by chance? When I go to HD, they still have the 31.5% stuff outside in the pool area. At least at my HD they do.

 

[IceShadow]

Is this in the paint section by chance? When I go to HD, they still have the 31.5% stuff outside in the pool area. At least at my HD they do.

Here's the stuff that's 20% (as opposed to 20 baume) that everyone seems to carry now:

Klean-Strip Green 1 Gal. Green Muriatic Acid GKGM75006 - The Home Depot

For Pro's and DIY'ers, Klean-Strip is the leading brand of solvents, thinners, removers, and cleaners that are dependable for reliable results. Klean-Strip Muriatic Acid can be used to etch concrete, brighten concrete and masonry, or remove excess mortar from bricks. 90% lower fumes than...

www.homedepot.com

 

[Toxophilite]

I use one of these long-snouted measure cups. Down at the pool water level, over the deep end and over where jet is at, I lean the jug to fill the pitcher to my measure. Then, you can slow pour a tiny stream right into the jet stream. Rinse cup and done. You can keep everything an arms-length from you, and do downwind.

 

[IceShadow]

Just make sure all measuring cups used around a pool are plastic, and not glass.