Chemical Storage and Safety - Further Reading

Chemical Storage and Safety

Pool chemicals in general are safe if properly stored and handled. Some chemicals should not be stored together and others should only be stored outdoors.

• All chemicals should be kept in locked hard plastic bins with tight-fitting lids out of the reach of children
• Use several bins so you can separate liquids from solids
• Do not mix chemicals that are reactive together in a bin, i.e chlorine and muriatic acid.
• Areas where you store chemicals should be well ventilated and dry.
• Preferably temperatures should not exceed 95F, especially for storing liquid chlorine
• Pool chemicals are more sensitive to heat than cold
• Avoid direct sunlight and high humidity.
• Store chemicals in the containers they were bought in. Those containers are safest for the chemical and properly labeled.
• If you use measuring cups then have a labeled dedicated cup for each chemical
• Reseal containers after use so no moisture can get in.

Safe Pool Chemical Handling

Never mix different chemicals together.

Mixing different chemicals can create very dangerous, toxic and explosive results.

Mixing calcium hypochlorite with anything is one of the most dangerous types of mixtures.

Even when you think that the chemicals are the same, it's better to add them separately just to be safe.

Unless something comes from the same container, it should be kept separate from anything else. A downfall of changing containers is you may know what’s what, but if anybody else grabs a jug/box it may not be what they think it is. Be it your significant other or a teenager.

Mixing chemicals from different containers always risks the chance that they could be different.

Mixing chlorine and acid is another very dangerous mixture.

Always keep any form of chlorine and any acids stored in different locations.

And add chlorine and acid to the water at least 15 minutes apart.

Always add chemicals to water. Never add water to chemicals.

Granulated calcium is exothermic and will generate enough heat to burn if added to a small amount of water. Be careful when dissolving calcium to make a slurry to add to the pool. It is safer to add calcium directly to the pool.

Transferring concentrated acid from gallon containers into a larger vessel by simply pouring it in is a bad idea in general. If you have to put out more than a few cups or so of concentrated MA, you should be using a transfer pump. It is not only safer from the perspective of spills and fluid losses, it avoids the dispersal of fumes. There are very simple, all plastic, hand operated transfer pumps that are cheap and easy to use.

If ventilation in the area where you have an acid container, such as for a Stenner pump or IntellipH system, is poor and you should look for ways to improve it so that acid vapors are dispersed more readily. Using a small fan to help move the air AWAY FROM the transfer point could be beneficial (small fan, key word is small...you don't need a cyclone blower).

Take time to review the safety of how you store and use chemicals.

Make sure that the chemicals are not accessible to kids.

Never use chemicals in a feeder that are not intended for the feeder.

Make sure that everyone has basic safety information for handling chemicals or responding to a spill or accident.

For commercial pool operators, please make sure that the employees are well trained and supervised regarding chemical safety.

Not just commercial pool operators, for residential pools please make sure that everyone in the family who may handle chemicals are well trained and supervised regarding chemical safety. Especially if you ask teenagers to do pool maintenance.

Safe Pool Chemical Storage

Separate Chlorine Products and Muriatic Acid

If chlorine and muriatic acid is mixed it will create toxic chlorine gas. The two chemicals should never be stored where they can possibly mix.

Chlorine

• All chlorine products should be stored in a well ventilated area.
• Segregate chlorine products in different areas.
• Never consolidate chlorine products together. Always leave in their original packaging.

Liquid Chlorine

Liquid Chlorine (in gallon plastic bottles) - known as Sodium Hypochlorite (or bleach) - comes in varying percentage of sodium hypochlorite denoted on the bottle. - Keep in a cool place - many store in utility or laundry room if not in high quantities (due to space). Can also be stored outside in garage or in separate container or storage shed. Liquid Chlorine should be stored in a cool area and (% sodium hypochlorite) will deteriorate over time due to heat and does not have long shelf life. See Breakdown of Bleach Over Time by Storage Temp for the effect of storage temperature on liquid chlorine.

Liquid Chlorine should NOT be stored with MA (in same storage shed) .

Trichlor and dichlor should NEVER be stored with liquid chlorine. If there was ever a spill or mixing of the two, explosive reactions can occur.

TriChlor Tablets

If TriChlor tablets in a closed container gets wet it can generate a toxic level of chlorine gas. Open the container in a well ventilated area, preferably outdoors.

The dissolving tablets can also create a highly acidic mix.

Trichlor is classified as an NFPA Class 1 Oxidizer. The lowest NFPA rating reflects the fact that Trichlor does not burn or decompose unless a direct flame or other intense heat source is applied. Once the flame or heat source is removed, Trichlor stops decomposing.

Dichlor

Dichlor is a dry solid with strong oxidizing properties.

It is stable when stored in a cool, dry, ventilated area and not contaminated by other chemicals such as acids or easily oxidizable materials.

Dichlor, in the solid form, shall not be mixed with other pool chemicals including other chlorinating agents. Partially empty packages must not be consolidated, as this could result in dangerous mixing with incompatible dry chlorinating agents having a similar appearance.

CAUTION: If mishandled, improperly stored, or contaminated, dichlor products can become unstable and dangerous, as is the case in general with chlorinating agents. Fire, explosion and/or evolution of toxic gasses could result, depending on the nature and amount of the contaminant

Cal-hypo

Calcium hypochlorite has strong oxidizing properties — that means it readily yields oxygen or readily reacts to oxidize combustible materials, so you have to be careful with how you store and handle it.

Store cal-hypo in a cool, dry, ventilated area where it cannot be contaminated by other chemicals such as acids or easily oxidizable materials

• Do not put cal-hypo tablets in floaters or chlorinators that were used for trichlor or dichlor tablets
• Do not mix calcium hypochlorite in solid form with other pool chemicals including other chlorinating agents.
• Do not consolidate partially empty packages as this could result in dangerous mixing with incompatible dry chlorinating agents having a similar appearance.
• Calcium hypochlorite can oxidize metals, which may produce contaminants that can stain pool and spa surfaces.

Chlorinator cap exploded describes what happened when cal-hypo was added to a Trichlor tablet feeder. It also has more discussion about cal-hypo safety and chemistry.

CalHypo can also be a fire hazard and is classified as a Class 3 Oxidizer by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). CalHypo will decompose, in a self-sustained reaction, if stored over 125°F (52°C) for an extended period of time.

CAUTION: If mishandled, improperly stored or contaminated, calcium hypochlorite products can become unstable and dangerous, as is the case in general with chlorinating agents. Fire, explosion and/or evolution of toxic gasses could result, depending on the nature and amount of the contaminant.

Muriatic Acid

Muriatic acid should be stored outside. It has a relatively long shelf life regardless of temperature, does not freeze, and can be left outside in the winter. Even when in closed sealed containers the fumes from muriatic acid can rust metals in the room around it. Muriatic acid caps are vented hence gas can escape from them even when unopened and cause problems and the rusting of metal nearby. If stored in a garage the vehicles and metal shelves can rust due to the muriatic acid fumes.

We recommend minimizing the times acid is poured from container to container.

Calcium

When mixed with water calcium can become very hot. Calcium should not be stored where it can become wet.

Other Chemicals

Stabilizer, borax, baking soda, algaecides, and other chemicals require no special safety precautions or storage. Keep them in a dry, moisture free environment - mainly inside such as utility or laundry room on a shelf or in basement. They have a good shelf life. As with all chemicals, keep them out of reach of children.

If in doubt ask on the Forums.

Should You Wear Personal Protection Equipment?

Don’t use a chemical respirator for simple pool chemical additions, they are unnecessary at best and harmful at worst.

If you do have to be in an area where vapors may pool and you have to be there for an extended period of time, then a half face respirator is absolutely the WRONG PPE to use. You should be using a FULL FACE RESPIRATOR and, if you are doing it correctly, you should be properly fitted for it so that there are no air leaks between your face and the respirator.

Why??

Because your choke reflex is important. Your choke reflex is what protects your sensitive mucous membranes and soft tissue (eg, the cornea of your eyes) from dangerous chemicals. When you wear a half face respirator, you are eliminating the fumes of the MA from reaching your nose and so your body has no idea that the rest of it is submerged into an atmosphere of potentially harmful vapors. You have eliminated the one mechanism that your body uses to protect you - your sense of smell. One positive aspect of muriatic acid is that it has a very low odor threshold - that is, the concentration at which your nose can detect the vapors is far, far lower than the concentration at which those vapors will cause any kind of damage. So, you either wear a full face respirator to protect your nose, lungs and eyes, or simply wear safety glasses and use a transfer pump and fan to limit the vapor exposure. A half-faced respirator is the worst of all things you can do.

And now you will ask - do you just make this stuff up???

Nope. TFP had a post three or four years ago from a pool owner that did exactly what you are doing - he would get decked out in a rubber apron, thick rubber gloves, a half face respirator with an acid cartridge and safety glasses whenever he would add acid to the pool. One time, the wind was going the wrong way and, while he was fidding with measuring acid volumes and pouring slowly, the acid vapors got into his eyes. He then had a fun trip to the eye doctor to get medicines for corneal chemical burns....if he had not had the respirator on, his body would have instantly told him something was wrong and his natural choke reflex would have caused his eyes to shut and his head to turn away. But, because he took that signal out of the equation, his eyes suffered for it. Thankfully the damage to his eyes was reported as minimal and only needing a course of antibiotic eye drops for a week or so to keep them safe while his body recovered from the corneal damage....it could have been a a lot worse.

Moral of the story - using the WRONG PPE's can be just as bad or worse than using no PPE's at all...