Wondering what you need to invest in to keep your pool great for swimming? Your pool requires chemicals and certain products to keep its pH level balanced. This is important to keep your loved ones safe while swimming, also to keep the beauty and shimmer of your pool! It isn’t only chlorine that would help swimming pools, but muriatic acid as well.
But what is muriatic acid and what can it do for your pool? Moreover, how much should you add to your pool in order to balance your pH levels? Find out everything you need to know about your pool’s pH levels and muriatic acid in this article.
Table of Contents
What Does Muriatic Acid Do for a Pool?
You’re probably wondering: What does muriatic acid do for a pool anyway?
Muriatic acid is one of the most common liquid acid, used to lower your pool’s pH levels. It’s also known as hydrochloric acid. This is important when your pool’s pH levels are too high and need to be lowered as soon as possible so you can use your pool properly.
Having your pH levels too high can lead to scaling, cloudy water, chlorine inefficiency, or irritation on your eye and skin, which is something you wouldn’t want! So if you happen to experience these symptoms or notice this happens to your pool, then it’s best to purchase quality muriatic acid and add it to your pool immediately.
How Much Muriatic Acid to Add to Pool
The next question is: How much muriatic acid to lower pH levels?
It isn’t rocket science, but you WILL need to do your research, because adding too much would lower your pH levels much more than the recommended level (which is around 7.0). If your pool suffers from low pH levels, then the consequences would be similar:
- Staining or metal corrosion
- Chlorine loss
- Pool surface begins to etch
- Wrinkles in vinyl linters
- Irritation on eye and skin
You can follow the recommendations of the muriatic acid manufacturer, or have it checked by a pool technician. One of the easiest (and affordable) ways to accurately know how much muriatic acid to add to pool is to purchase a pool test kit and check it yourself.
How to Add Muriatic Acid
To add muriatic acid into your pool, simply follow these steps:
Test your pool
Like mentioned, use a pool test kit to see if its pH levels are too high and muriatic acid is needed. You will need to make sure that you check the pH levels daily to avoid it from being too high or too low. As mentioned ,the ideal level is 7.0, so don’t let it go higher or lower than that amount.
Prepare the acid
You will need to mix muriatic acid to a bucket of clean water. Remember to wear protective gear and to NOT add over a pint of muriatic acid, only using 1/10 (at most) per bucket of water.
Add the acid
Add small amounts around the pool, ensuring that the pool filter is on. Do NOT add it in only one area, as this won’t distribute evenly and only a part of your pool will have balanced pH levels.
Check pH Levels
After four hours, check the pH levels again to see if it is balanced. If it is still too high, then add a bit more muriatic acid. If it’s around 7.0, you’re done!
In Conclusion
Did you find the article informative, or have any questions or suggestions regarding muriatic acid and keeping your pH levels balanced? Then do comment down below. We’d love to hear what you have to think.
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