It is not easy to reduce pool alkalinity. Alkaline pool water is one of the most common problems in residential pools. Low pH levels can cause scaling and corrosion and affect the physical appearance of your pool.
Muriatic acid will help you lower the pH level of your pool water, and it’s safe to use on any tiles, concrete, or plaster.
Muriatic acid is a potent compound, and most people don’t know that this type of acid works best when mixed with water.
Its primary purpose is to dissolve calcium and magnesium, which are found in the bottom of pools.
Table of Contents
What is Alkalinity?
Alkalinity measures how much pool water has an acidity or basic level. In other words, alkaline compounds can neutralize acids (or bases).
Basic pools are those with low levels, which means your pH could be very acidic. High alkaline pools are not a problem if you add enough acid to bring your pH level back down under 7.2.
So, you should add acid to your pool water whenever it’s too alkaline.
What causes high alkalinity in a pool?
High alkalinity is not a problem for those who have pools that have been built in the past 20-30 years.
Your pool water may be highly alkaline due to old plumbing and equipment, or other reasons such as:
- Use of pool heaters
- Old pipes from concrete or lead piping
- Too much use of calcium chloride or calcium bicarbonate
- Using pool cleaners that contain too much chlorine or chloramines
- Use of copper plumbing in pools, especially during the winter months
What is muriatic acid?
Muriatic acid is a form of hydrochloric acid. It’s used to dissolve calcium and magnesium found in the bottom of your pool.
This can be very useful if you want to clean or maintain your swimming pool because most other acids will not work as well on concrete, plaster, and tiles.
Muriatic acid is a highly toxic type of acid. It should be handled with care because it will eat away at the rubber parts of your pool equipment and dissolve fiberglass in swimming pools.
This not only can harm you or damage someone else’s property but could also cause severe health problems to you, your family, or the people living with you.
Read: How To Lower Pool Alkalinity Without Muriatic Acid
Is Muriatic Acid safe to use in the pool?
According to aquatic experts, muriatic acid is a highly corrosive chemical and can ruin or melt your pool equipment.
It will also dissolve fiberglass swimming pools, so they should never be used in these pools without proper safety precautions. The main dangers associated with muriatic acid are:
- Harming your skin or eyes
- Damage to the inside of your pool
- Dissolving fiberglass pools or vinyl tile pools
- Breathing the fumes of this acid is potentially harmful
- Spreading a cloud of deadly poisonous gas around your home, yard, and neighborhood
Muriatic acid is hazardous and should never be used on pools without contacting a reputable pool service to help you safely maintain your swimming pool.
If muriatic acid has been spilled in or around your home, it’s best to call the local fire department.
Muriatic acid is hazardous for your health, so it’s best to avoid using this chemical on pools in any way at all unless you have proper safety precautions that will help protect yourself from its effects.
How To Lower Pool Alkalinity With Muriatic Acid?
You can lower the pool’s alkalinity with muriatic acid.
This will help keep your water crystal clear because it has a lot of positive ions that attract small particles in the swimming pool and remove them from your water.
It also helps prevent algae blooms as these tiny particles cause algae to grow in your water.
Alkalinity levels can be very high when there is a lot of iron or copper floating around in the pool, and these types of metals will not dissolve with muriatic acid.
It’s best to have an indoor swimming pool with many minerals in the water because it’s much easier to lower these levels with muriatic acid.
Muriatic acid is good for getting rid of the scale that has developed on your pool walls, too.
How Much Muriatic Acid Should Be Added To a Pool, and How Often?
If you want to lower your alkalinity levels in the pool, it’s best if you use a muriatic acid. Moreso use one that is high enough to dissolve iron and copper completely.
It will be easiest for you if this chemical can also dissolve calcium phosphate because these minerals can cause nasty algae problems.
You will probably only need to add 5-10% of this chemical into your pool.
Muriatic acid can be added once every 3 days, but it’s best to wait at least 48 hours before adding a new batch because the alkalinity levels in the water may still change after that.
It’s always best to test your pool water before adding any acid. This will determine if the levels have dropped enough that you may not need to add another batch as well.
What kind of results can you expect?
If you use the right amount of muriatic acid, it will be very effective at removing any iron or copper from your swimming pool.
This chemical is also suitable for getting rid of water stains on your walls. Although this type of stain won’t dissolve as easily with this type of acid.
Muriatic acid is also a potent acid, and it can lower your pH levels if you add too much of this chemical into the pool.
The ideal alkalinity level for swimming pools should be between 7-8, so don’t try to lower it below that range by adding muriatic acid.
Final Thought
Swimming pools can be a great place to relax and have fun. They can also be a source of irritation if the water is not maintained correctly.
One way to keep your pool clean and free of algae is to add muriatic acid into the water. This chemical will dissolve iron and copper, and it will also help lower the pH levels of your swimming pool.
Muriatic acid can be purchased at most home improvement stores. Make sure that you confirm how many ounces are in a gallon before buying it. The amount may vary based on where you purchase it from!
