How long does Muriatic Acid last in its original gallon bottle? I have some that must be at least 3 yrs. old. Thanks.
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How long does Muriatic Acid last in its original gallon bottle? I have some that must be at least 3 yrs. old. Thanks.
Forever! It does not go bad.
BUT . . . and this is a HUGE BUTT . . . the bottles do go bad, if exposed to sunlight. And, a brittle old bottle can crack open without warning, spilling acid everywhere.
[Upgraded membership; moved thread]
That reminds me, I have a couple bottles of MA that are years old (stored outside in a plastic, covered garbage can). Since adjusting TA and adding borates years ago, pH has been rock solid, so I haven’t had to add acid.
This thread reminds me I need to contact the city to find out how to properly dispose it.
That could be problematic. HAZMAT fees can be horrendous.
Here are some alternatives:
- Give it to a brick or masonry contractor.
- Give it to pool contractor
- Add it to 5 gallons of water in a plastic garbage can; add "washing soda" till it stops foaming; pour it down the tub. It's just salty water at that point!
Interesting. I like the third option. Is there a certain amount of water I should use for each gallon of MA? I’m not sure the exact amount I still have...will have to look tomorrow.Quote:
Originally Posted by PoolDoc
Thanks. :)
2 gallons of water to 1 gallon of acid will stop the 'fuming' or release of hydrogen chloride gas. This is important, since sodium carbonate (washing soda) + hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid) => carbon dioxide + salt. The carbon dioxide is what will be bubbling up . . . but if the acid is still concentrated will facilitate the release of acid gas fumes.
Thanks. I’ll give it a try.Quote:
Originally Posted by PoolDoc
Thanks for the info, Ben.
I did as you suggested. I had just over two gallons of MA left. It took just under 4 boxes of washing soda (55 oz each I believe) until it stopped reacting with the diluted acid.
Btw, I visited 4 stores before finding one that had washing soda. ��
I have a few boxes left. I assume I can use this in the future in the pool to raise pH if needed? I usually have to raise pH at spring opening, and then it stays rock solid all season.
In our area, Walmart has washing soda and borax in stock more consistently than others.
FYI "washing soda" = sodium carbonate = 'pH Up' aka 'pH increaser' aka pH+', etc. Contrary to some pool store villains, it's not almost the same, it's exactly the same as what's sold as pH+ and so on.
And it too, will keep indefinitely, though it will turn into white lumps if it gets damp.
That’s good to know. I’ll keep the rest inside (climate controlled) to minimize clumping.
I normally use borax to raise pH, but I used the last I had at opening. It was really clumped up from being stored in the shed.
I’m glad to be rid of that old MA. I haven’t needed it in years.
I have some extra boxes of washing soda that I never got around returning, thinking maybe I’d use it at spring opening to raise pH like I normally need to do.
However, I learned that adding washing soda can raise TA quite a bit, which I normally do not need to do, nor want to do since pH is very stable at my normal TA levels (60-70).
Is there any other practical use for washing soda? Maybe start using it for laundr until I run out?
It's an excellent supplement, when washing greasy or oily things -- pot holders, bed sheets used by folks with oil skin, dirty rags, etc -- but you use it along side detergent. Other than that, I don't know of a home use for it.
Looks like I’ll have cleaner laundry for awhile. :D
This is not about the thread so please delete after reading.
I joined this forum back in 2014 and I am still unable to post questions or answers.
How long do I have to wait to be able to do these?
Was I overlooked or denied for some reason?
Please help me to be able to access these because I have questions I could really use some help in figuring out problems with my pool. Especially with my very high ph level at this time.
Thanks in advance,
Kevin aka The Brabarian