why not use vinegar as your acid when pH too high?

[mom2PMPV]

I'm new to the BB and have found it an amazing wealth of info.

it's mostly a theoretical question, with the BBB method- and the convience of household supplies I was wonder why vinegar isn't used to balance pH?

I'm guessing, dredging up college chem it might not be strong enough??

[mwsmith2]

Correct. Not enough oomph!

Michael

[CarlD]

Actually, I asked PoolDoc this question on the old forum and the answer is that the chemistry of vinegar ends up adding problematic other chemicals--I don't remember but it may be it creates phosphates???????

It's not the ooomph--it's the problems it creates.

[Bleach=Chlorine?]

Personally, I prefer using orange juice.

[mom2PMPV]

Personally, I prefer using orange juice.

is that with or without the champagne??


thanks all - as I said it was more a theortical question. I figured there was a problem with it or you'd all be using it

[waterbear]

vinegar would cause acetates to form in the water (mostly sodium acetate and calcium acetate I would presume)...not sure what effect they might have but it probably isn't good. Muriatic acid only adds chlorides to the water, which are already there as sodium chorine and calcium chloride. Dry acid adds sulfates, which are suspected of causing problems to the plaster finish by some.

Also vinegar is a weak acid and just would not be effective.

[CarlD]

Gee, Evan.

I agreed with EVERYTHING but the last statement. Vinegar is a fairly strong acid--if you have granite or marble counters or floors you NEVER let vinegar land on it--it will eat the stone away!

My son has suffered from asthma and you sterilize the parts for the portable machine with white vinegar diluted with distilled water.

White vinegar is a very effective cleaner--I used it to soak the strainer for my Polaris 165 (the Dolphin's gone to the shop ) which was crusted with deposits. While it probably won't burn you on your skin the way muriatic will, the acetic acid in it quite diluted, whereas muriatic is usually 30%--plus hydrochloric acid ranks as the most acid on the pH scale, slightly more than sulfuric acid which is actually more corrosive.

[waterbear]

vinegar is only 5% acetic acid. It's pH is around 3. However, the reaction of an acid with a carbonate or bicarbonage material such as marble or limestone is not really that dependant on pH. Even very mild acids can damage them.
Lemon juice has a pH of about 2.3. It is actually a stronger acid than vinegar if you just look at the pH but this is not really accurate!
Chemically even glacial acetic acid, a very corrosive substance, is classified as a weak acid, while muriatic acid is chemcially classified as a strong acid. It had to do with the way it dissociates in water.

[mwsmith2]

Gee, Evan.

I agreed with EVERYTHING but the last statement. Vinegar is a fairly strong acid--if you have granite or marble counters or floors you NEVER let vinegar land on it--it will eat the stone away!

Marble, yes. Granite, no. There is a huge difference in the chemical makeup of those two materials. As for vinegar being a fairly strong acid, compared to muriatic, it's not even in the same ballpark.

Michael