How do YOU handle your acid?

[sailork]

I've got an old plastic pitcher. I put 12oz and 24oz graduations on the side. I popped open a beer and poured it carefully into the pitcher and then recorded the depth with a magic marker all the way around. Then I added a second beer and repeated. Then I consumed the beer.

I typically measure out 24 oz of acid in the pitcher and then pour it into a bigger pitcher 1/2 full of pool water. If I'm feeling dramatic I may pour the mixture back and forth between the two pitchers to mix things up. I always do this part while standing in the water on my steps so that any spills don't end up on my concrete. I tend to somewhat carefully broadcast the whole lot into the middle of the deep end. So far no holes in my shirts or my suction side cleaner. Probably due to the fact that I don't have to "graduate" the pitcher every time.

[JohnT]

I just pour straight from the jug into a 4 gallon bucket of pool water, let it sit for 20 or 30 seconds, then heave it in the pool. I add only a few ounces to the bucket at a time. I'm almost always adding acid, so I add less than I think I need, and wait until the next day to retest.

[Ganyonman]

I've got a plaster pool with a clorine generator and very hard water. I have to a gallon of acid every other week to maintain the PH (15,000 gallon). Is this normal and what could be causing this?

[aquarium]

I also have a 15,000 gallon plaster pool with very hard water and high alkalinity. Hard and alkaline tend to go together, but it's the alkalinity that affects pH.

I add one cup (8 ounces) of muriatic acid each day to hold the pH steady at 7.4, so one gallon (128 ounces) lasts two weeks. Same as your experience just dosed differently.

I know that bleach is very basic, so it tends to push pH higher, but I don't know if a chlorine generator does that. Also, I've seen that chemically adjusted water pH will tend to lose the adjustment over time, so water with a high pH that is chemically adjusted to a lower level will trend back upward. Dunno why.

[waterbear]

Swg's do cause a steady pH rise since they produce sodium hydroxide as a byproduct of chlorine generation.

[Ganyonman]

The "pool guy" at the store mentioned that the majority of pool owners have a problem with the PH being too low so I wasn't sure how common my problem was. My theory is that due to the hard water and that I live in very hot and dry climate, I have a great deal of calcium buildup (very difficult to manage) and as I add acid it breaks the calcium down and thus acts as a base to reraise the PH (perpetual cycle).

I like the cup per day method since it maintains the PH with less stress on the mettalic parts in the system. The "pool guy" also mentioned that PH can be raised by certain vegetation around the pool. Ever heard that one?

[waterbear]

The "pool guy" at the store mentioned that the majority of pool owners have a problem with the PH being too low so
This is probably because he has most of his customers using trichlor puck, which have a pH of 2 and shocking with di chlor which has a pH around 6! Most plaster pools will have a high pH naturally becasue of the plaster and most all other forms of chlorine have high pH and can cause the pH to drift upward.
I wasn't sure how common my problem was. My theory is that due to the hard water and that I live in very hot and dry climate, I have a great deal of calcium buildup (very difficult to manage) and as I add acid it breaks the calcium down and thus acts as a base to reraise the PH (perpetual cycle).

I like the cup per day method since it maintains the PH with less stress on the mettalic parts in the system. The "pool guy" also mentioned that PH can be raised by certain vegetation around the pool. Ever heard that one?

Hope this helps.

[dep78737]

I have a SWG and add acid 1 or 2 times a week, about a quart at a time. I pour directly from the jug into the pool by a return with the pump running. No measuring, just go by feel for about 1/4 jug. Slowly pour it in a couple of inches above the water so it comes out in a steady stream and does not "glug" out. For me, getting the seal off a new jug is the time I'm most likely to get a tiny splatter where it does not belong.

[JohnT]

For me, getting the seal off a new jug is the time I'm most likely to get a tiny splatter where it does not belong.

Those things are the most hazardous part of the operation. I took a plastic knife from Wendy's and sharpened it to a little more of a point. Pretty handy for taking them off.

[Simmons99]

Those things are the most hazardous part of the operation. I took a plastic knife from Wendy's and sharpened it to a little more of a point. Pretty handy for taking them off.

Good idea - last time I open a jug I stabbed it with a plastic fork, but was to afraid to try to get the whole seal off. Especially since I accidently got a good whiff of it and I think it burned my nose hairs off