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What Are Alternatives to Muriatic Acid?

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Calendar Icon May 15, 2022

What are alternatives for muriatic acid?

  1. Dry Acid HCT

As a diligent pool owner, you have to do a lot to keep your pool safe to enjoy. The key here is to keep your pool water clean at all times. To do so, you have to balance two fundamentals: pH and water alkalinity.

This is where muriatic acid comes in — but there are many issues when it comes to using this pool chemical. So if you want to achieve chemical harmony in your pool without risking your health, consider all the safer alternatives for muriatic acid:

What Is Muriatic Acid Used For?

To keep your water clean, you need to regularly add chlorine — it’s one of the most powerful cleaning products you can have in your pool maintenance arsenal.

But chlorine won’t be able to do its job properly if the pH levels in your water are out of whack. Without intervention, your water may turn cloudy, grow bacteria and algae, and even corrode your pool tile and fixtures over time.

Hands down, the most common acid in the pool business is Hydrochloric Acid (HCl). This is more commonly known as muriatic acid. This chemical is one of the more popular solutions for balancing the pH levels in pool water. It is used to lower the pH levels of the water, and thereby support effective chlorination. It helps your chlorine to perform at its best.

Why Do I Need An Alternative To Muriatic Acid?

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While muriatic acid is very useful in maintaining balanced pH levels for your pool, it is a very strong, corrosive acid. Being highly corrosive, it can cause harm to those using your pool if not dissolved properly — or if too much muriatic acid was put into the water.

If not balanced correctly in your pool, it can cause harm to swimmers. It often causes burns and eye damage. It is also extremely harmful — and potentially fatal — if someone ingests it through pool water. It is also highly reactive with alkaline materials.

Likewise, handling muriatic acid is a potentially dangerous task. Its fumes are hazardous, and spilling it by accident may just damage your floor or tiles. If it happens to splash onto your skin, you might just get some serious skin burn.

Due to the risks of using muriatic acids, many people look for alternatives that are easier and safer to use. Luckily, there are a few safe alternatives to muriatic acid that you can use to keep your pool chemistry balanced while avoiding the risk of personal and property damage.

Dry Acid HCT

Dry acid HCT, also known as sodium bisulfate or simply dry acid, is a safe way to lower the pH levels in your pool. Similar to muriatic acid, this alternative helps reduce the pH levels of your water and return your swimming pool chemistry to its optimum levels.

Dry Acid HCT comes in small granular crystals, which readily dissolve when exposed to water. This means it’s much safer to carry, doesn’t expose you to dangerous fumes (even as it is added to your pool), and doesn’t eat away at your floor or pool fixtures.

This muriatic acid alternative is readily available — even in bulk — in stores and can be easily added to your pool. Simply measure the weight of dry granules you need, then pre-dissolve it in a bucket of water. Once fully dissolved, pour the solution either into the deep end of your pool or around its perimeter.

The only safety warning this alternative has is to always keep it in a closed container when not in use, and handle the dry product with care.

How to Add Dry Acid HCT to My Pool:

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The procedure for adding Dry Acid HCT is pretty much the same as most pool chemicals. We always suggest pre-dissolving the chemical in a bucket of water to prevent residue. And, you should always pour this solution around the perimeter of the pool (never into your pool skimmer directly).

As always — you should never mix different types of pool chemicals together. This is especially true of acids like this product, and chlorine. The resulting fumes are toxic and even lethal. Another thing to note is that you should add the dry chemical (in this case, the Dry Acid HCT) to water, and never the other way around to avoid hazards.

Key Takeaway

There is a wide range of chemicals that you need to regularly add to your pool to keep it clean for use. However, some of these essential pool-cleaning chemicals may just make your pool’s pH shoot up.

To restore balance, we highly recommend using these alternatives to muriatic acid. Not only are they much safer for you to use, but may just be more effective for maintaining your pool in the long run!

In need of pool chemicals? Check out Oktakem’s online store — we’re on Shopee! We carry everything you need to maintain cleanliness and the chemical balance in your swimming pool. You can also reach us on Viber at 09178461689 for any product inquiries!