Too Much Muriatic Acid in the Pool: Causes, Dangers, & Solutions

We all know how important muriatic acid is, hydrochloric acid, plays a vital role in maintaining the water pH balance and overall cleanliness. You must never use too muriatic acid in the pool, which will lead to many problems, negatively impacting the swimmers and pool infrastructure.

If you are worried about too much muriatic acid in your pool, this article is for you. It is not uncommon to mistakenly pour much muriatic acid into the pool. In this article, I will help you learn the dangers of too much muriatic acid in your pool and how to restore proper water chemistry for a safe & healthy swimming experience.

Before I tell you what to do when there is too much muriatic acid in you pool, let’s first understand its real culprit. Sometimes people do the right thing but fail to pay attention to other areas, leading to the high dosage of muriatic acid in the pool.

Causes & Signs of Excess Muriatic Acid in the Pool

We all know how useful muriatic acid is in maintaining water chemistry in any pool. However, adding too much muriatic acid to the pool will lead to an overly acidic environment, making swimming unsafe.

One of the primary causes of too much muriatic acid in your pool is improper pool water testing & monitoring. In a study that Edgewater Pools published, many owners continuously neglect regular water testing, which suddenly leads to unbalanced water level chemical levels in the pool water.

Additionally, the misuse of muriatic acid, like pouring it directly into the pool without the proper dilution, can exacerbate this issue. Muriatic acid is said to be a highly corrosive & strong acid that is commonly used in pool maintenance to lower the pH level of the water.

Using too much muriatic acid may also result in corrosion of the metal equipment of your pool. When I was doing my research, I got to know about the study that was published in the National Institutes of Health, which stated muriatic acid is very helpful in counteracting the natural increase in pool water pH caused by chlorine sanitizer, rainwater, as well as swimmers body fluids.

We all know how important the proper pH level is for swimmer comfort & safety, as well as the effectiveness of the chlorine in keeping the pool free from any harmful bacteria or contaminants. Below, I have mentioned some signs of excessive muriatic acid in the pool.

Dangers of Too Much Muriatic Acid in the Pool

First, if you have accidentally poured too much muriatic acid into the pool, you shouldn’t panic or feel concerned about it. This issue is reversible; you can restore your pool water chemistry to its initial stage for a safe & healthy swimming experience.

However, excessive muriatic acid can have serious consequences on both pool water quality as well as the health of swimmers. Therefore, you must avoid getting into your pool, especially if there is too much muriatic acid.

According to BetterHealth, overly acidic pool water may cause severe eye & skin irritation among swimmers. It is common to experience excessive eye and skin irritation among swimmers, especially people with compromised skin conditions or immune systems.

Also, this kind of acid is known for its corrosive nature, which may cause significant damage to your pool equipment if you don’t act timely. The acid-corrosive nature will damage the pool equipment and surface over time, leading to costly repair or replacement of some pool components. Therefore, below, I am giving you a couple of health risks often associated with overly acidic pool water.

Prevention & Solutions

Regular Pool Water Testing and Monitoring

The first thing you need to do to avoid the dangers of too much muriatic acid in your pool is regular water testing. Regular pool water testing is imperative and should be performed at least twice a week during the peak swimming season (according to the center for disease control & Prevention).

Also, it would be best to consider using a reliable testing kit or digital pH meter that can provide more accurate readings when testing the pool water. Depending on the test results, you must make informed decisions regarding chemical adjustment restoration, especially to restore your pool water to its pristine condition.

Correcting Excessive Muriatic Acid Levels

Now, you must quickly correct your pool’s excessive muriatic acid level. In case of high acidity, prompt corrective action is required to restore the pool pH balance at its best. I will highly advise you to handle the muriatic acid cautiously and never pour it directly into the pool without proper dilution.

According to the University of South Carolina, you should always wear personal protective equipment like gloves, a mask, and goggles when handling muriatic acid to avoid skin & eye contact. Ensure that you are diluting the muriatic acid before adding it to the pool and following the manufacturing guidelines for chemical usage to prevent further problems.

Maintaining Pool Chemistry

You might already know that Prevention is always better than cure, and the same holds for pool maintenance. You must follow all the preventive measures to help you avoid these excessive muriatic acid levels.

So, regularly test your pool water and balance its chemistry as required. Also, maintain appropriate cyanuric acid levels to protect chlorine from degradation. When the pool is not being used, consider using a pool cover to prevent rainwater & contaminants from entering yours.

Also, I will highly advise you to invest in a good quality pool cover and spend on professional pool maintenance service for regular & effective inspection. Once in a while, you must get professional pool maintenance service to regularly inspect your pool components, tool equipment, floor, walls, liners, etc.

Also, ensure you keep your pool clean by regularly skimming & vacuuming the debris at least once or twice a week. When adding muriatic acid, pour it gradually and in small quantities to avoid overcorrection.

Also, let the acid disperse evenly by distributing it around the pool while avoiding it near your pool equipment to prevent damage. Also, you can consider using pH buffer or alkalinity increasers to stabilize the pH level, but make sure you also keep a log of pool water test results & Chemistry to track any trend or changes in it.

According to a study conducted by the RED-E-2-Swim, pools with an unbalanced pH level often experience an increase in harmful bacteria formation. In addition to this, 70% of pool failure is directly related to acidic water conditions. So pay attention to the water’s chemical levels for a safe & swimming experience and keep your equipment for longevity.

Also Read: Dry Acid vs Muriatic Acid

Conclusion

I hope you know what to do if there is too much muriatic acid in your pool. No matter what, you should never get into your pool if the acidity is very high because it will lead to severe eye irritation & skin itchiness. Not only too much muriatic acid in the pool can lead to severe consequences like irritated eyes or skin, but also expensive repair.

Therefore, adhere to regular water testing, preventive maintenance, and careful chemical handling to ensure a safe & enjoyable swimming experience for everyone. I have given my best to give you all the information regarding the question of what to do if there is too much muriatic acid in the pool.

If you find this article helpful, then consider sharing it. Your share will help many people learn about the impact of too much muriatic acid in the pool and what to do about it. If you have any other concerns regarding these issues, comment below. Check my other helpful guide on pool care & maintenance shared on this website. See you in the next post, till then, take care & goodbye.

Josh Smith

Hi, This is Josh. I am a former competitive swimmer and current fitness enthusiast.

I created this site to share my love of swimming with the world!