Using muriatic acid to lower alkalinity is a common solution.
It’s recommended that pool owners use muriatic acid in the pool to lower alkalinity due to how fast it works. This is a simple, effective solution you can rely on to do a good job.
With this in mind, it’s important to figure out why muriatic acid is not lowering alkalinity.
Muriatic might now lower alkalinity if you don’t use enough of it or you didn’t wait long enough. It’s recommended to add more muriatic acid and go through multiple rounds for better results.
If muriatic acid is not lowering the alkalinity, it’s best to figure out what you are doing wrong and what type of change is going to have the required effect.
This article will show what the reasons are if the muriatic acid did not lower alkalinity and what you should do about it.
Table of Contents
Reasons Muriatic Acid Not Lowering Alkalinity
1. Not Using Enough Muriatic Acid
When it comes to total alkalinity, the main issue might have to do with not using enough muriatic acid in the pool.
This solution is only going to have a positive impact if you are putting enough based on the ratio needed for the pool to see positive results.
For example, what ratio did you use when adding muriatic acid to the swimming pool?
You should be aiming for around 25 ounces per 10,000 gallons of pool water. If you were under this required ratio, you are not going to see appropriate results and the high alkalinity is going to remain an issue.
If this is a problem you are facing, the simple solution is to add more muriatic acid. Of course, you will not want to go too much in the opposite direction when you add too much muriatic acid to the pool.
The better option is to make sure you are slowly increasing the amount of muriatic acid added to the pool.
2. Not Waiting Enough
To safely use muriatic acid in the pool, you do need to wait.
A lot of pool owners are not going to be patient enough and that is a real concern when it comes to not seeing results. You will need to give the acid time to work with the pool water and reduce the high alkalinity.
Getting the alkalinity to go below the range is all about patience. In many cases, a pool owner won’t wait and that is not going to let the acid settle.
To lower high alkalinity in a pool, it’s best to wait a few hours after you have added muriatic acid to the pool. Remember that you will want to make sure to maintain the right ratio when doing this.
If you are not waiting long enough, the right ratio is not going to work either. It’s the combination of both that will lead to positive results.
3. Still Require Multiple Rounds Of Muriatic Acid
Using muriatic acid to get perfect alkalinity is not always as simple as you think it is.
Yes, using the right ratio is a good starting point but you might end up making mistakes along the way. This can include not waiting long enough but also not judging how high the alkalinity is.
You will have to make adjustments in a situation such as this and then see what your options are. This includes using a different type of muriatic acid and seeing if that helps.
Sometimes, you are going to use an inferior solution that does not work and is not going to settle as needed.
Final Thoughts
Why is muriatic acid not lowering alkalinity?
Muriatic acid might not lower alkalinity if you are not using enough or not as patient as you need to be. Wait a few hours and then add more muriatic acid to help lower the alkalinity in a pool.
Adjustments are needed when you are adjusting the pH of a pool. If you use the tips and tricks mentioned here, you are going to lower the alkalinity in the pool as soon as you want to.
Do not rush while doing this and make sure the adjustments are made the right way. This is how you are going to see appropriate results and the pool water is going to be back to a stable pH level.
