how long do i have to wait to swim in my pool after the pool man has put in muratic acid?

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this is the situation, he added about 9 gallons or so of muriatic acid in the pool which is 20X32 connected with spa which is 8x8. it's a big pool. this is a completely brand new inground concrete pool which we just started running the same day we added the acid. the pool guy said don't swim in it for a month. i believe he added the acid to help wash away the "fatty residue" off of the finishing coat inside of the pool he is even making us scrub it at least 2-3 times a day which he says will scrub away the fatty residue and show the sparkle of the little blue specs all over the pool. the water is circulating what do you suggest i do wait and not touch this amazing new pool or jump right in. it is a salt pool but no salt or chlorine has been added yet.



Comments

  1. Drew D says:
    June 5, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    bring a water sample to your local pool store. as long as you have an alkalinity level between 70-130 and a pH level between 7.2-7.8 you'll be fine to swim in it. Acid is needed constantly in a new pool for the first few months. try to keep your pH in the low 7's and make sure to brush the pool walls constantly during the first couple of months. The brushing and adding of acid is just to help the pool finsih cure smoothly

  2. Bill J says:
    June 5, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    Wait and don't touch the amazing new pool.

  3. ball says:
    June 5, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    You need to wait like he said. Muratic acid will give you bad chemical burn. I'd wait at least a mth. Then be careful testing it to get in.
    If you wonder why. get a water hose or a full 5 gallon bucket of water then stick your hand in the pool in real quick. you'll be more than ready to wash it off in a few seconds.

  4. jessncsu says:
    June 5, 2009 at 5:07 pm

    I would listen to the pool guy. I run a small pool at a camp (fiberglass, and about 30 ft. long and 10 feet wide rough guess. min 3 ft, max 5 ft., 13,000 gallons). When i add acid to bring down the pH, i add maybe a few cups depending on how much i need to bring it down. I need to say also that when i add acid, i take a deep breath and hold it as far away from me as possible. (I accidentialy breathed in the fumes once from a foot or two away and thought i was going to die.)
    I wonder what his reasoning was for adding the acid? It is something we try not to mess with at our pool unless completely necessary. I know you said that you believe you know the reasons for him adding it. I have never heard of anyone adding that much acid to any pool for any reason. I worked at a pool a couple of years ago that is 30 yards long and probably 10 yards wide (3ft-12ft deep), and we never added more than about a half gallon of it to that one! The stuff is pure nasty. Makes me wonder if the pool guy actually knows what he is doing. Also am curious what the pH in the pool is now. It HAS to be really low (a little too high or low are both very bad and can cause different adverse reactions). I know it sounds a little dumb, but everytime it rains the pH gets lower also (acid rain, trust me everytime it rains the pH in my pool goes lower. also we got bored one day when it was raining and collected rainwater in the test kit and tested it. lol). I would also worry about algae or other bacteria/organisms forming in it since there is no chlorine or saline to keep the water clean. Unbalanced pH can cause bad water quality while the water sometimes stays crystal clear.
    With that all said, listen to the man about not getting in it for that long. The acid is very bad for you.

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