How much muriatic acid for a 1,000 gallon pool

In a 1,000 gallon pool with alkalinity 80, about 0.83 fl oz (25 mL) of 31.45% muriatic acid lowers pH from 7.8 to 7.5. Acid demand rises with alkalinity, so use the calculator below with your TA. For alkalinity, 2.6 fl oz (76 mL) lowers TA by 10 ppm.

Muriatic acid doses for 1,000 gallons

pH rows assume TA 80, CYA 40 and 77 °F water. Your dose changes with TA: higher TA needs more.
Change31.45% acid14.5% acid
pH 7.8 → 7.50.83 fl oz1.9 fl oz
pH 8.0 → 7.51.2 fl oz2.8 fl oz
pH 8.2 → 7.61.1 fl oz2.7 fl oz
pH 7.7 → 7.40.99 fl oz2.3 fl oz
Then aerate to bring pH back up. See the alkalinity guide.
Lower alkalinity31.45% acid14.5% acid
TA −10 ppm2.6 fl oz6 fl oz
TA −20 ppm5.1 fl oz (2 parts)12 fl oz
TA −30 ppm7.7 fl oz (3 parts)18 fl oz

Run it with your numbers

gal

Not sure? Work out your pool volume.

%
ppm

pH dosing depends on TA. Higher TA needs more acid.

ppm
ppm

Leave blank if you have never added borates.

°F

Add

0.82fl oz

of Muriatic acid 31.45%

24 mL1¾ tbsp

Lowers pH from 7.8 to 7.5 in 1,000 gal at TA 80. TA afterwards: about 77 ppm.

  • Side effects: TA −3.2 ppm.
  • Never add acid and chlorine together or in the same spot: mixing them releases toxic chlorine gas. Let the first one circulate before adding the other (the wait is shown on each step).
  • Pour it slowly in front of a return jet with the pump running.
  • Retest after the water has circulated.

Check the product label. Strengths vary by brand, so enter the % printed on yours. Add one chemical at a time, into the water, and never mix chemicals.

Save this test and get reminded when it is time to retest.

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About muriatic acid

Wear goggles and gloves, open the jug outdoors and stand upwind. With the pump running, pour the acid slowly in front of a return jet, low over the water. Always add acid to water, never water to acid.

Keep each addition to about 3.2 fl oz in this pool (12.5 ppm of alkalinity), then let it circulate for 30 minutes and retest pH. Bigger single doses can etch plaster and damage equipment near the return.

Never add acid and chlorine at the same time or in the same spot. Mixing them releases chlorine gas.

Dosing a 1,000 gallon pool

A 1,000 gallon pool is usually a large inflatable, a stock tank or a small frame pool. Doses this small are easy to overshoot: one extra splash is several ppm. Measure muriatic acid with kitchen measures you keep only for pool chemicals, and test after every addition.

Small pools also lose chlorine fast on sunny days because there is so little water. Test daily, and when the numbers drift far off it is often quicker to drain and refill than to correct them.

Questions

How much muriatic acid do I add to a 1,000 gallon pool?

To lower pH from 7.8 to 7.5 at TA 80, about 0.83 fl oz of 31.45% acid. To lower alkalinity by 10 ppm, 2.6 fl oz.

How long after adding muriatic acid can I swim?

Wait until it has circulated, typically about 30 minutes with the pump running, and retest pH before swimming. Keep children and pets out of the water until pH is back in range.

Is 14.5% acid weaker?

Yes. It is the same acid at about half the strength, so you need roughly twice as much: 6 fl oz lowers TA 10 ppm in 1,000 gallons.