I went by HD and picked up some pool acid for the slab I’m pouring Saturday.
I want to expose some of the sand on the surface to make it look old and give it some texture.
I’ve always just used muriatic acid. This stuff is the same isn’t it? Their website was useless.
Getting the details right for a wall assembly with the control layers to the exterior and lots of drying potential.
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Replies
Sometimes called pH decreaser...yes but read the label because it should say either hydrochloric acid, acid of muriate or muriatic acid one of the three.
There are a lot of different acids so it always pays to read the label.
You'll also want to watch the concentration.
Lots of times the acids marketed as muriatic are the same as those marketed for pools- just with different concentrations.
They do the same thing with pool bleach- at the pool store it's 10 or 12% and at Wal Mart it's 5.25 or 6%.
I've never finished concrete so not sure how much the concentration matters- but it will in all likelihood be different.
swimming acid we eat the hell out of concrete.
How so?Chemically it's the same thing. I've heard stories of people using sulfuric acid to lower pool pH, but that's a different animal.At least in my area Hydrochloric acid = muriatic acid = liquid pH minus acid sold at the pool store. The only difference is the concentration. In a strong enough concentration, I'm sure any of the three will destroy concrete. But to say that pool acid will "eat the hell" out of concrete is a little misleading- doncha think? Espcially considering that very acid is what is used (when properly diluted) to clean concrete pools?Hence my comment to check the concentration of the pool acid that popawheelie bought. Granular pool acid (dry acid)is sodium bisulphate and I have no idea what that does / will do to concrete. But any bottle I've ever seen of pool acid has been Muriatic acid- repackaged and with a prettier (and presumably very expensive based on the price) label.
Edited 7/11/2008 10:28 am ET by frontiercc2
Oh, one more thing. If you decide to dilute the acid remember the rule of thumb, pour the acid into the water, do not pour water into the acid.
Edited 7/10/2008 10:04 pm by woodway
I've never quite got that down but I've enver had problem either. I've worked with masonry and muiratic acid before. Where I come from ( So Cal ) the local stone is river rock. Her it is a variant on flagstone.
I will be building a wall out of it "soon".
Some acids, especially in the more concentrated form, tend to exhibit high heats of solution. Muriatic acid doesn't seem to have a high value but it's an entirely different story with sulfuric and nitric. Pour water into sulfuric (opposite to what you should do)and you're guaranteed to get extreme boiling effect with some steam generation. If your extremely lucky, you might not get burned but more often then not, your going to receive skin burns that will be with you for life. Very very dangerous. You'll only do it once though, very low learning curve even for those who never learn t(is that a word) it before.
I think I've seen it boil before but can't be sure. I've used acids in pools, masonry, rust removal, and once in urinals. The guy that sold me the acid for the urinals said to pour it and run.
I guess I've never really had high enough concentrations or the right acid to have a problem.