Why does muriatic acid smoke

It's a fine salt powder that forms in the air when the ammonia and the acid combine. Here's the equation the describes the process:. A look at the chemical equation gives us the reason that only the hydrochloric acid starts "smoking. Since hydrogen is such a lightweight, ammonia has a molecular mass of a mere seventeen grams per mole. The hydrochloric acid is the heavyweight. Chlorine is about thirty-five and a half grams per mole, and the hydrogen brings the acid up to thirty-six grams per mole.

We all know that a pot of liquid left on a counter will evaporate eventually. Its molecules will turn to gas and diffuse through the air. I do not like muriatic acid at all. I really wish I did not have to use it, but our pH and TA are soooo high. Buggsw LifeTime Supporter. Apr 22, Arizona. Isn't that just the worst thing? You could probably switch to a dry acid. I'm not experienced in using it, though. Rob Well-known member.

May 23, If we did use it, it was with safety goggles, lab coats, inside a fume hood, and near all sorts of safety equipment. So I find it quite strange to imagine pool owners in shorts and sandles storing jugs of the stuff next to oxidizers cal-hypo in their shed, pulling it out and sloshing it around in buckets.

You need to be VERY careful with it, it will react with just about anything, including water vapour in the air, which is probably what happened to you. I'd wear thick polypropylene gloves, long pants, and long sleeves when dealing with it. If you spill any on you, you need to dilute it as fast as possible, to the point of jumping in the pool and stripping off your clothes.

Now that the scary bit is over, the damage done by any fumes will be sudden, not chronic. You've likely seen the worst of it. To be safe I would still see someone with more medical knowledge like a Doctor! And remember, you probably just felt the effects of maybe 0. LifeTime Supporter. I mark the side of the gallon jug for quart size increments and pour directly into the pool. I think the more you mess with the stuff the more bad things that can happen. I get the jug very low into the water with the spout only an inch or two above the water line and pour very slowly.

Of course making sure there is no backflow into the jug. I found that this method reduces the fumes and spash outs. The higher you pour it above the water line the more likely it is to end up on your shorts and the more likely you are to create a cloud.

Mod Squad. TFP Expert. Platinum Supporter. In The Industry. Apr 1, 34, Sebring, Florida. I apply muriatic in the pool exactly like Mas I am usually dressed in work clothes, but have done it barefoot in swimming trunks I have NOT done it when I'm in a rush or have had something to drink. I take, for me, reasonable precautions. In five years, I have never burned any clothes or skin.

I also use it commonly to clean calcium deposits off plumbing fixtures in the house which requires more precaution. I've gotten a whiff of it indoors and it is, indeed, most unpleasant. To this point, I have neither grown any extra appendages nor lost any of those I currently own. If handling acid sensibly is beyond your comfort level, you probably should not do it. IMHO, driving a car is far riskier. Jun 7, 62 Raceland, Kentucky. The good thing about muriatic acid is that you definitely know when you get a whiff of it, and your body reflexively responds to protect you.

Keep children out of the area when handling chemicals. Clearly label and store chemicals securely away from children and pets. Never mix pool chemicals together. Add each individual chemical to the water as directed. Never reverse the process by adding water to a chemical. Avoid any direct contact with eyes or skin. If you spill or splash a chemical on yourself, immediately rinse your eye or skin with lukewarm water.

Continue gently rinsing for at least 15 minutes. Call the poison center if redness, pain or burning persists. Additional symptoms include gastritis; lesions in the trachea, nasal cavity, and larynx; photosensitization; circulatory failure, and death. Because of the lack of study and data, the EPA has no classification for cancer risks from exposure to muriatic acid.

Rebecca Mecomber, a former radio broadcaster, has been a professional blogger and writer since The Effects of Carbolic Acid on the Body.