Oh, I forgot to add one more thing to my question. I don't know a lot about phosphates, so I don't know how crucial they are. At this point, I'm trying to keep my pool swimmable and clean without any major problems. They are going to come out in October to chip out my new 4 month old pool and re-plaster it with new Pebble Fina because my finish is defective(some kind of organic worm that got into the Pebble tec mixture from Africa which is why I had black spots all over it that I couldn't get rid of), but when I get the new plaster in, I think I will be extremely concerned about the phosphates and not having even minor issues with my pool.

Most of the Muriatic acid on the shelves have been there for awhile from my observation.... However, Lowes will turn over their inventory a lot faster, probably 10-100 times faster than the pool company so theirs is usually newer. Muriatic acid is used in a variety of other building and cleaning projects.

The acid can react with air and water and change concentration in the sun....but all the bottles I have ever bought are sealed with plastic. I think the longevity factors are probably comparable.

However, Lowes typically sells Muriatic acid If the acid is clear to only slightly tinge, its relatively new. If the acid is yellow or orange, its yellow. You should be able to buy some and determine over time, how old it is. The stronger concentration, however, will tend to be more colored quicker.

After the last post awhile back about concentrations, I checked and our HD sells 32%, 2 gallons for about $8.50.

After the last post awhile back about concentrations, I checked and our HD sells 32%, 2 gallons for about $8.50.

Disagree with this...
"Most of the Muriatic acid on the shelves have been there for awhile from my observation.... However, Lowes will turn over their inventory a lot faster, probably 10-100 times faster than the pool company so theirs is usually newer"

Boxed chemicals are historically the weakest. They are warehoused long before they get to Lowes, etc. The local pool store is receiving weekly shipments direct from the manufacturer. They turnover faster as they have limited storage space so they must order more often.

PhosFree sucks. I'm not surprised you still have phosphates. Go get SeaKlear Phosphate remover. It's the best and will not foam your pool. It will cloud as all removers do.

RepairGuy,

Can you tell me how long it will cloud for? Is there something I need to do to get rid of the cloudiness or will it do it by itself?

Repair Guy:

All acid is boxed...once out of the box and placed in light, its going to start degrading...so you want it in a box if you can get it.

At our Lowes....I've actually seen crates of Acid brought down from storage still wrapped in plastic on pallets go completely in a week...well there was like 4 boxes left on the pallet. The customers were pulling the boxes off the pallet before they could even be moved to the right place.

At our Pool Warehouse, they had the same 20 less about 6 boxes or so for a whole month of visiting both places. They are right next door....I do in and out of both stores at least once per week.

Anyway, all you have to do is look at the acid. If its yellow or orange, its old. If its relatively clear, its new. My last post had a typo.

I myself, buy from the pool store. Yes, I can see its older than the stuff I have purchased at Lowes Why? Because its cheaper. I would buy whatever it was cheaper unless it was really orange indicating it had been sitting for many months.

Boxed meaning a disposable case. Acid comes in boxed or returnable hard case. There is a huge difference. Returnable case chems move way faster. Chlorine loses strength by the hour and while it does degrade faster in light, time is the enemy. I can assure you that if you are buying discolored acid, it is very old but still very effective.

Thank you for the answers. I have noticed that I'm not using any less Acid since I bought the Leslie's acid. It just fumes a lot more and I don't dare breathe when I'm around it.

"It just fumes a lot more and I don't dare breathe when I'm around it."

The Lowe's acid should be the same way. You don't want to hold your face over an open bottle of the stuff (or stand a few feet downwind) no matter where it's from!

The acid you get at a pool store is more than likely 32% and Lowes about 14%. The shelf life of Muriatic acid is Unlimited in tightly closed containers. Now if there are air leaks.....
PHYSICAL FORM: Liquid
COLOR: Colorless to slight yellow
ODOR: Sharp, Pungent
ODOR THRESHOLD: 1 to 5 ppm

Do not smell acid !! -- you are destroying your mucas membranes as well as your lungs. Thats not "odor", that literally is acid vapor that you are smelling. You shouldn't smell concentrated liquid chlorine as well but thats really in an entirely different league and comparison than the acid.

I have not seen acid in a returnable hard case. Where do you get this Repair Guy? They don't have this at Pool Warehouse? Leslies? I literally have a dozen plastic bottles now. I wash them out and let the dog play with them but she doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with them compared to milk containers. We pay for recycling but they don't want to recycle most materials including glass.

I think You should read https://www.pooldone.com/muriatic-acid-at-lowes/

and get the answer