I have looked for but not found much info on the removal of efflorescence. I have a home that I would like to use for my website but it has a build up of calcium carbonate so thick I just dont know if its possible to remove. Rain water seeps through a second floor balcony tile floor and into the slab. It releases onto a roof at the entrance of the home. I have tried CLR and other products, but this is far from a tea kettle. Any thoughts?
For basic efflorescence, which is just a haze, these products/ sulfuric acid and other chems work fine. This is a thick build up on a delicate surface. Reminds me of a place I visited long ago.
I would say at that stage in the picture he is pretty much screwed.I would try Muriatic acid 50/50 in a test area first other than that,fix the problem and get a new roof.That looks like 5hit!
I have looked for but not found much info on the removal of efflorescence. I have a home that I would like to use for my website but it has a build up of calcium carbonate so thick I just dont know if its possible to remove. Rain water seeps through a second floor balcony tile floor and into the slab. It releases onto a roof at the entrance of the home. I have tried CLR and other products, but this is far from a tea kettle. Any thoughts?
Call around to some chemical suppliers and try and get the strongest phosphoric acid you can get. I have used phosphoric a lot and it really attacks calcium rich substances. It is a pretty safe acid to use. I would spray it on straight without diluting in a small test spot. If it doesn't work good enough you can mix some hydrochloric in with it, but I would start out with very little and work your way up.
Jon
__________________
Bluwater Roof and Exterior Cleaning
Non-Pressure Roof Cleaning
Serving Lee and Collier counties in Southwest Florida
Ft Myers, FL
(239)466-6980
bluwater@centurylink.net
Safe Roof Cleaning & Exterior House Washing in Naples, Ft Myers and Bonita Springs
Her is a product I found for efflorescence removal. Probably won't work in your extreme case but has some good info on the site.
Even though they knock using hydrochloric acid I read there MSDS on the Grout Residue Remover and the ingredients are phosphoric acid and hydrochloric acid.
http://www.aldonchem.com/pr-grout-residue-remover.htm
http://www.aldonchem.com/popup-ab-efflorescence.htm
Jon
__________________
Bluwater Roof and Exterior Cleaning
Non-Pressure Roof Cleaning
Serving Lee and Collier counties in Southwest Florida
Ft Myers, FL
(239)466-6980
bluwater@centurylink.net
Safe Roof Cleaning & Exterior House Washing in Naples, Ft Myers and Bonita Springs