Tar marks on paving blocks

[bobbi o]

anyone know how to remove bitumen/tar spillage from concrete paviours?

[Tony McC]

Easiest thing is to replace the block(s) otherwise it's a long slow process with turps/white spirit and cat litter

[Dave_L]

How much tar bobbi?

Small amounts, I'd (carefully) use some petrol and a rag.

[RAPressureWashing]

You could try a de-greaser/stain remover that has Xylene in it.

[Tony McC]

Be careful with xylene - it's a real nastikemmickle.

I've been experimenting on my own driveway with OT8, a biological oil/tar digester from these people and I'm quite impressed. I had exceptionally heavy oil contamination, deposited from my owld Shogun and its predecessor (a Renault Trafic) over a number of years and the OTB did make a remarkable improvement. The blocks aren't "like new" by any stretch of the imagination, but they are helluva lot cleaner than they were.

It might be an idea to thin the tar with white spirits and then use OT8 to remove the residue...

Before:


....and after just one 15 minute treatment.....

[RAPressureWashing]

Hi Tony
Oil technics products are supposed to be very good, I haven't tried them myself, what did you use on your paving, just a hose or a pressure washer? if you have access to a hot pressure washer then I feel you could reduce the oil staining even more.

The reason I said Xylene, is the degreaser I use is Xylene based which works very well, but if anyone reading this does use an Xylene based de-greaser etc keep it away from Tar-mac/asphelt as it will destroy it

[Tony McC]

I wanted to test the Oil Technics products on their own merits, so no pressure washer, no hot water: just the jollop, the soaker-upper and a stiff brush with a hose pipe.

When I get time, I'll write up the full story and add it to the website.

[bobbi o]

i'll try and get some pics up of our spill-it was leotack a bitumen based tack coat

[Dave_L]

You spilt Leotack??

Nasty stuff to spill that - I once put a forkliftfork through a 205L drum......I had to move fast!

Pics, please bobbi!

[lutonlagerlout]

at the risk of the brown canvas bag guv ,what happened to "minimum 150mm below D.P.C"
i quote paving expert.com "The "ground-level dpc" is actually required to be at least 150mm above the ground level (See Building Regulations for England & Wales - Part C, Section 4.4). This is to reduce the incidence of 'splashback' from rain, and to ensure a minimum amount of elevation above standing water that may come about in exceptionally heavy rain or other incidents, such as allowing the hosepipe to run unchecked.

:;): :;): :;):
LLL

[Dave_L]

Back in the corner, you!! :p

[IanMelb]

Obviously the photos don't show the second DPC layer 6 courses up ...

[Rich H]

It's about 120mm, LLL, that's good enough

[bobbi o]

[RAPressureWashing]

Wow that look's nasty, what is leotack? I have not come across this before, is this the bitumen you were asking about?