Patio cleaning - Enviroment

[greenfree]

I have been cleaning patios for some time using a high pressure water jet. Occasionally I use acid etch. Does anyone know of a product which is kind to the enviroment and can be spray or roller applied to the surface?

[seanandruby]

I would of thought if you have been doing cleaning patios as a job, then you should be telling us what to use. R & A is the man! :;):

[Rich H]

What's unkind about high pressure water and acid? When rinsed the acid is so dilute as to have little to no effect even on the immediate surround. This is a bit like these folks now doing pure-water environmentally-friendly window cleaning.

What screws the environment is not a dribble of acid, or bleach or fairy liquid but China's 50,000 coal fired power plants and the US with 250 million cars with 1960's technology engines.

[seanandruby]

it may dilute but most things in time will build up in the water supply. If you work it out on parts per million. Lets say its 10 parts per million in the water supply. Then over use will eventually raise it to 20, 30 ,50, 100 or even more.

[lutonlagerlout]

i tell you what though, you need to be careful what you wish for
there is a cleaning firm in luton and every single employee bar 1 has died or is ill with cancer , the last one doesnt sleep too good,and parts per million mean little when all your colleagues are dead and dying
todays wacky new chemical could be tomorrow's asbestos
LLL

[seanandruby]

.....P P M means a lot when things are avoidable. i mean we get materials at work that are clearly marked with " can cause cancer." everything has its risks hence P P E.

[Rich H]

We're talking about hyrdochloric acid here. Which is broken down by organic matter, the only byproducts are chloramines which breakdown themselves naturally - some of the compounds can be harmful (trihalomethanes) but only in high doses. Chloramination is a treatment process used in many drinking water plants. For a high dose sample (including trihalomethanes) try a bottle of chinese or brasilian beer.

Having spent 15 years working in the water industry I can tell you with absolute confidence that acids do not build up in the water cycle, they break down. In any case, the acids are sub-part per billion in the treatment plants.

The greater risk to the environment are those chemicals which do not breakdown, e.g. petrochemical products (oils, bitumen, etc.) and detergents. Much can be done to treat these (detergents in particular) but there are good reasons for not putting spent oil down the drain!

Sorry for rant, but there are so many firms jumping on the environmental bandwagon at the moment using tenuous science to scare people into paying over the odds for things they don't need. Unfortunately it detracts from the serious business of tackling climate change.

The public and private sector will end up spending millions on expensive permeable paving solutions for absolutely no gain whatsoever for flood defense. Just take a look at any ariel photo of Britain and it's obvious that making drives and car parks semi-self-draining won't make any difference to what happens during flash flooding.

[lutonlagerlout]

i agree wholeheartedly with you both,what i was getting at sean was the way that new chemicals get marketed and it years down the line before safety concerns arise and by then,its us fellas in the building game who have kopped it.
personally, i am very suspect of permeable paving and would rather use a linear drain to a soakaway
we shall see
LLL

[matt h]

In answer to the post only, try geocel ecochem

[RAPressureWashing]

I have been cleaning patios for some time using a high pressure water jet. Occasionally I use acid etch. Does anyone know of a product which is kind to the enviroment and can be spray or roller applied to the surface?

Only just seen this thread, what are you trying to clean off of the patios? most don't need an acid.

[simeonronacrete]

We have a new product and are offering FOC samples as long as we can have good quality before and after photographs and a write up of how good (or bad?!) the product was compared to what you knew before.

It's called Ronadeck Eco Patio Cleaner
it's environmentally friendly
It doesn't contain nasty chemicals
And it actually stops or slows the rate at which the algae will return

Sounds good eh?

Give us a call or drop me an email if you are interested.

[RAPressureWashing]

Simeon,
I have a job coming up next month where this could be put to the test.
Either give me a call or email if you want, as I am willing to try it against my cleaning chemicals. Would be happy to do before & afters and a write up for you. The clean is about 400 sq. mts of BP, moss, algae, lichen, you name it, it's on there.

[Tony McC]

Send some of that jollop to me, Sim. I have the ideal project in mind!