has anyone done this ?

i have a home with a white brick exterior.
it was built in '95, so it's about 11 yrs
old.

some areas have green algae (near where
the lawn sprinkler heads overspray it a
bit).

i was considering having the exterior
power washed with ho****er (vs. cold
water), and the necessary cleaning solutions.

problem is, there appear to be a lot of
"hacks" out there who i'm worried would do
more damage to the brick, than just leaving
well enough alone. from google'ing the topic,
there's a lot that can go wrong (ie. micro
cracks in the brick from the high pressure
stream, moisture absorption, etc).

has anyone done this ? and what if any
recommendations for what to look out for?

Splash1 wrote:
has anyone done this ?

i have a home with a white brick exterior.
it was built in '95, so it's about 11 yrs
old.

some areas have green algae (near where
the lawn sprinkler heads overspray it a
bit).

i was considering having the exterior
power washed with ho****er (vs. cold
water), and the necessary cleaning solutions.

problem is, there appear to be a lot of
"hacks" out there who i'm worried would do
more damage to the brick, than just leaving
well enough alone. from google'ing the topic,
there's a lot that can go wrong (ie. micro
cracks in the brick from the high pressure
stream, moisture absorption, etc).

has anyone done this ? and what if any
recommendations for what to look out for?

The commercial pressure washers in the hands of a cowboy will drill
right through the brick. A more conscientious worker will create no
problems. If the situation is as it sounds, just a little clean up
from ground level, it's something you could easily do yourself. A 1600
psi pressure washer, like the ones you'd get at a True Value hardware
store, isn't likely to damage the brick and they're light and easy to
handle. Cheap, too - figure $150 max. Most have an accesory bottle
that can be added to the line that holds either soap or a bleach
solution.

Pressure washers are very useful around the house. You'll find lots of
things to blow clean.

R