I am going to paint some exterior brick on my house, ive cleaned the
white efflorence area 3 times with full strength Muriatic acid, I wet
it, let it sit a few minutes, scrub then wash and the next day its
grown back severly, maybe 1/16". There are no visable leaks on the
inside of that wall section. I thought to have effloresence you had to
have an active leak or wet brick, is this my problem that I do in fact
have moisture still pushing out, or is there another cause and a
better way to clean it.

On Apr 16, 8:32*pm, Oren wrote:
On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:24:46 -0700 (PDT), ransley

wrote:
I am going to paint some exterior brick on my house, ive cleaned the
white efflorence area 3 times with full strength Muriatic acid, I wet
it, let it sit a few minutes, scrub then wash and the next day its
grown back severly, maybe 1/16". There are no visable leaks on the
inside of that wall section. I thought to have effloresence you had to
have an active leak or wet brick, is this my problem that I do in fact
have moisture still pushing out, or is there another cause and a
better way to clean it.

'round here I call it "effervescence"*. Minerals leach into the cinder
blocks walls. When it rains, *is becomes more obvious. Lake Mead has
mineral bath tub ring around it.

I use vinegar and wash it down. You could also use a power washer on
the brick. *If it is wet, you will see more leaching of the mineral. I
haven't went so far as to use Muriatic acid.

2 cents!

**
"Main Entry: * * * effervescence
Part of Speech: * * * * noun
Definition: * * fizz, foam
Synonyms: * * * bubbles, bubbling, ebullition, ferment, fermentation,
froth, frothing, sparkle..."

I think I need a new moisture meter, my last one got legs and left me,
im thinking it has to be internal moisture. I get the the stuff
removed alright so a power washer wont do more, but it grows right
back in 12 hours

ransley wrote:
On Apr 16, 8:32 pm, Oren wrote:
On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:24:46 -0700 (PDT), ransley

wrote:
I am going to paint some exterior brick on my house, ive cleaned the
white efflorence area 3 times with full strength Muriatic acid, I wet
it, let it sit a few minutes, scrub then wash and the next day its
grown back severly, maybe 1/16". There are no visable leaks on the
inside of that wall section. I thought to have effloresence you had to
have an active leak or wet brick, is this my problem that I do in fact
have moisture still pushing out, or is there another cause and a
better way to clean it.
'round here I call it "effervescence"*. Minerals leach into the cinder
blocks walls. When it rains, is becomes more obvious. Lake Mead has
mineral bath tub ring around it.

I use vinegar and wash it down. You could also use a power washer on
the brick. If it is wet, you will see more leaching of the mineral. I
haven't went so far as to use Muriatic acid.

2 cents!

*
"Main Entry: effervescence
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: fizz, foam
Synonyms: bubbles, bubbling, ebullition, ferment, fermentation,
froth, frothing, sparkle..."

I think I need a new moisture meter, my last one got legs and left me,
im thinking it has to be internal moisture. I get the the stuff
removed alright so a power washer wont do more, but it grows right
back in 12 hours

Is this a real brick wall, or the modern brick veneer sitting on a
foundation ledge, with a half-inch airspace between it and the tarpaper?
You said the wall is dry inside the house, so I suspect the latter.
Sounds like you have a water leak high on the wall, keeping the brick
wet. Are the weep holes at the bottom of the wall clear? Run a hose on
the wall from top to bottom, and see what it looks like the next day.
Note that a roof or gutter board or fly rafter leak can travel along
soffit and run down the wall. They can be a real PITA to track down
sometimes. An ice pick poked into the wood trim above the suspected wet
area is a quick way to check for mushy wood. It can be something as
simple as failed caulking in an end joint between two pieces of wood trim.

Having said all that, why are you painting brick? Sorta defeats the
purpose of having brick, IMHO. Only reason I would ever paint brick is
to buy a few extra years from a failing wall. (Like on an old building
where they cheaped out and used soft brick on the alley side, etc.)

--
aem sends...

On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:15:26 -0400, aemeijers wrote:

ransley wrote:
On Apr 16, 8:32 pm, Oren wrote:
On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:24:46 -0700 (PDT), ransley

wrote:
I am going to paint some exterior brick on my house, ive cleaned the
white efflorence area 3 times with full strength Muriatic acid, I wet
it, let it sit a few minutes, scrub then wash and the next day its
grown back severly, maybe 1/16". There are no visable leaks on the
inside of that wall section. I thought to have effloresence you had to
have an active leak or wet brick, is this my problem that I do in fact
have moisture still pushing out, or is there another cause and a
better way to clean it.
'round here I call it "effervescence"*. Minerals leach into the cinder
blocks walls. When it rains, is becomes more obvious. Lake Mead has
mineral bath tub ring around it.

I use vinegar and wash it down. You could also use a power washer on
the brick. If it is wet, you will see more leaching of the mineral. I
haven't went so far as to use Muriatic acid.

2 cents!

*
"Main Entry: effervescence
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: fizz, foam
Synonyms: bubbles, bubbling, ebullition, ferment, fermentation,
froth, frothing, sparkle..."

I think I need a new moisture meter, my last one got legs and left me,
im thinking it has to be internal moisture. I get the the stuff
removed alright so a power washer wont do more, but it grows right
back in 12 hours

Is this a real brick wall, or the modern brick veneer sitting on a
foundation ledge, with a half-inch airspace between it and the tarpaper?
You said the wall is dry inside the house, so I suspect the latter.
Sounds like you have a water leak high on the wall, keeping the brick
wet. Are the weep holes at the bottom of the wall clear? Run a hose on
the wall from top to bottom, and see what it looks like the next day.
Note that a roof or gutter board or fly rafter leak can travel along
soffit and run down the wall. They can be a real PITA to track down
sometimes. An ice pick poked into the wood trim above the suspected wet
area is a quick way to check for mushy wood. It can be something as
simple as failed caulking in an end joint between two pieces of wood trim.

We have some efflorescence in some of the stone on hour house. It's
apparently a surface issue because it's only one type of the "stone".

Having said all that, why are you painting brick? Sorta defeats the
purpose of having brick, IMHO. Only reason I would ever paint brick is
to buy a few extra years from a failing wall. (Like on an old building
where they cheaped out and used soft brick on the alley side, etc.)

Agreed. Painted brick looks like hell.

On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 04:19:55 -0700 (PDT), ransley
wrote:

I think I need a new moisture meter, my last one got legs and left me,
im thinking it has to be internal moisture. I get the the stuff
removed alright so a power washer wont do more, but it grows right
back in 12 hours

Does the brick touch the ground, like say, a block wall? Is there an
irrigation line in the vicinity? I asked my neighbor to move his drip
irrigation back from the wall. Drip lines are supposed to be at least
three feet way from block walls. With frequent watering of plants,
etc., the walls still have moisture and minerals leaching in.

We have really hard water. Hardest in the country as best I can tell.
So the minerals leach even into concrete driveways.

On Apr 17, 7:15*am, aemeijers wrote:
ransley wrote:
On Apr 16, 8:32 pm, Oren wrote:
On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:24:46 -0700 (PDT), ransley

wrote:
I am going to paint some exterior brick on my house, ive cleaned the
white efflorence area 3 times with full strength Muriatic acid, I wet
it, let it sit a few minutes, scrub then wash and the next day its
grown back severly, maybe 1/16". There are no visable leaks on the
inside of that wall section. I thought to have effloresence you had to
have an active leak or wet brick, is this my problem that I do in fact
have moisture still pushing out, or is there another cause and a
better way to clean it.
'round here I call it "effervescence"*. Minerals leach into the cinder
blocks walls. When it rains, *is becomes more obvious. Lake Mead has
mineral bath tub ring around it.

I use vinegar and wash it down. You could also use a power washer on
the brick. *If it is wet, you will see more leaching of the mineral. I
haven't went so far as to use Muriatic acid.

2 cents!

**
"Main Entry: * * * effervescence
Part of Speech: * * * * noun
Definition: * * fizz, foam
Synonyms: * * * bubbles, bubbling, ebullition, ferment, fermentation,
froth, frothing, sparkle..."

I think I need a new moisture meter, my last one got legs and left me,
im thinking it has to be internal moisture. I get the the stuff
removed alright so a power washer wont do more, but it grows right
back in 12 hours

Is this a real brick wall, or the modern brick veneer sitting on a
foundation ledge, with a half-inch airspace between it and the tarpaper?
You said the wall is dry inside the house, so I suspect the latter.
Sounds like you have a water leak high on the wall, keeping the brick
wet. Are the weep holes at the bottom of the wall clear? Run a hose on
the wall from top to bottom, and see what it looks like the next day.
Note that a roof or gutter board or fly rafter leak can travel along
soffit and run down the wall. They can be a real PITA to track down
sometimes. An ice pick poked into the wood trim above the suspected wet
area is a quick way to check for mushy wood. It can be something as
simple as failed caulking in an end joint between two pieces of wood trim..

Having said all that, why are you painting brick? Sorta defeats the
purpose of having brick, IMHO. Only reason I would ever paint brick is
to buy a few extra years from a failing wall. (Like on an old building
where they cheaped out and used soft brick on the alley side, etc.)

--
aem sends...- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Its real brick not veneer, behind that area is a HW radiator pipe and
above a exterior kitchen air vent for the stove , the leak-
effloresence is only in an area in the botton 20% of the wall not
running high, Its a stone house on the main walls I guess it would be
called veneer, this back wall I believe was done in construction brick
but not stone covered as a last minute way for the person having it
built to save money so Im painting the back to match the Lime Stone of
the rest but as you are thinking its a leak, but my boiler looses no
water, wall paper inside is fine with no evidence of moisture. I had
my moisture meter stolen so its time to get another one.

On Apr 17, 11:31*am, "
wrote:
On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:15:26 -0400, aemeijers wrote:
ransley wrote:
On Apr 16, 8:32 pm, Oren wrote:
On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:24:46 -0700 (PDT), ransley

wrote:
I am going to paint some exterior brick on my house, ive cleaned the
white efflorence area 3 times with full strength Muriatic acid, I wet
it, let it sit a few minutes, scrub then wash and the next day its
grown back severly, maybe 1/16". There are no visable leaks on the
inside of that wall section. I thought to have effloresence you had to
have an active leak or wet brick, is this my problem that I do in fact
have moisture still pushing out, or is there another cause and a
better way to clean it.
'round here I call it "effervescence"*. Minerals leach into the cinder
blocks walls. When it rains, *is becomes more obvious. Lake Mead has
mineral bath tub ring around it.

I use vinegar and wash it down. You could also use a power washer on
the brick. *If it is wet, you will see more leaching of the mineral.. I
haven't went so far as to use Muriatic acid.

2 cents!

**
"Main Entry: * * * effervescence
Part of Speech: * * * * noun
Definition: * * fizz, foam
Synonyms: * * * bubbles, bubbling, ebullition, ferment, fermentation,
froth, frothing, sparkle..."

I think I need a new moisture meter, my last one got legs and left me,
im thinking it has to be internal moisture. I get the the stuff
removed alright so a power washer wont do more, but it grows right
back in 12 hours

Is this a real brick wall, or the modern brick veneer sitting on a
foundation ledge, with a half-inch airspace between it and the tarpaper?
You said the wall is dry inside the house, so I suspect the latter.
Sounds like you have a water leak high on the wall, keeping the brick
wet. Are the weep holes at the bottom of the wall clear? Run a hose on
the wall from top to bottom, and see what it looks like the next day.
Note that a roof or gutter board or fly rafter leak can travel along
soffit and run down the wall. They can be a real PITA to track down
sometimes. An ice pick poked into the wood trim above the suspected wet
area is a quick way to check for mushy wood. It can be something as
simple as failed caulking in an end joint between two pieces of wood trim.

We have some efflorescence in some of the stone on hour house. *It's
apparently a surface issue because it's only one type of the "stone".

Having said all that, why are you painting brick? Sorta defeats the
purpose of having brick, IMHO. Only reason I would ever paint brick is
to buy a few extra years from a failing wall. (Like on an old building
where they cheaped out and used soft brick on the alley side, etc.)

Agreed. *Painted brick looks like hell.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Not is the brick is construction brick which the builder didnt even
attempt to match the Lime Stone, the paint looks 10x better, it
matches in color now, picture dark, cheap construction grade brick,
against Limestone, that just dosnt work

On Apr 17, 3:57*pm, Oren wrote:
On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 04:19:55 -0700 (PDT), ransley

wrote:
I think I need a new moisture meter, my last one got legs and left me,
im thinking it has to be internal moisture. I get the the stuff
removed alright so a power washer wont do more, but it grows right
back in 12 hours

Does the brick touch the ground, like say, a block wall? *Is there an
irrigation line in the vicinity? *I asked my neighbor to move his drip
irrigation back from the wall. Drip lines are supposed to be at least
three feet way from block walls. With frequent watering of plants,
etc., the walls still have moisture and minerals leaching in.

We have really hard water. Hardest in the country as best I can tell.
So the minerals leach even into concrete driveways.

No actualy the brick area is over a window well and the leak-
effloerecense is 2 ft up and only goes up 4 ft more on a 2 storey so
im guessing the vent lets in water or the radiator pipe, but boiler
water is always stable. I guess everyone thinks its an active leak
keeping it wet. Time for a new moisture meter to do some tracing

On Sun, 18 Apr 2010 03:43:18 -0700 (PDT), ransley
wrote:

On Apr 17, 11:31*am, "
wrote:
On Sat, 17 Apr 2010 08:15:26 -0400, aemeijers wrote:
ransley wrote:
On Apr 16, 8:32 pm, Oren wrote:
On Fri, 16 Apr 2010 15:24:46 -0700 (PDT), ransley

wrote:
I am going to paint some exterior brick on my house, ive cleaned the
white efflorence area 3 times with full strength Muriatic acid, I wet
it, let it sit a few minutes, scrub then wash and the next day its
grown back severly, maybe 1/16". There are no visable leaks on the
inside of that wall section. I thought to have effloresence you had to
have an active leak or wet brick, is this my problem that I do in fact
have moisture still pushing out, or is there another cause and a
better way to clean it.
'round here I call it "effervescence"*. Minerals leach into the cinder
blocks walls. When it rains, *is becomes more obvious. Lake Mead has
mineral bath tub ring around it.

I use vinegar and wash it down. You could also use a power washer on
the brick. *If it is wet, you will see more leaching of the mineral. I
haven't went so far as to use Muriatic acid.

2 cents!

**
"Main Entry: * * * effervescence
Part of Speech: * * * * noun
Definition: * * fizz, foam
Synonyms: * * * bubbles, bubbling, ebullition, ferment, fermentation,
froth, frothing, sparkle..."

I think I need a new moisture meter, my last one got legs and left me,
im thinking it has to be internal moisture. I get the the stuff
removed alright so a power washer wont do more, but it grows right
back in 12 hours

Is this a real brick wall, or the modern brick veneer sitting on a
foundation ledge, with a half-inch airspace between it and the tarpaper?
You said the wall is dry inside the house, so I suspect the latter.
Sounds like you have a water leak high on the wall, keeping the brick
wet. Are the weep holes at the bottom of the wall clear? Run a hose on
the wall from top to bottom, and see what it looks like the next day.
Note that a roof or gutter board or fly rafter leak can travel along
soffit and run down the wall. They can be a real PITA to track down
sometimes. An ice pick poked into the wood trim above the suspected wet
area is a quick way to check for mushy wood. It can be something as
simple as failed caulking in an end joint between two pieces of wood trim.

We have some efflorescence in some of the stone on hour house. *It's
apparently a surface issue because it's only one type of the "stone".

Having said all that, why are you painting brick? Sorta defeats the
purpose of having brick, IMHO. Only reason I would ever paint brick is
to buy a few extra years from a failing wall. (Like on an old building
where they cheaped out and used soft brick on the alley side, etc.)

Agreed. *Painted brick looks like hell.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Not is the brick is construction brick which the builder didnt even
attempt to match the Lime Stone, the paint looks 10x better, it
matches in color now, picture dark, cheap construction grade brick,
against Limestone, that just dosnt work

Painted brick looks worse, IMO.