Cleaning red-brick

Zebra3

Help, there's red-brick on the front of my house that's covered in pigeon ****e. :mad:

Anyone any ideas on how to clean it?

Thanks in advance.

ART6

Pressure washer? But keep away from the mortar joints.

RKQ

Warm soapy water and a mop! Comes off easy with a bit of elbow grease.

Red clay brick is porous and pressurised water will pentrate the wall - if its a solid wall the water will soak into your interior. If its a cavity wall it will test your dpc's and cavity trays.

A wet wall at this time of year is likely to remain wet and damp till mid spring.

A strong power hose could damage the "soft" surface of the brick. A mop might seem hard work but you don't need a sledgehammer to break an egg.
IMO a power hose could do alot more damage.

ballystephen

I agree with Art.Definately pressure wash,Its the only route.Your house is designed to get wet.

builditwell

Re pressure washer

I would use a deck scrubber and a good detergent to get this off dont use a pressure washer, yes your house is designed to get wet but bricks and mortar are not engineered to have a pressure washer go at the surface of them, this action in time will cause problems with water ingression thru the mortar joints where it has broken down from water attack.

Regards
Builditwell

ballystephen

Cobblers!

RKQ

A power hose to remove bird plop is like using a sledge hammer to crack an egg.

Sand blasting and power hose have alot in common. Both are extremly powerful. Both are used to "blast" dirt away. People use power hose to remove algea, stains and moss.

Never seen rain wash away moss! If rain was that severe we wouldn't need power hoses!
Never power hose brick (unless you want damp interior walls)

ballystephen

No offence intended but the advice of using a scrubbing brush and soapy water sounds like the advice of someone fresh out of college or a diyer who have learnt from books but never had any on the job experience or they wouldnt be telling you such rubbish!

builditwell

Ballystephen,

I think i will take offence on the point but not a lot, its obvious from your postings that it is in fact rubbish coming from your side,while boards is meant as a discussion forum i as a trained professional with degree and a sucesssful business for 15 years including as you so put it "on the job experience" contribute what i can to a poster needing advice. It is your lack of knowledge which leads you to reply to posts such as "cobblers" to another persons suggestions.

If your earlier posts such as a suggestion on how to lay a 4 pce granite hearth are anything to go by well its obvious to many others that you are talking out your rear. If you have nothing constructive to say dont bother contributing!!.

Regards
Builditwell

ballystephen

Dear "Builditwell"
I wonder what your degree is in.As I presumed very limited "on the job experience"I am a bricklayer with 30 years experience and worked on a very wide variety of jobs over the years.With respect your inflexible attitude reminds me of the wet behind the ears engineers/building inspectors who are scared to think outside the box because they lack experience.Have you ever tried power washing bricks?
Regards

builditwell

Good for you for being older than me but not the wiser i think. The thread started wih a poster looking for advice which i contributed to it was you that had an inflexible attitude towards other posters. If you spent 30 years bricklaying surely you would know the importance of a good bed of mortar !!. Just because you put them up makes you an expert in structural integrity of concrete, mortar, bricks etc etc does it ? Go back to school. You have a problem with any qualified authority younger than you. far too old school for me.

RKQ

With respect this forum is for free information and advice, not vulgar references to shoe making:D Ballystephen seems to take exception to different advice. The correct advice. Why so petty and agressive?

I am sure those wet behind the ears engineers/building inspectors were there to make sure you were doing it right and tell you what to do! I doubt you said "Cobblers" to them! More like "Yes Sir!"

I've a couple of decades "on site" experience. I remember University. The boys in Anco had more fun as they had money.

Still I've seen brick power hosed - it was a disaster! Still try it if you want! (Prove me wrong!)

I also removed baked in bird plop off stone, brick & timber door - nest above same. Warm soapy water disolved it at amazing speed - again try it or DIY if you don't believe me.

Seen an old stone house power hosed by a clever guy - pure disaster. Slowed internal refurbishment as walls were too wet to install new timber joist / studwork and the external lime mortar dissolved!

I do hope the OP follows the correct advice.

ART6

RKQ wrote: »

With respect this forum is for free information and advice, not vulgar references to shoe making:D Ballystephen seems to take exception to different advice. The correct advice. Why so petty and agressive?

I am sure those wet behind the ears engineers/building inspectors were there to make sure you were doing it right and tell you what to do! I doubt you said "Cobblers" to them! More like "Yes Sir!"

I've a couple of decades "on site" experience. I remember University. The boys in Anco had more fun as they had money.

Still I've seen brick power hosed - it was a disaster! Still try it if you want! (Prove me wrong!)

I also removed baked in bird plop off stone, brick & timber door - nest above same. Warm soapy water disolved it at amazing speed - again try it or DIY if you don't believe me.

Seen an old stone house power hosed by a clever guy - pure disaster. Slowed internal refurbishment as walls were too wet to install new timber joist / studwork and the external lime mortar dissolved!

I do hope the OP follows the correct advice.

Interesting. I am a mechanical engineer, not civil, so I'm not qualified to speak on this (which is why I questioned power wash). However, I used to have a brick house, and I did the odd power wash on it when birds left donations, and I don't recall any problems. Now I have a concrete block built house witha Tyrolean finish, and I power wash that every now and again in places where dirt or algae have appeared, again without problems. Mind, I don't use an industrial machine -- just an el-cheapo DIY one that develops about 1200 psi, and I use a fan nozzle not a jet. That's what I was thinking of initially in this thread. Do you advise that's wrong? Not arguing, just thinking it might be of help to both the OP an I to hear experience that differs from mine?

ballystephen

Just thought you might like to see how the pros do it.Look and learnhttps://www.camelotpressurewashing.com/Services.html

ART6

ballystephen wrote: »

Just thought you might like to see how the pros do it.Look and learnhttps://www.camelotpressurewashing.com/Services.html

Thanks. That makes me feel better. I was beginning to get worried there:D

RKQ

My advice is free. Its based on personal experience.... ignore if you wish, its up to you.

Seen a Company on tv power hosing the moss off tiled roofs. It was a Con. BBC filmed these cowboys and Trading Standards adviced against power hosing roof tiles. As did the BBC Construction Expert.

Just because a company in the States will do it doesn't make it right. This is the worst time of year to power hose as its dark and damp. Didn't cowboys start in the States?
(Interesting how they show photographs of power hoseing vynil & concrete but not brick)