Saltpeter is a chemical substance that manifests itself on walls through whitish traces. Also called stone salt or wall leprosy, it forms naturally because of the presence of moisture in a wall. However, its appearance has negative effects both on the house and on the health of those who live there. So how do you get rid of the saltpeter on your concrete? Here are some tips for you that we have concocted to help you eliminate it temporarily or permanently.
Why do you need to remove saltpeter from your concrete?
It is important that you get rid of saltpeter on your home, as it has huge risks. Indeed, its formation is the work of the rise by capillarity of the moisture loaded with mineral salts present in the soil. In contact with air, it crystallizes to give potassium nitrate (saline compound), which attacks building materials. When it rises, saltpeter actually weakens the foundation of your home and destroys the coatings. In addition to these unpleasant consequences on your property, saltpeter causes respiratory disorders and other pathologies in some people with a predisposition. It is therefore very important to proceed, as quickly as possible, to its elimination.
What are the tips for cleaning traces of saltpeter on concrete?
There are cleaning techniques that can allow you to clean saltpeter on the surface of your walls and on your concretes. These will allow you to temporarily eliminate the aesthetic inconvenience caused.
To begin with, you can use a brush that has good resistance to rub traces of potash nitrate. You can then use Marseille soap to continue the removal of stone salt. To do this, first dilute the soap in warm water. After which, use this solution to continue cleaning. Proceed to the end, to rinse. To get a good yield, we recommend that you take the glitter shape of Marseille soap.
Similarly, you can use 500 g of sugars that you will dilute in 10 liters of water. Then apply the sugar water with a hard brush to the surface of the concrete with the traces of saltpeter. Apart from that, it is possible that you opt for certain chemicals. These are mainly:
- bleach;
- hydrochloric acid;
- sulfamidic acid.
These products are safe on your health. You can therefore use them to effectively remove whitish traces on your concretes. This should still be done with certain precautions. For example, be sure to dilute hydrochloric acid to 10%. Do not forget to wear protective gloves when applying it. Do not also apply acids to limestone as well as creating an attack on the surface. However, keep in mind that these different tricks do not allow you to eliminate the cause of saltpeter formation.
What can you do to permanently eliminate saltpeter from your home?
To permanently get rid of saltpeter on your concretes, it is important that you tackle the very source of saltpeter. You need to look for and treat the cause of rising humidity in your home. To achieve this, only a foundation crack professional is able to provide you with a solution adapted to your situation.
He can proceed, at first, to the realization of a diagnosis, which will allow him to identify the cause of the rise of humidity. In a second step, he will be able to propose treatment techniques adapted to eliminate it.
Clearly, the appearance of saltpeter is an indicator of the presence of high humidity in your home. Eliminate it permanently with a specific treatment then becomes a necessity. As such, it is best to entrust you to our team whose expertise in this area has been proven for several years throughout Canada. This means that Groupe Fissure Expert has developed several solutions for you to effectively answer all your concerns regarding water infiltration .
We are well equipped (necessary skills and adapted equipment) to intervene to identify and repair any type of crack. Whether it’s indoors on a concrete foundation, on a swimming pool, on window corners, on slabs, nothing has any secrets for us. Do not hesitate to call on our expertise, if you want to plug a water infiltration around a formwork rod or repair cold seals.
