Thanks David




At 12:11 PM +1100 2/2/02, david west wrote:
> --- Ruth Barton <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> It looks to me as though lime is leaching out of the
>> cement and oozing out
>> of the cracks in the cement.  I would think this
>> would weaken the cement
>> and hasten the wall's demise.
>
>Ruth
>
>I suspect you're seeing a very hard whitish crust
>forming in rundown patterns below the cracks.  If you
>try to remove it, you will find it very difficult to
>do so.
>
>This is often called 'lime staining', but it is not
>really lime.  It is calcium carbonate (with other
>things in it too).  It is formed by water passing
>through the wall and dissolving soluble portions of
>the cement, which are then deposited as calcium
>carbonate when the water gets out into the atmosphere
>again.
>
>This is very common on areas of paving that are not
>properly drained (especially at stairs), and can
>happen in situations like the one you describe.
>
>Will it weaken the wall?  Yes, but only after a long
>time (decades?).
>Will it cause the wall to fall down?  Maybe, but it
>sounds like the cracks and other disturbances are more
>likely to be the biggest problem.
>
>What to do about it?  Reconstruction sounds like it
>might be in order, depending on how bad the cracks
>are.
>
>Cheers
>david
>
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--
Ruth Barton
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Westminster, VT

--
To terminate puerile preservation prattling among pals and the
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