# Efflorescence? Or mold? Pictures inside!



## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Effervescence from water under the slab apparently coming up the cracks.


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

That's not mold. If anything it is efflorescence but more than likely a mineral deposit from bleach water.

Tell you what. Keep the bleach on the shelf and clean it again this time using white vinegar. If it blooms again it is efflorescence. Harmless efflorescence.

By-the-way...
*Effervescence* is what you get when you pour a glass of Pepsi Cola or throw some Alka-Seltzers in a glass of water.

*Efflorescence* is the result of natural salts in concrete mixed with moisture and rising/migrating to the surface/warmer air in an attempt to evaporate. Basically a mineral deposit-like flowering.


----------



## Millertyme (Apr 20, 2010)

It is effloresance. They sell cleaners that will help your problem. I would stop using bleach.do a quick google search and you will quickly find all your answers.


----------



## 6fthook (Dec 20, 2010)

Thanks for the quick replies!

I will try white vinegar to clean it out and see what happens. 50/50 water/vinegar ok?

I will search for the cleaners you speak of.

Thanks again guys!


----------



## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Stop the water penetration and the problem will be solved. No amount of any cleaner will help if the water is still entering. It is the water entering that is bringing in the minerals.


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> Stop the water penetration and the problem will be solved.


...and how would you suppose he could do that?


----------



## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

It was a poorly pored floor, improperly back filled and compacted with no vaper barrier under it so there's not much you can do about the moisture that's causing this from coming in.
You can clean it all you want to but it will come back.
It may help to add some gutters add a french drain or regrade around the building.


----------



## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Bud Cline said:


> ...and how would you suppose he could do that?


That would require much investigation. It could be that the entire foundation needs to be dug out and proper drainage installed. Maybe the floor needs to be broken up and fill and drainage installed from the inside. Maybe he just needs a new sump pump to keep up with the water level. Maybe the sewer line is broken and leaking under the slab.


----------



## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

Efflorescence is harmless to humans, as the salts are carbonates and occasionally sulfates. The material is similar to the mineral deposits you get in caves from water percolating through limestone. Relax, it isn't going to hurt you, and the cost to "cure" the "problem" will definitely put a big dent in your pocketbook. You can sweep it up every so often if you don't care for the appearance.


----------



## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

In time it will cure itself, until then it should be a non-issue.


----------



## jomama45 (Nov 13, 2008)

Efflorescence. Short of tearing out the floor, placing a vapor barrier under it, and re-pouring a new floor, there's not much to fix it long term. There are sealers that claim they'll create a vapor barrier on the surface, but I'm aprehensive to believe it would last very long.


----------



## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

It will only cure itself if the water goes away. As long as there is water there will be effervescence.


----------



## DangerMouse (Jul 17, 2008)

I wonder if it'd stop if you cleaned it and then did an epoxy floor?

DM


----------



## Lattimer (Oct 18, 2011)

I work in the efflorescence capital of the world (hydroelectric dam). There is no economically feasible way (at least for my wallet) to cure your symptoms, however it is structurally a non-issue and can be removed as often as you feel like taking a wire brush to it. It can be cleaned by a mild muriatic acid solution (be careful, it is nothing to mess with!), but adding more water can further compound the problem.


----------



## EvilNCarnate (Jan 27, 2011)

DangerMouse said:


> I wonder if it'd stop if you cleaned it and then did an epoxy floor?
> 
> DM


I would probably patch the crack first, make the cracks a bit bigger with a grinder or grout scraper. Fill the crack with some hydraulic cement or caulk. Then paint.


----------



## Lattimer (Oct 18, 2011)

Bud Cline said:


> In time it will cure itself, until then it should be a non-issue.



You sound like an echo.

Bud's right....somewhat. 

Efflorescence is caused by water wicking through concrete, dissolving salts along the way, coming to the surface, evaporating, and then leaving behind the salts. Often these salts are no longer water soluble once they hit air and react with carbon dioxide, which is why hitting them with the hose generally won't wash them away. 

Eliminating water penetration into your slab is no longer an option, unless you rip it up and install a vapor barrier...overkill in my opinion. 

So the next way to end this is to eliminate the salts. These salts are naturally present in the concrete, so you can't eliminate them at this stage of the game (certain admixtures can be used to control the problem, but its too late for that). 

Eventually the salts in the concrete will become exhausted and the problem will be no more. In my case (hydroelectric dam), this is not an option because we have several feet of concrete under immense water pressure, so we have a efflorescence removal program because the salt deposits grow so large that they become a hazard should the fall. 

However, if the salts are present in the soils, you will never exhaust the supply of salt and water....so you can either learn to ignore it, or buy yourself a lifetime supply of wire brushes.


----------

