Is it normal to have white residue form on my extension?
We make customers aware at the outset of the possibility of white residue becoming evident on the brickwork / stonework of there chosen conservatory or orangery.
When doing so, we stress that it’s nothing to be alarmed about as it is surprisingly common for this to happen and go onto explain exactly what it is and how it’s caused.
Efflorescence or salt petering
The issue is triggered by a process called ‘efflorescence’ or ‘salt petering’ which is officially defined as being “the migration of a salt to the surface of a porous material where it forms a (white) coating.”
It encompasses the dissolving of an internally held salt in water, in this case, rainwater! This causes the water and salt solution to travel to the surface, ahead of it evaporating and leaving a salt coating on the face of the brickwork / stonework. In these circumstances the water is labelled ‘the invader’ due to the salt already having an internal presence within the brickwork / stonework.
I don’t quite understand?
Explained more simply, the confined salts are set free whenever any water passes through the masonry, resulting in them dissolving and rising to the surface. The water gets drawn to the surface by exposure to sunlight and wind, but water evaporation causes any salts to be left behind.
As we have said previously, if efflorescence / salt petering occurs a short time after you’ve had a home extension fitted by Clearview you shouldn’t worry about it. Visible salt deposits in no way signal that the brickwork is insufficient or doesn’t provide the necessary integrity.
Over time it will start to disappear
How quickly it does this will depend on the salt levels within the masonry and level and frequency of any rainfall. You may find that scrubbing it with a hard brush can eradicate some of the residue.
For any further clarification on efflorescence / salt petering, we recommend that you have a conversation with one of our consultants. Request a callback from a member of the team today.
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