Acid Help

N

newbie pete

New Member
Hey, just wondering is muriatic acid the type to use to get rid of the rust stains caused by using bleach on the roof where the chimney flashings are? Do you need some kind of liscense to get it and can it cause damage to other materials that might be on the roof (glass, skylights or anything else. I'm doing 2 roofs in a month that have skylights and want to get rid of the rust in a safe way. Thanks for any input.
 
N

newbie pete

New Member
Also, I was just thinking, there may be some kind of rubber were the skylights are, I'm not sure. Anyone ever use it in this type of situation.
 
Mark

Mark

Moderator / Sponsor
Pete,

Usually flashings are sheet metal with a galvanized
coating, over time the galvanized coating breaks down and
the metal begins to rust. Acid, or any other corrosive, and
or oxidizer including bleach can increase the proababilty of
the flashing rusting.

Many of my customers who wash cedar shake roofs also
paint old flashings with a rustoleum type paint to better
match roof color, and to retard rust formation.

Hope that helps.
 
N

newbie pete

New Member
That helps but, the co. I worked for last summer used to hit them with a chemical (I think it was an acid) to get rid of the rust stains that were caused from there roof cleaning chemical (bleach and other stuff). Is this hydrochloric acid or something else. And are there any dangers to using it around glass or rubber?
 
J

jzox2001

New Member
Pete, for rust stains I always like to use saferestore by eaco chem. But as Mark stated, if you get the acid on the flashing, it will only make the rust worse.
 
N

newbie pete

New Member
Oh alright. I must've been mistaken. I thought he use it to get rid of the rust. So the saferestore, does it work immediately without any scrubbing. I'm looking for something quick and not anything involving labor since I can't walk one of these roofs. I look it up. Thanx a lot for the input
 
N

newbie pete

New Member
Maybe I'm thinking of Oxalic Acid. Is this the chem to use on the flashings and does it effect skylights or anything on them?
 
N

newbie pete

New Member
Hydrochloric (Muriatic) Acid

In addition to phosphoric acid, another chemical that is used to remove rust is hydrochloric acid, sometimes called muriatic acid. We obtained a commercial sample, supplied as a concentrate containing 20% hydrochloric acid. We diluted the concentrate with water according to label directions and immersed seven rusty test panels in it, and another seven in Ecotec® liquid, for two hours. At the end of the test, all seven of the panels soaked in Ecotec® were clean and free of rust. All seven of the panels soaked in the hydrochloric acid solution remained rusty, with only about half the rust removed.
 
N

newbie pete

New Member
Alright I think I get it. It's corrosive and will eat through anything if not diluted enough. So if the metal isn't rusty it will corrode it and make it rusty. If the metal is rusty, it will eat through the rust and the metal too if it's strong enough.
 
Mark

Mark

Moderator / Sponsor
The acid will remove the rust, but it will also remove some of the galvanized
coating, and if not painted flash rust is likely
 
J

JET

New Member
rust removal

I am looking at bidding on a pool (below ground) that has some rust stains around the sides, caused from the iron in our hard water what would you suggest to clean this off
 
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