Cleaning a Pea Gravel Driveway

[semperfiguy]

Does anyone out there know what kind of chemical to buy to clean a pea gravel driveway like the one pictured below? I have pressure washed mine every year for the past 6 years, but this year is just won't come clean enough and I want it to look brand new again. I heard there is a chemical that can be sprayed on the driveway and the black discoloration will come clean in the same manner as mildew disappears off a shower wall when Clorox bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is applied, and I could mix it with water and put it in a garden sprayer; however, I'm told that I have to be very careful not to get it on the grass/landscaping. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I have tried to Google it, but nothing comes up!

[GARYZX6R]

SFG suggest you look in Global House for a product i belive is called SPA CLEAN our tiler recommended it ..

[semperfiguy]

SFG suggest you look in Global House for a product i belive is called SPA CLEAN our tiler recommended it ..

Thanks my friend!

[kopkei]

semper, you must buy hydrochloride acid in the pool shop ,(300baht 25L) dilute this 1/10 with water ,poor it over the driveway and remove all dirt simply with a brush in combination of the water hose , be careful though , not diluted it is a strong acid ... , this is how the pea gravel installers clean it after work ....

[Shado]

Not sure about hydrochloride acid but if you go looking for hydrochloric acid it is กรดเกลือ (krot kluea). Our house painters used it to clean our driveway before covering with an acrylic sealer.

[kopkei]

indeed same shado , misspelled by me ...

where too dirty ,dilute less ...

[jimjay]

And if you ever use it, or anyone uses it, beware of the blast of fumes that comes when opening H.A.

Once I was bent over a 5 gallon bucket of it unaware of this, and nearly paid with my life. Upon opening the lid, the fumes hit me as I was inhaling and I almost fainted, right into the bucket head first. Talk about a rough way to croak.

Anyways I retained just enough brain cells to vote and procreate, nice one.

Maybe something a little less toxic out there that could solve this driveway issue?

[semperfiguy]

I am the OP and I have now been to two pools shops near Global House, Home Pro and Global House, but none of them have pure Hydrochloric Acid. I did find the Spa Clean, but it is 169 baht for a small bottle that is mixed 1 to 1 with water. At that rate it will take quite a bit to clean my driveway, so not a good deal at all. It only contains 17.5% hydrochloric acid and requires a lot of scrubbing which I am not prepared to do at my age. Any other suggestions on locations for pure HA?

[fdimike]

Have you checked with the Phukit Pool shop which is nearly next to Home Mart? They normally carry the acid in what looks like a 5 gal black plastic containers. I'm not sure if it's 100% HA but the fumes are enough to knock your socks off. You need to handle it with care because it can be dangerous. I can tell you first hand that the fumes alone will burn your skin. It's normally added to bring down the Ph in swimming pools. They may not understand you if you ask for HA so it would be a good idea to carry the Thai word for it กรดเกลือ . You can listen to the Thai word for HA here: http://www.thai-language.com/dict

[semperfiguy]

Have you checked with the Phukit Pool shop which is nearly next to Home Mart? They normally carry the acid in what looks like a 5 gal black plastic containers. I'm not sure if it's 100% HA but the fumes are enough to knock your socks off. You need to handle it with care because it can be dangerous. I can tell you first hand that the fumes alone will burn your skin. It's normally added to bring down the Ph in swimming pools. They may not understand you if you ask for HA so it would be a good idea to carry the Thai word for it กรดเกลือ . You can listen to the Thai word for HA here: http://www.thai-language.com/dict

Thanks fdimike!

[GARYZX6R]

I'm not sure if it's 100% HA but the fumes are enough to knock your socks off. You need to handle it with care because it can be dangerous. I can tell you first hand that the fumes alone will burn your skin. It's normally added to bring down the Ph in swimming pools. They may not understand you if you ask for HA so it would be a good idea to carry the Thai word for it กรดเกลือ . You can listen to the Thai word for HA here: http://www.thai-language.com/dict[/quote]
Having heard what Mike said SFG may be a good idea to get a name from the pool company who does it. I myself dont want to be anywhere near that stuff without protective clothing

[semperfiguy]

I'm not sure if it's 100% HA but the fumes are enough to knock your socks off. You need to handle it with care because it can be dangerous. I can tell you first hand that the fumes alone will burn your skin. It's normally added to bring down the Ph in swimming pools. They may not understand you if you ask for HA so it would be a good idea to carry the Thai word for it กรดเกลือ . You can listen to the Thai word for HA here: http://www.thai-language.com/dict

Having heard what Mike said SFG may be a good idea to get a name from the pool company who does it. I myself dont want to be anywhere near that stuff without protective clothing [/quote]

I'm thinking the same thing Gary. Thanks for your concern. I think it would be wise to have someone with experience to handle the job for me.

[Shado]

I believe the painters got the HCI got it at โสราญหินขัด (so:h raan hin khat) or something very close to that. It looks like a residence on the corner of the street. Not far from Komen City Estates and the former Diary Café.

[fdimike]

I handle it myself but I'm only adding a small amount to my pool at a time (probably not more than 1/2 liter). I normally use a protective mask because of the fumes which can be toxic.

[Shado]

Photo of the HCI shop.

[arjay]

These things are very strong acids, please be careful not to splash it on your skin or clothes or breathe it in.

[parrot]

With all the pea gravel works in Udon, along with all the rainy-season-algae problems, seems like someone could make some money with a high quality gas powered pressure washer and cheap labor. Anyone know of such a business?

[wazza]

All chemical manufacturers have a MSDS

Material Safety Data Sheet.

Same format . Storage. Transport. First Aid etc

Google MSDS Hydrochloric Acid. Huge numbers to review and all worth reading if your going to dabble with it

[kopkei]

i always buy at the pool shop outside thai watsadu , you indeed have to be careful working with acid , but do not over dramatize it , fe you will not get burned from the fumes ..., some people always make everything way to complicated ...,things are easy if you yourself can keep them easy .... this also go's for other things , fe immigration udon :-"

[Nigglyb]

Just for my benefit, is this sort of thing what you guys call Pea Gravel?