Mother of all Efflorescence

[kurt]

Another good point. This isn't just water....it's water and something else.

We all look at masonry that gets soaked all the time. Why does some foam up and some doesn't?

[mark parlee]

I've heard of guys in these parts using "antifreeze" in their mortar in the winter when temps are going to go to 32 or lower, and I assume they mean automotive antifreeze. Anyone else come across this? No doubt the EPA would disapprove.

David

I remember seeing the masons do that on a job or two in my earlier days; They did use automotive antifreeze.

[Tom Raymond]

In a former life I worked on a large condo development that was triple wythe masonry. The masons worked through winter (on the shore of Lake Erie) by heating their materials. I built a roof over a 20 yard roll off and brick and mortar were stored inside and and kept warm with a salamander. Sand was heated outside by dumping the day's supply over a 55 gallon drum laid on its side with a fire burning inside. Water came straight from the hydrant. No additives at all.

There were a few issues of effloresence but they were the result of problems with the pink dye specified for the mortar. Soft pink brick, hard pink mortar, ugly buildings.

[mgbinspect]

In a former life I worked on a large condo development that was triple wythe masonry. The masons worked through winter (on the shore of Lake Erie) by heating their materials. I built a roof over a 20 yard roll off and brick and mortar were stored inside and and kept warm with a salamander. Sand was heated outside by dumping the day's supply over a 55 gallon drum laid on its side with a fire burning inside. Water came straight from the hydrant. No additives at all.

There were a few issues of effloresence but they were the result of problems with the pink dye specified for the mortar. Soft pink brick, hard pink mortar, ugly buildings.

Tom, Do you remember how mauve the sand immediately around the drum used to become, from the heat?

[Tom Raymond]

Yeah, now that you mention it. The sand right against the drum never went into the mortar. The process was to turn over the sand, so the cold stuff could be warmed up and the warm stuff went into the mix. If the 'burnt' sand was dug into, that scoop was tossed aside and more sand was piled on the fire.