Does vinegar harm cement paving bricks?

On Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:27:54 -0700, Tony Hwang wrote Re Re: Does vinegar harm cement paving bricks?:

Wow dude. You don't know sh*t about chemistry.

Reply to
Caesar Romano
Loading thread data ...

Vinegar is acidic. Try testing with litmus paper. Or bicarbonate of soda.

Common sense prevails.

dadiOH

Reply to
dadiOH

Being acidic, it *does* attack them; however, weak as it is, it would take many, many applications to notice anything.

You can kill the moss with a dilute solution of chlorox, don't know if it does weeds too. Salt - table or rock - should do the weeds and keep them out for a while once it is watered in, maybe moss too. And as a last resort, there is always Round-Up :)

dadiOH

Reply to
dadiOH

Why is Roundup a "last resort"? It's very safe stuff, and quickly breaks down harmlessly after doing it's job. It's even approved for use with food crops. The only caution on the most concentrated version is that it is an eye irritant. Apparently it's safe to drink right out of the bottle, as there are no cautions whatsoever against it.

Safer than Clorox.

Reply to
salty

Salt or Chlorox are more hazardous than RoundUp. Salt is probably the worse chemical to use if you are trying to protect nearby plants. Put a layer of lime over moss to control it.

Reply to
Phisherman

You are using the wrong chemicals. Use glyphosphate for the weeds and a zinc formula for the moss; both are available as a concentrate to be mixed with water and applied in accordance with the instructions. Both are safe if used appropriately.

Trying to use folksy home remedies is going to cause more problems in the long run than just using the proper, modern solution the first time.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

Vinegar is not a pure substance and thus has no specific chemical formula. Vinegar is mainly water (H2O), but is also comprised of acetic acidic (the carboxylic acid which gives vinegar its pungent/ sour smell). Acetic acid's formula is CH3COOH. Vinegar is a liquid produced by the fermentation of alcohol into acetic acid as well as other fermentation by-products. The acetic acid concentration ranges typically from 4 to 8 percent by volume for table vinegar (typically

5%) and higher concentrations for pickling (up to 18%) although in some countries the minimum strength may be less. Natural vinegars also contain smaller amounts of tartaric acid, citric acid, and other acids.
Reply to
stan

"Mark" wrote in news:Tt%Il.114404$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe13.iad:

Possibly safe, but if used too often, accumulating acid may (I said may) eventually cause harm to vegetation or concrete. YMMV

Reply to
Han

Also he could probably need some lime added to his yard. Sounds like it may be acidic and the vinegar is just making it worse in the long run. Yards in southern states are rarely too alkiline. When I moved into my current home I had a soil test done to see how much lime I needed. It was so acidic I had to spread a truck load on it , wait a year then check again to see how much more I would need.

Jimmie

Reply to
JIMMIE

Think "tongue in cheek".

dadiOH

Reply to
dadiOH

How much bad information can one thread contain. Lemons ARE acidic. Apple cider vinegar IS acidic. Heartburn is not caused by too much acid but the acid being pushed above the stomach onto sensitive tissues. Many people don't have enough acid in the stomach to digest properly, and that can cause heartburn, taking antacids can feel better because of less acid to cause pain, but will hinder proper digestion further.

Reply to
EXT

As a chemist who had to study German, I note that acetic acid is, Essigsäure in German and Essig is the German name for vinegar. Historically, I assume that as vinegar has been around forever, when the German's started to develop their chemical talents and extracted acetic acid from vinegar, they naturally called it vinegar acid. Similar nomenclature evolved for formic acid (Ameisensäure) which is found in ants (Ameise).

Reply to
Frank

Frank wrote in news:gt4657$d4a$1 @news.eternal-september.org:

Same in Dutch: Azijn is vinegar Azijnzuur is acetic acid Mier is ant Mierezuur is formic acid

But the real point is that vinegar or dilute acetic acid solutions are mild, but pure concentrated acetic acid is an aggressive acid, though not an oxidant like sulfuric or nitric acids.

Reply to
Han

Yes but for attacking cement, I don't know for sure. I do know that muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) will attack cement and that no oxidation is involved. Me, I would not use vinegar on cement to be on the safe side. OP could run test and take a chip of brick and let sit in vinegar.

Reply to
Frank

Frank wrote in news:gt4amf$lrl$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:

Brick is far from concrete. I don't think you can compare that. Concrete is made with portland cement which is basic. Seems to me (but I'm not really sure) that concrete would be slowly attacked by acid. Muriatic acid is diluted hydrochloric acid (not concentrated, but I would not drink it , while vinegar should be almost safe to drink - think pickles). I think that muriatic acid etches concrete and cleans it for instance for a repair, ensuring new concrete adheres properly.

Reply to
Han

Safety Hint: Don't drink the pickle juice until all the pickles are gone or, if you do, wear goggles.

Reply to
HeyBub

Thanks to everyone for your responses. On balance, it would appear that vinegar is not the solution to use.

Time to come up with a plan "B".

Regards, Gary

Reply to
G Mulcaster

Vinegar wont hurt anything, it evaporates to quickly and changes from acid to neutral its interaction, even Muriatic evaporates and looses its efectivness fast, it doesnt have the time necessary to do anything but clean the top layer. In stone cleaniing after 5 minutes with muriatic I find its done its job its deactivated mostly so you wash it off

Reply to
ransley

G Mulcaster wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Plan "B": Boiling water, just pour, but it should really be as close to boiling as you can get it there.

Reply to
Han

OP said "cement paving brick". If it's same stuff I have in part of a retaining wall and fireplace in family room, it's concrete cast in individual brick form. In my case, these are white bricks and impossible to get clean of fireplace soot.

Many years ago, I used muriatic acid for cleaning and etching basement floor for painting. I'm sure a swabbing would just be neutralized and this would hold for vinegar but a lot of acid would probably be corrosive.

Reply to
Frank

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.