Anyone Know What Is Causing This ?

[dmax]

ive built a house around 14 months ago in isaan, as if that didnt cause me enough headache and heartache everytime i go away for a couple months i come back and there is allways something wrong with the plumbing, the electricity or the cracks beginning to show on the walls just like the cracks in my face now . right so last 2 times ive returned after a couple months ive noticed a film of some sort , a crustation type substance on my black matt bathroom tiles, ive had to scrape and scrape it off, ive just about m,anaged to get rid of it yet again with the help of about 10 kids in there all armed up with paint scrapers. from what i gather from my wifes brother its a salt like substance in the water and indeed it crystalises like salt but really hard to remove, if this stuiff is in water how can io clean my bathroom everyday ? any answers ? i ve opened the down drain in bathroom and looked in there and slowly but surely this gudge is building up in the drains so in a few years the drains will be totally blocked .

i was thinking of ripping the whole floor up and replacing the black matt tiles with white ceramic ? though after a year odd im not too fussy on that idea. i told the wifes family to take care of the place while we are away , not to live in just clean and take care but they havent done anything !!! they couldnt even open up the doors once a week and clean or wipe down the bathroom floor as that would of prevented this stuff from building up on my floor, i gave the 2 of her 11 yr old sons 500 baht each before we left to clean the palce but now im thinking twice if i even want them comijng back to live with us in the uk if this is the respect we get i bought lovely shrubs and tress/bushes last time , yeah guess what ? we come home and they are all dead !! <deleted> is this family thinking ?

anyway house is built, 1 warning for anyone out there wanting to build a house for their wives in thailand , do not trust her family to take care of it for you !! especially in isaan, maybe a bkk condo is different , wish i could turn back the clock, the damage is done BE WARNED !! p.s any tips ? no smart remarks like get rid of the wife etc please

[Naam]

from what i gather from my wifes brother its a salt like substance in the water and indeed it crystalises like salt but really hard to remove, if this stuiff is in water how can io clean my bathroom everyday ?

it is mostly like a mineral deposit (calcium) caused by the high content in your water. you clean the tiles with a vinegar solution. cheapest vinegar mixed with water will perform miracles!

[katabeachbum]

have the same problem on my matt black bathroom floor tiles,

and the calcium goes away if all your water is cleaned through a sand filter

I guess the rest is living in Isarn

[xen]

Another cause of salt build-up/crusting is often when beach sand is used in the mortar or cement /sand mix, but because this is in the Issan i would go for the calcium build up answer . If it is salts coming from the cement it will gradually become less and less and resolve itself.

[dmax]

thanks ive just bought a squeezy and hopefully this will work as i will take the water away quickly after showering etc, then next time i go home i will have the water disconnected , i will also use some vinegar to try clear it but i thought that bleach would be stronger ? anyway thanks for the advice !!

[grin]

It's the acetic acid in vinegar that does the trick. Bleach is a base. One part of vinegar to three parts of warm water works well for me to remove mineral scale. Soak it for a while if the scale has built up.

[flying]

does make you wonder though........If none are using the house when your gone how is the high mineral water getting on your tiles?

[WarpSpeed]

from what i gather from my wifes brother its a salt like substance in the water and indeed it crystalises like salt but really hard to remove, if this stuiff is in water how can io clean my bathroom everyday ?

it is mostly like a mineral deposit (calcium) caused by the high content in your water. you clean the tiles with a vinegar solution. cheapest vinegar mixed with water will perform miracles!

All true but to treat you can purchase the bathroom cleaner in the purple container with the red top named Duck Ra it contains an acid slightly stronger then vinegar to work quicker since the Calcium will neutralize the acid fairly quickly you need to add it repeatedly as it has deposited in layers and use a brush to continually agitate it and spread it around but no need to actually scrub it as the acid will do the work just move it around and let it sit a minute or 2 and repeat until clean.. Though now, with scrapers and such you may have scoured the clear coat on the tile surface which even matt black tiles have, this will also increase recurrence..

Also use gloves....

Edited February 21, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[WarpSpeed]

It's the acetic acid in vinegar that does the trick. Bleach is a base. One part of vinegar to three parts of warm water works well for me to remove mineral scale. Soak it for a while if the scale has built up.

Correct, opposite chemicals for different purposes.. The squeegee or sponge mop idea is a good one to to prevent future build which comes from standing water, we do the same in our bathroom..

[WarpSpeed]

does make you wonder though........If none are using the house when your gone how is the high mineral water getting on your tiles?

Many types of tile can leech Ca wet or dry and just the humidity in the air is more then enough to trigger that reaction..

[trogers]

does make you wonder though........If none are using the house when your gone how is the high mineral water getting on your tiles?

Many types of tile can leech Ca wet or dry and just the humidity in the air is more then enough to trigger that reaction..

There was flooding in extensive portions of Issarn last year. Doubt that bathroom floor has waterproofing. Acid rain and calcium in the cement-based grout and bedding mortar bleed this white deposit - calcium sulphate.

Cracks on walls probably due to soil/foundation settlement. Hope the supporting footings are deep enough not to be affected by flooding and soil erosion.

[WarpSpeed]

does make you wonder though........If none are using the house when your gone how is the high mineral water getting on your tiles?

Many types of tile can leech Ca wet or dry and just the humidity in the air is more then enough to trigger that reaction..

There was flooding in extensive portions of Issarn last year. Doubt that bathroom floor has waterproofing. Acid rain and calcium in the cement-based grout and bedding mortar bleed this white deposit - calcium sulphate.

Cracks on walls probably due to soil/foundation settlement. Hope the supporting footings are deep enough not to be affected by flooding and soil erosion.

Good points