ChatterBank8 mins ago
sulphur in concrete
3 Answers
sulphur has been found in our concrete basement floor what problems can this cause to our property and how can the problem if any be put right ?
Answers
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http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Home-and-Garden /Question603373.html
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You don't say who has found it.
This problem can cause 'doming' of a flat floor so it rises in the middle. It is caused when groundwater gets under the concrete and reacts with the sulphur, making the material expand. The problem usually works the other way around. Viz "My floor is doming, why is it" - Answer - you've got sulphur in it.
Don't suppose some smart-a***d surveyor working on behalf of a buyer of your house is finding reasons why your house might have a problem, as a means to reducing the selling price?
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Home-and-Garden /Question603373.html
(its best to attach your supplementary question as an answer to your original question - not raise a new question).
You don't say who has found it.
This problem can cause 'doming' of a flat floor so it rises in the middle. It is caused when groundwater gets under the concrete and reacts with the sulphur, making the material expand. The problem usually works the other way around. Viz "My floor is doming, why is it" - Answer - you've got sulphur in it.
Don't suppose some smart-a***d surveyor working on behalf of a buyer of your house is finding reasons why your house might have a problem, as a means to reducing the selling price?
Great answer from Buildersmate! I had the same problem when building my own house I used hardcore purchased from a local steelworks. However I was lucky and only experienced small amounts of surface flaking i.e. (blowholes). This was easily rectified. The house is now thirty years old and there have been no further problems. It does of course depend on the amount of sulphor present. How old is your property? I would suggest that if it is 5 yrs plus then what you see is about as bad as it is going to get. If it is too bad then to correct you have no alternative other than to dig it out and start again. Hope this is of help.