Effloresence on SRW

[sandman]

A wall that has been installed for 10-15 years continues to emit effloresence. I can't imagine what else it is. My customer has had other companies clean the wall, just to have it come back again. He now wants me to clean it with an acid wash, then seal the entire retaining wall.

Does anybody have advice for #1 - how to properly clean srw and #2- what, if any, product would I use seal these.

Any advice would be appreciated

[Paver]

If you are going to clean the efflorescence off with an acid cleaner, be very careful. Make sure the wall is pre-wetted extremely well, especially if it has a "split" face. This will help dilute the acid if it soaks too far into the pores to be diluted by rinsing and reduce the risk of severe damage to the wall face. Test different dilution ratios, you only want the acid strong enough to soften the efflorescence. A 3000 - 4000 psi pressure washer will be required for the final rinse. You may not be able to remove all the efflorescence, but it should help.
Don't seal the wall with anything! Despite some claims on the market, there is not currently a product that will stop efflorescence from surfacing on your wall.

[Bunky]

Here in Wisconsin we have had effloresence on a number of walls. Most of the time this takes place on solid concrete SRW's. The cored walls normally do not have this problem. You can clean the "white" off with an acid based effloresence cleaner, but it will more than likely come back. The wall installation is allowing water to sit against the block longer than it should. There really is not much that can be done that would be cost effective, so cleaning it may only be a band aid. Please be careful and I would suggest NOT giving any warranty.