Gum removal

[Wallydog 14]

Hello. What is the best method of removing gum from the concrete pavement. I imagine hot water will remove it but does it leave an indentation in the concrete or a stain? Do I have to be careful with pressure? Is there a special chem that helps with the removal of gum and does it take a long time to remove the gum? i have a shop owner interested in having his shopfront cleaned and is riddled with gum. Maybe i should avoid this job? What do you think? Cheers wallydog

[Adrian 155]

There should not be an indention after the removal. 35 degree tip held at a slight angle should lift it right up( as if it were a putty knife). Hot water is better, but not required.

There are some chems out there that claim gum removal. But you already have the main tool for removal. Two hands and a wand, and a careful touch.

You may have a haze or shadow of the gum left behind but should not have an indention.

[jgoral76 14]

try a turbo nozzal and lite preasure thats what i do and out great no damage.

[Specialized 14]

If you dont have hot water and the concrete is riddled with gum I would pass on this job (my opinion). Yes you can damage the concrete depending on how strong concrete is in your area. If you only have cold water I would avoid the turbo nozzle. Perhaps the owner will let you do a little test area to see if this is a job you could handle without working yourself to death for little money.

[One Tough Pressure 580]

If you dont have hot water and the concrete is riddled with gum I would pass on this job (my opinion). Yes you can damage the concrete depending on how strong concrete is in your area. If you only have cold water I would avoid the turbo nozzle. Perhaps the owner will let you do a little test area to see if this is a job you could handle without working yourself to death for little money.

I agree, as all concrete is not created equal. Fresh gum is usually easy to remove with cold water in most cases, but "riddled" is not. For your sake, and the sake of the concrete, this is not a job you will want, or a job that will have pleasing results.

[Jarrod 22]

I have to agree with Robert & Alan.

[Wallydog 14]

I have to agree with Robert & Alan.

Thanks for the tips. I do have a hot water burner attached to my washer so I think with a 35 degree nozzle I'll give it a shot and degrease and clean it down afterwards. thanks all for your help. Wallydog.

[One Tough Pressure 580]

Thanks for the tips. I do have a hot water burner attached to my washer so I think with a 35 degree nozzle I'll give it a shot and degrease and clean it down afterwards. thanks all for your help. Wallydog.

Where would one find a 35° nozzle? The following are the most common.

0° - Red

10° - Orange

15° - Yellow

25° - Green

40° - White

I didn't realize that you have hot water. With that in mind, their is no reason to pass on the job, as I said earlier. With places that are "riddled" in gum, you will want to have a larger tip on hand to use on the most stubborn of the gum, so that you can soften the petrified stuff, without etching the concrete. Most will say to just use a dual lance, but that will allow the water to be wasted, as compared to getting a full hit with one nozzle. I also have a 5° tip that I use when needed, and it can really tear some gum apart, but extra care is in order as it is such a narrow pattern.

[Wallydog 14]

Where would one find a 35° nozzle? The following are the most common.

0° - Red

10° - Orange

15° - Yellow

25° - Green

40° - White

I didn't realize that you have hot water. With that in mind, their is no reason to pass on the job, as I said earlier. With places that are "riddled" in gum, you will want to have a larger tip on hand to use on the most stubborn of the gum, so that you can soften the petrified stuff, without etching the concrete. Most will say to just use a dual lance, but that will allow the water to be wasted, as compared to getting a full hit with one nozzle. I also have a 5° tip that I use when needed, and it can really tear some gum apart, but extra care is in order as it is such a narrow pattern.

OTP, I mean't 25 degrees. Sorry about that. Im not the sharpest knife in the drawer! Yet.

[aquabob 14]

something to consider...whenever you do a job no matter what it is be mentally prepared for it, in the case of gum plan on standing there and picking it off piece

by piece, it will probably take forever but that is the way those jobs go, and therefore the reality of the job. git er done, or pass on it if you dont feel like f-ing with it. hope this helps.

[Ron Musgraves 240]

I would never recommend cold water washing with gum. If the sidewalk is riddled with gum I can only imagine it would be impossible not to damage with a cold water machine.

Here’s the process if you have a hot water machine.

Go over the entire area with a surface cleaner. This will expose the gum that will come up easier. This will make the easy gum pink or the brilliant color that the gum actually is.

The harder gum will be not as bright and the really tough gum still black.

The black gum you want a composite long handled scrapper. Get a variable pressure wand.

Ok your ready, pop all the gum off that looks it will come up easy. The harder gums don’t even try to pop it up. Use the composite scrapper on them and get as much as you can. Then go back with the variable pressure wand and lots of heat and remove the residue.

Detail the rest of the job and bingo you’re done without risking damaging the surface.

I will tell you this, you used the word riddled. This job will take several hours even if it’s small. Gum takes time to remove, stay away from turbo tips trying to remove old gum.

There are not safe chemicals that will soften gum. Its just takes low pressure and lots of heat.

[Mike Williamson 198]

I would never recommend cold water washing with gum. If the sidewalk is riddled with gum I can only imagine it would be impossible not to damage with a cold water machine.

Here’s the process if you have a hot water machine.

Go over the entire area with a surface cleaner. This will expose the gum that will come up easier. This will make the easy gum pink or the brilliant color that the gum actually is.

The harder gum will be not as bright and the really tough gum still black.

The black gum you want a composite long handled scrapper. Get a variable pressure wand.

Ok your ready, pop all the gum off that looks it will come up easy. The harder gums don’t even try to pop it up. Use the composite scrapper on them and get as much as you can. Then go back with the variable pressure wand and lots of heat and remove the residue.

Detail the rest of the job and bingo you’re done without risking damaging the surface.

I will tell you this, you used the word riddled. This job will take several hours even if it’s small. Gum takes time to remove, stay away from turbo tips trying to remove old gum.

There are not safe chemicals that will soften gum. Its just takes low pressure and lots of heat.

Thanks, Ron! This is one post that ought to find it's way to the library.

[Ron Musgraves 240]

Thanks Mike,

[Wallydog 14]

Ron and others thanks so much for sharing that. I did take the job and completed it. it took a lot longer than i anticipated but I got in there and just got it done. Im not completely tooled up, on this occasion I used a scraper and scraped as much of it off as possible on my hands and knees, and used alkaline degreaser on the concrete, and finished it off with the wand and hot water, 15 degree tip, cleaned the area methodically as you do with a wand. I am trying to close a deal on a flat surface cleaner which is going to speed things up for me as the wand is too slow period. Im waiting on whisper....something, i forgot their name already. Errr age is catching up. Wallydog

[Specialized 14]

......wash. I'm glad the job went well.

[Mike Williamson 198]

Im waiting on whisper...

......wash

Excellent choice!!