Sampford Spiney walls: method before pressure
Sampford Spiney, Devon - PL20
This page is about one job in one place: cleaning granite walls in Sampford Spiney, Devon. Softwash means chemistry and dwell time doing the work rather than pressure.
What Sampford Spiney walls are usually finished in
- Granite dressed centuries ago has an open surface that holds water in a way polished stone does not.
- Deeply rooted lichen on granite can take a full season to fade after treatment.
- Iron staining from old fixings in granite is a separate problem from growth.
- Second lighter applications suit granite better than one strong pass.
Low pressure, longer dwell
- 1.A pass along the underside of the soffit catches the black spotting that everyone forgets until the wall is clean.
- 2.Vents, extractor terminals and trickle vents get taped, because water pushed into them is the one thing that turns an exterior job into an interior one.
- 3.Where a wall meets a conservatory or lean-to, the roof glazing is sheeted before anything is applied above it.
- 4.Every hose junction is checked before pressure goes on, because a burst at a coupling floods a border.
- 5.The van is parked so hoses do not cross a footpath, and matting goes down where they have to.
- 6.On thin-coat systems the lance is kept moving, because holding it still in one place is how a shadow mark gets left behind.
- 7.A wall backing onto a public pavement is worked at times that keep the spray arc away from passers-by.
- 8.Vents serving a boiler or flue are checked and left uncovered, with the elevation around them worked dry.
- 9.Dwell time is the active ingredient. The treatment is left on the growth long enough to kill it rather than being chased off with water.
- 10.Where a pond or water feature sits below an elevation, it is covered and the run-off diverted well away from it.
Small things that make the visit smoother
- Let us know whether the gutters have been cleared in the last couple of years.
- Say if there is a wasp or bird nest under the eaves, and we will plan around it.
- Mention shared access or a right of way that we will be crossing.
- Clear the base of the elevation of pots, ornaments and loose paving where you can.
- Let us know if the property is listed or in a conservation area, as it affects method choice.
- Tell us if there is a septic tank and where its outlet sits.
- If there are children's toys or a trampoline against the wall, they need to move.
- Note where the electricity meter and consumer unit sit relative to the wall.
Facts on record for Sampford Spiney
- Typical wall finish here is granite, which sets the cleaning method.
- PL20 covers 12 town hubs and 12 villages or districts in our radius.
- Typical roof covering here is slate, which affects what washes down onto the walls.
- Nearest full coverage hub: Horrabridge (PL20), West Devon Borough Council.
- Access is usually via A386.
What is actually growing on the wall
- A blocked weep hole means the cavity drains through the face instead of out of the hole.
- A single missing tile above an elevation can put water onto the same square metre for years.
- A wall shaded by its own porch roof for half the day dries at half the rate of the face beside it.
- Black spotting on white render is a different organism from the green film beside it, and it clears at a different rate.
- Tree canopy overhead drips long after the rain has stopped and drops organic debris onto the wall face.
- Washing without a biocide simply resets the clock and leaves the roots in place.
- Rendered plinths take more water than the main face and are usually the first thing to look tired.
- A blocked hopper head can soak the same square metre of wall for an entire winter without anyone noticing.
- Once lichen is established it holds water itself, which makes the surface beneath it wetter than it started.
Assessing a PL20 elevation
- 01Where the pattern is a band at the top, the gutter line is doing it.
- 02Nearby properties with the same finish are a useful reference for what is normal on that street.
- 03How quickly a splash of water darkens the surface says how porous the finish has become.
- 04Whether the growth has spread onto glass and frames tells you how long it has been established.
- 05Efflorescence is distinguished from lichen before anything is applied, since one is salt and one is alive.
- 06The mortar is tested with a key at a discreet point, since soft mortar sets the whole method.
- 07The state of the pointing is judged at the most exposed corner, not the most convenient one.
- 08The first question is whether the staining sits on the surface or has gone into the material, because only one of those cleans off.
Within a short run of Sampford Spiney
Questions Sampford Spiney owners ask
- Do you clean under the eaves?
- The soffit line is in the spray path and gets a pass as part of the work.
- Do you clean stonework?
- Yes, with the method set by the softest part of the wall, which is almost always the mortar.
- Do you clean garages and outbuildings?
- Yes, if they are part of the same visit and take the same method.
- What about the neighbour's side?
- We only work surfaces you own or have permission for, and we check before spraying near a boundary.
- How long before I can repaint?
- Several dry days after the wall has been treated and rinsed.
- Is the finish even across the wall?
- That is the main reason we work bottom-up and one elevation at a time.
- Will the colour be even afterwards?
- Working bottom-up and one elevation at a time is what keeps it even.
- Can lichen be removed completely?
- The organism is killed, and what is left weathers off. Deeply rooted lichen on stone can take a season to fade.
Just want to know if it is fixable?
Some staining cleans off and some is in the material. Ask us and we will tell you which one you have.
To sum up for PL20
A wall in poor condition is better found before cleaning than discovered halfway through. The difference between rinsing and treating is invisible on the day and obvious six months later. The safest method is the one set by the weakest material on the wall, not the strongest.
Quote for a Sampford Spiney property
Monday to Saturday, 8am – 7pm