[Richy L]

Hi guys,

I have been asked to remove a hydraulic fuel spill from tarmac. They realise a complete clean up is not possible.
It happened yesterday.

They have put some sand down to soak it up a bit.

I was going to go there with some degreasers and try to remove it. I use a couple of degreasers for oil stains in the past. They work OK ... and I will be using a hot pressure washer.

Are there any good products you can recommend or techniques?

Should I brush the chemical into the surface or might that make it worse?
Should I put some more sand down?


Thanks guys

[Matt Gibson]

Hi mate,

http://www.oiltechnics.co.uk/Oil_Stains/BlockDrives/index.html#BTAjump

I've never used  it on tarmac, but apparently its top stuff. There are two types, the bioTA is specifically for tarmac. I've usedthe other stuff on block paving recently and it was the first time id used it, worked a treat. i just poured it on to cover the stain, gave it a good scrub with a stiff bristled brush, and let it dwell a while (bout 20 mins) and used hot water.. neded a second helping but the stain had been there for over a year.

There was still some slight ghosting but i was well happy. Remember, oil eats the tarmac so here will always be some for of a stain there, even if all the oil is removed, but you might get a pretty good result considering the spill isonly a day old..

Good luck mate.. 

[Richy L]

cheers mate.  I need to pick some up today though. My usual local chemical supplie r sells this one...


http://www.selden.co.uk/products/product_information.asp?groupid=13&pil_id=88&section=4

What do you think of this?

[Matt Gibson]

im not sure mate, the one i use breaks down the oil, effectively eating it away... and can be washed down the drain because the stuff in it keeps breaking the oil down as it goes.. i avent used a degreaser type chem before so not sure how well they work.

Best off just getting some, if its local to you and giving it a try, it might work cause the spill is recent.

[BDCS]

NEVER  use a solvant type degreaser on tarmac. The degreaser will break down the tar as well as the oil so you will need the bio type detergents - bio washing liquid does a similar job. If the oil is cleaned it will leave a clean black area which will fade with time. I have been known to do the whole drive with white spirit to black it all up

[Richy L]

Are any of these any good?

http://www.selden.co.uk/products/product_information.asp?groupid=11&pil_id=123&section=4
http://www.selden.co.uk/products/product_information.asp?groupid=13&pil_id=117&section=4
http://www.selden.co.uk/products/product_information.asp?groupid=13&pil_id=90&section=4
... and TFR

[BDCS]

Sort of but not really. Ideally you need an enzyme based product like bio washing liquid ( clothes ). The acid based aluminium cleaner won't do much, the others you could use but in cleaning the oil they will also breakdown the tar. When I do an oil leak on tarmac I look to soak the liquid up then colour the rest like the stain so I roller the rest with a solvant to blend it in. You could also look at back to black.

[jaespray]

hi richy   if you use enzme/bio based products   wash with cold water   
if you exceed 40deg it will kill any "bio" action
regards john

[drive surgeon]

give them a price to re coat the tarmac aswell so you dont see any stains (2 coats) will look better then. you will prob see a patch where the oil sat but its more work for you if you get it.

[Richy L]

They dont expect it to be as it was anyway. It is on a big carpark to recoating it would be huge. too huge really

[Matt Gibson]

I didnt know a solvent would daage the tarmac....ya learn something new everyday! 

BDCS, wen you say you used white spirit to make the drive look uniform, do you just roll it on the tarmac neat?

Richy, The bigger the job, the more money you make..

[BDCS]

Yes I have rollered a whole drive - once the rollers wet it dos'nt take much, its the same principle as running xylene over an acyrlic sealed drive if it rains when sealing it. As for solvants on tarmac - pour a small amount of petrol on a tarmac road then put a rag on it and see the tar transfer into the rag. Ground workers use diesel to clean their kit and also stop the tarmac sticking to the tipper. Staples do an enzyme drain cleaner that works reasonably well on oils. Its easy to get the oil off tarmac but blending the clean bit into the rest is troublesome

[Richy L]

I carried out the job today and it came up lovely. Well, not perfect, but the customer is happy with it.

[BDCS]

Thats all that counts at the end of the day - how did you do it ?

[Richy L]

I used maxima diluted as recommended  by the manufacturer.
I mixed it in a large builders bucket and dipped a hard bristled brush in and then scrubbed the floor (hard), left it to dwell for 15 minutes or so, for the worst parts I rubbed some more in and left for another 15 minutes.
Then I pressure washed the area using my hot pressure washer.

[Blast Away]

I learnt my lesson once with a solvent based like Jizer on tarmac. Ended up rolling the area with 'back to black'. Was a tarmac path dropped for a driveway.