Treat algae growth on a very tall brick chimney.
January 24, 2018 2:35 PM Subscribe
My brick fireplace chimney is 35 feet tall from ground level. I get algae growth at the very top. I have a product that will kill the algae but my garden hose will not spray to reach that height. I put the product in a sprayer container and attach it to the hose but the stream will not reach the top of the chimney. I need a portable water pump that will increase the pressure to reach it, but have not found such an item.
The maximum height that water can be pumped at sea level air pressure is a little bit less than 35 feet. As you go up in elevation above sea level, this maximum height decreases. This is a problem that has to be dealt with by firefighters and engineers for skyscrapers. If you need to get all the way to the top of the chimney, you're going to need a different trick.
Depending on the "product that will kill the algae" that you're using, by spraying it everywhere, you also run the risk of killing lots of other things in your yard, like mosses and lichens, maybe plants, and certainly harming any bodies of water in the vicinity. I'm sort of skeptical that you have algae at all unless you live in an extremely wet place, in which case you would have the same algae all over your house--it's much more likely moss or lichen anyway.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:37 PM on January 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
Depending on the "product that will kill the algae" that you're using, by spraying it everywhere, you also run the risk of killing lots of other things in your yard, like mosses and lichens, maybe plants, and certainly harming any bodies of water in the vicinity. I'm sort of skeptical that you have algae at all unless you live in an extremely wet place, in which case you would have the same algae all over your house--it's much more likely moss or lichen anyway.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:37 PM on January 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure how much water you need or how much you are willing to invest, but many utility pumps of 1/4 hp or so are set up to pump into a garden hose. The idea would be to put the pump in a 5 gal (or more) pail of h20 which you could take up on the porch with you. Trailing an extension cord, of course.
The pump would be less than $100 at your local hardware store.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:44 PM on January 24, 2018
The pump would be less than $100 at your local hardware store.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:44 PM on January 24, 2018
Separate thought: my roofer cautioned me the moss growing on one's shingles is a bad thing. Don't spare the green stuff just because it turns out to be moss.
posted by SemiSalt at 3:48 PM on January 24, 2018
posted by SemiSalt at 3:48 PM on January 24, 2018
The maximum height water can be lifted *by suction* is 33 feet or so. 33 feet is about 14.5 PSI, or air pressure.
Water here at this house in a not so big town is at 80 psi, I've measured it. That's about 182' high. Every water tower I've ever seen is over 33' high. There is a difference between using suction- limited by air pressure, and pumping up using water pressure, limited only by the technology of the pumps and the pipes.
posted by rudd135 at 4:31 PM on January 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
Water here at this house in a not so big town is at 80 psi, I've measured it. That's about 182' high. Every water tower I've ever seen is over 33' high. There is a difference between using suction- limited by air pressure, and pumping up using water pressure, limited only by the technology of the pumps and the pipes.
posted by rudd135 at 4:31 PM on January 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
Wouldn't it be easier (and cheaper) to climb up your extension ladder and spray with the garden hose from there?
posted by DrGail at 5:21 PM on January 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by DrGail at 5:21 PM on January 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
Would a long hot fire kill the algae?
Caveat: if you haven't had a fire for a while, an inspection of your fireplace and chimney for fitness to use would be an absolute necessity.
If you do choose to spray and it kills a neighbor's plants, you could be liable.
posted by jamjam at 6:05 PM on January 24, 2018
Caveat: if you haven't had a fire for a while, an inspection of your fireplace and chimney for fitness to use would be an absolute necessity.
If you do choose to spray and it kills a neighbor's plants, you could be liable.
posted by jamjam at 6:05 PM on January 24, 2018
You could solder a couple lengths (10' each) of 1/2" copper pipe together and then add a male and a female hose end respectively to each end. Essentially you'd have a rigid hose 20' long. Depending on how high you are already reaching you might only need 1 length.
hydropsyche: "The maximum height that water can be pumped at sea level air pressure is a little bit less than 35 feet. As you go up in elevation above sea level, this maximum height decreases."
That only applies to water being moved by air pressure, you can get a lot more height out of a column of water pressurized by a pump.
Your average home owner grade electric pressure washer should get you the height you need and many of them come with a mechanism to inject chemicals to the the water stream.
posted by Mitheral at 7:35 PM on January 24, 2018
hydropsyche: "The maximum height that water can be pumped at sea level air pressure is a little bit less than 35 feet. As you go up in elevation above sea level, this maximum height decreases."
That only applies to water being moved by air pressure, you can get a lot more height out of a column of water pressurized by a pump.
Your average home owner grade electric pressure washer should get you the height you need and many of them come with a mechanism to inject chemicals to the the water stream.
posted by Mitheral at 7:35 PM on January 24, 2018
You need the Hudson Trombone Sprayer.
That's used for spraying trees, it shoots up to 25 feet. So - that plus a bucket of your solution, and a ladder, and you're good to go.
posted by Lunaloon at 4:25 AM on January 25, 2018
That's used for spraying trees, it shoots up to 25 feet. So - that plus a bucket of your solution, and a ladder, and you're good to go.
posted by Lunaloon at 4:25 AM on January 25, 2018
I think you need a ladder. I would also second hydropsyche's caveat. If the product you're using is like the "Wet and Forget" stuff I have used, overspray is toxic for all kinds of plant life. Pump enough of the stuff into the air, and you run the risk of killing shrubbery, large patches of lawn, etc. If you can get your sprayer physically close to the target area, you'll have less collateral damage.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 8:16 AM on January 25, 2018
posted by Kirth Gerson at 8:16 AM on January 25, 2018
Response by poster: Thanks everyone for such good suggestions. I use oxygen bleach (oxyclean) and it does not harm plants. It is algae. I will work on using some of the suggestions. The suggestions to use an extended pole is what I have done in the past. It is very difficult as you have to lift the water hose, the container with oxyclean, and the pole. It is most difficult to balance and get it to where it is needed. But I do appreciate the help very much.
posted by JayRwv at 9:56 AM on January 25, 2018
posted by JayRwv at 9:56 AM on January 25, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by pearlybob at 2:43 PM on January 24, 2018