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I'm planning to replace the current patio material with a different type of material due to the fact the reclaimed water used for irrigation over a fairly short time leaves a black, slimy funk on the porous concrete pavers currently in place. Pressure washing every month or so is not a desirable solution. Besides slate or flagstone are there any other less porous materials I should be considering? Thanks!
First, try redirecting the spray from the irrigation.
Next, pressure wash then when it's dry seal it. The only other alternative I can think of is tile- then you have to deal with the grout!
Two or three coats of sealer should alleviate the problem along with some irrigation fine tuning.
I can't redirect the spray s the irrigation needs to hit the plantings along the house behind it and the grass surrounding it on three sides. A sealer at this point sounds like the only option...Thanks.
I don't think it's the material that creates the slime, it's just the wet. It stays wet a lot and perhaps shady a lot? And the slime is some kind of mold growing on there most likely. Yes that might be helped along a bit by the fact that the irrigation is reclaimed water but even if it weren't it might do that anyway.
If you want to replace the stuff that's fine but I don't think you'll get anywhere replacing it to try to prevent this. A natural stone or whatever is going to have the same problem.
So, couple things, assuming the area gets mostly shade, if it's from plants you could consider trying to trim them so sun gets through. Short of that, or if the shade is from the house, I dunno. Sounds funny to use a sealer but if it has some kind of mold inhibiting properties that would probably be on the right track.
I don't think it's the material that creates the slime, it's just the wet. It stays wet a lot and perhaps shady a lot? And the slime is some kind of mold growing on there most likely. Yes that might be helped along a bit by the fact that the irrigation is reclaimed water but even if it weren't it might do that anyway.
It's unfortunately not just the wet, it's the funk in the water. I have a small patio adjacent to the front door that has the same type of concrete pavers and it is on the south side of the house with no shade, yet still suffers the black funk buildup repeatedly after monthly pressure washings. I run the irrigation twice per week and it's not as if it never dries out there, in fact with the constant direct sun exposure it dries rather rapidly. It sounds as if less porous natural stone (like flagstone) will be my only option.
It's unfortunately not just the wet, it's the funk in the water. I have a small patio adjacent to the front door that has the same type of concrete pavers and it is on the south side of the house with no shade, yet still suffers the black funk buildup repeatedly after monthly pressure washings. I run the irrigation twice per week and it's not as if it never dries out there, in fact with the constant direct sun exposure it dries rather rapidly. It sounds as if less porous natural stone (like flagstone) will be my only option.
Huh. So it dries in the sun and still doesn't help. Some kind of algae then, perhaps, that comes from the water? Or is it just that the stuff leaves a lingering stain of some kind?
Here's the thing though: why do you think the natural stone will help? I know the concrete pavers can be specifically made to be more porous, but I'm not seeing why that would be a big factor in the funk. I'm not sure the stone would stain any less. The stuff is getting on the surface itself. Unless there's some kind of specific reaction that would be neutralized by the natural minerals in some stone, but that seems like a long shot.
Is it possible to add better filtration to the irrigation system?
Just off the top of my head. I mean, it seems like you want to throw money at changing out the patio which is cool and all, and I like natural stone (I'm laying my own flagstone patio, or, well, will be finishing it come spring since there's several inches of snow on it right now ) If you want to switch to natural stone anyway, this is as good as an excuse as any I suppose. But I'm not convinced it's going to fix the problem at hand.
I do not think you will escape your issue by change of type of material you use. Just need to seal on a regular basis, and spray with a anti-XXXX every few weeks (months) to prevent any growth of slimy stuff. That slimy stuff will grow on almost anything. In addition, you may not have ice in Florida, but a little moisture on top of that slimy stuff will equal very slippery and potential for fall (liability)
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) If you want to switch to natural stone anyway, this is as good as an excuse as any I suppose. 
