Help removing White/Bluish water scale marks on Home Outdoor Fountain Please

[Zoisite]

Originally Posted by L00k4ward

IMO, it looks better with the current deposits vs fake wood resin when new - post #9 photo by Elnina
I would leave it in current state and/or even try to spread some moss or/and lichens on it.

The mineral deposits, algae, moss, lichens would hide more of fake materials and look more “natural” and more interesting

I'm inclined to agree with the above. I like it the way it has the blue discoloration, it looks pretty like it has natural blue water trickling down the sides of it.

However, I would be more concerned about your entrance way than about the fountain.

OP, I notice the blue stains on the concrete at your front entrance that the fountain is sitting on and if it's left there like that it may continue to ruin the concrete with the blue stains. It may be advisable to lift the fountain up a bit onto a wide rubber mat or sheet of wood or even to put the fountain up on top of a short planter full of soil or flat rocks with some nice short plants growing all around it in the planter. Just to catch the splashes of blue water and protect your concrete entrance way from the staining. I think it would look more natural and attractive if the fountain was placed with plants growing around it.

.

[SanJac]

Originally Posted by Zoisite

I'm inclined to agree with the above. I like it the way it has the blue discoloration, it looks pretty like it has natural blue water trickling down the sides of it.

However, I would be more concerned about your entrance way than about the fountain.

OP, I notice the blue stains on the concrete at your front entrance that the fountain is sitting on and if it's left there like that it may continue to ruin the concrete with the blue stains. It may be advisable to lift the fountain up a bit onto a wide rubber mat or sheet of wood or even to put the fountain up on top of a short planter full of soil or flat rocks with some nice short plants growing all around it in the planter. Just to catch the splashes of blue water and protect your concrete entrance way from the staining. I think it would look more natural and attractive if the fountain was placed with plants growing around it.

.

Hmmm.. doesn’t that blow up the theory that the blue discoloration is from mutant cells within the resin itself? How would the blue get to the concrete?

[Zoisite]

Originally Posted by SanJac

Hmmm.. doesn’t that blow up the theory that the blue discoloration is from mutant cells within the resin itself? How would the blue get to the concrete?

There's nothing to stop discolored mutant cells from leaching out into the water in the 3 reservoirs. Then when the fountain is running the movement of water creates some water vapour as well as water drops that splash out of the reservoirs out onto the concrete.

But there are also mineral deposits of "something" on the fountain that are not coming from the resin. If you click on the pictures and zoom in on certain areas as close as you can get and examine it minutely you'll see what look like deposits of pale blue salt crystals and tiny crystalline stalactites and stalagmites forming on the surface of parts of the resin. Those crystalline formations can't be coming from the resin, they're coming from the water and the air.

Look closely at the middle reservoir and you will see right in the front there is some kind of filter that looks like a flat piece of black plastic sponge. Obviously the sponge filter isn't fixed in place, it can be taken out of the reservoir to be cleaned. But that piece of sponge has crystalline mineral deposits (probably salt deposits) captured in the holes and on the top of if that are white and pale blue. Those deposits might have leached out of the resin but they would also have leached out of the water.

The deposits might also have leached out of concrete itself too and crept up the sides of the fountain. On picture #1 when you look down to the right where the fountain is sitting on the concrete you can see an entire line of white salt, calcium and lime deposits on the surface of the concrete. There is also a crack in the concrete that has deposits coming out of the crack. Those deposits are coming out of deep within the concrete itself, leached out by water vapour and splashes coming from the fountain.

I think some of the natural crystalline minerals in the concrete are interacting with the water and resin of the fountain to create all the different shades of staining. I'm guessing if OP lifts the fountain off the concrete so they have no contact with each other that some of the mineral interactions that are happening with the concrete, the water and whatever is coming out of the resin will stop being so pronounced. The interaction might even stop.

As long as the resin fountain remains where it is in contact with the concrete and it has water moving in it, one thing that can be assured is it will continue to stain, crack and ruin the concrete that it's in contact with. Upon close examination that is very clearly evident on the concrete in the picture.

.

[nuts2uiam]

Z,

I so wish I had 1/100th of your knowledge and have to thank you for your always detailed and thoughtful replies. I have learned so much from you and wanted to tell you how much I appreciate not only your knowledge but willingness to share it with all of us. Thank you sooooooo. much.

[Zoisite]

Originally Posted by nuts2uiam

Z, I so wish I had 1/100th of your knowledge and have to thank you for your always detailed and thoughtful replies. I have learned so much from you and wanted to tell you how much I appreciate not only your knowledge but willingness to share it with all of us. Thank you sooooooo. much.

Thank you for your kind words. I enjoy being a know-it-all so I'm really happy when other participants can get something helpful out of my posts.

I'll take this opportunity to say thanks to the Garden forum in general. I feel that we are all a fortunate group here, we have so many regularly contributing members in Garden forum that are very knowledgeable about growing so many things in their respective locations, climates and special areas of expertise and experience.

I am continually learning new and important information from the many folks here about all sorts of things that I know/knew nothing about. I particularly appreciate the willing and helpful advice, friendliness and sense of easy going camaraderie that exists among the participants here who all share a love of plants and gardening.

So my thanks to everyone else too for all making this such a great forum to come to. This is always the foremost forum I look forward to reading first thing each day when I log in with my morning cup of coffee.

.