What's new

How to Clean Tar from Bay?

Theckie

New member
Joined
Aug 13, 2019
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Someone tried to clean off tar in one of my bays and ended up soaking the brush, leaving clumps on the ground, and splattering it everywhere.

Anyone have a suggestion on how to clean tar off concrete and plastic? Its some sort of black tar...
 

Eric H

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
1,297
Reaction score
753
Points
113
Location
Leominster, MA
I used to have a driveway sealer company clean there equipment out every week! it was before I had cameras and they did thousands in damage over about 5 year period before they disappeared.
Kerosene works good for removing a lot of it but for spot cleaning I used a bug and tar remover from the auto parts store. https://www.amazon.com/Lifter-1-Bug...&sprefix=bug+and+tear+,automotive,152&sr=1-12 I think this was the product. It was cheap and effective. Good Luck!
 

mjwalsh

6 bay SS w/laundromat
Joined
Sep 7, 2007
Messages
3,134
Reaction score
173
Points
63
Location
North Dakota
Theckie, Eric H & others,

We had basement sealing with tar concrete company that we caught red handed. In hindsight ... I would have locked them in the bay(indoor locks) until someone authorized from the company agreed to pay or emergency cleaned it up themselves. It was that bad & even all over the two 10'x10' Alaskan PolyCarbonate doors. Brand new hogs hair foam brush 100% filled with the worse tar imaginable! As far as I am concerned they did permanent damage. We finally got an inadequate payment from the contractor with the partners who were not there when it happened. They tried to ignore us 100% but finally I got their attention with "some lengthy name dropping" that I rarely use & a call from our city attorney's office to them that the city attorney's office initially did not respond either! BTW 100% proof from hi resolution pictures were provided. I did not get a civil court or get my insurance company involved ... I am not sure where that would have turned out. Others may comment on me avoiding that path ... if they survived the ordeal & are still in the car wash business.

Good thing I did not have a loaded revolver like Mac & some of the others on this forum carry ... on me when I my employee told me of what was going on & it appeared they were about to leave & approached them. The idea that "it was our responsibility to clean up after every customer regardless of the horrific-ness of the mess" blatantly put to us ... made this one of the worse experiences that we ever had. It has had lasting effects when it comes to my awareness of "deep state" potential horrors at every level of government & accompanying potential cronyism abuses etc!

If I remember right we did somewhat salvage the brand new 4" Erie Hog Hair rectangular brush by soaking it thoroughly in diesel fuel which is very similar to Kerosene that Eric mentioned.
 

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,665
Reaction score
3,946
Points
113
Location
Texas
I had a nylon head caked in something like tar recently. WD-40 got most of it off, enough that it wouldn't come off on my white paint, but it still looked really bad. I didn't have time to change it, and after a couple days it looked fine.
 

Earl Weiss

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 31, 2007
Messages
6,371
Reaction score
941
Points
113
Diesel works well - same as Kerosene but cheaper and less flammable than gasoline.
 

mac

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2007
Messages
3,558
Reaction score
791
Points
113
I believe that Ver Tech has a concentrate designed to remove tar. They did a couple of years ago. This is one of those areas where you can be 100%right and still meet the fickle finger of fate. I'v had many judgments over the years against people who screwed me. You can win the case sometimes easily. The impossible part was collecting. Never saw a dime..
 

Twodose

Active member
Joined
Sep 10, 2007
Messages
657
Reaction score
86
Points
28
Location
NE Pennsylvania
I once saw a guy put out a lit cigarette out in a gas tank on a motorcycle one time while I was standing right next to him. Ya he was crazy, but you couldn't tell Martin not to do something.
 

MEP001

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 30, 2007
Messages
16,665
Reaction score
3,946
Points
113
Location
Texas
You should be able to safely put out a cigarette in gasoline, but it's still dumb.
 

Zal

Active member
Joined
Feb 10, 2019
Messages
214
Reaction score
98
Points
28
Location
Illinois
Mineral spirits- about $20 for a 2.5 gallon at most paint and farm stores. Followed with clay based floor-dry. Wet the floor with mineral spirits then cover with floor-dry. Now wet the floor dry with mineral spirits. broom it around or let it set a while. Scoop up and dispose of it. Been doing it for quite a while with good results. Cheap and no real mess. Nothing goes in pit.
 
Top