Render Cleaning South Wales- Render Cleaning Big Pit

The render at the UNESCO World Heritage Site The Big Pit, South Wales, had become badly contaminated with organic growth. Softwashing UK were contracted to clean render in multiple external areas of the museum, and to treat and remove the red algae that was staining the walls.

The Big Pit National Coal Museum is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it documents the rise of coal, and the role it played in the industrial revolution that transformed the world. Located on the site of a coal mine in Blaenafon the museum is, like much of Wales, often subject to a bit of a battering from the elements. The wind and rain are major factors in the South Wales area. Unfortunately the adverse conditions led to the render at The Big Pit becoming contaminated with organic growth. This took the form, mainly, of a red algae known as Trentopohlia, which invariably requires specialist treatment to remove. The advanced nature of the growth meant that the render clean was now urgent.

Softwashing UK cleaned the render at The Big Pit, using our considerable expertise to deliver exceptional results. We were able to clean many of the elevations from the safety of the ground. Access was an issue in some areas however, and in these cases we used IPAF trained staff to operate our Moving Elevating Work Platform, (aka Cherry Picker). In order to remove the growth we used two technologies. First the area was cleaned using the Historic England recommended Doff Steam System. This low pressure solution allows heat to be applied to a substrate with little or no risk of damage. Secondly we used the organic cleaning solution known as Safewash. This is the safest treatment of remove organic growth, and poses no risk to human or animal life, as it is manufactured from fruit acids that occur naturally.

To discuss South Wales render cleaning contact Softwashing UK today.