Instructions
Installation instructions
Croc-Crete is very effective in dissolving Concrete, mortar, grout, floor leveling compound, and other materials that use Portland cement as a binding agent that might end up in p-traps of shower drains, floor drains, and sewer piping. There is an installation process needs be followed to maximize the effectiveness and minimize the risk in using Croc-Crete.
When using Croc-Crete in an area that is enclosed such as a bathroom, special precautions need to be taken to protect the area from spills and fumes. The fumes that Croc-Crete emits is minimal but the fumes can still be a problem in certain situations.
The first step in using Croc-Crete is to acquire the proper safety equipment to protect yourself and the area. Among these items are nitril gloves, safety goggles, face shield, organic acid respirator, Tyvek suit, baking soda, visquine, several clean rags, painters tape, a piece of pex pipe, a wet and dry vac, an aquarium air pump with hose, three 5 gallon buckets, 2spray bottles, and clean water.
After all the equipment and materials have been acquired the next step is to prepare the alkali water in a 5 gallon bucket by mixing about 2 lbs of baking soda with 3-4 gallons of water, next fill another bucket with about 4 gallons of water, next fill one spray bottle with baking soda water and the other with fresh clean water. Once this is completed set the buckets aside near the area where the Croc-Crete is going to be applied. The water containing baking soda will neutralize any Croc-Crete that spills or needs to be removed from a surface. In the event of skin or eye contact with the Croc-Crete, follow the recommended procedure for contact with strong acids. Through personal experience with contact of Croc-Crete on skin and eyes I will share what I have found what works best for me if this occurs. For skin when contact is made immediately rinse affected area with the baking soda water. The will immediately neutralize the Croc-Crete and stop its effects. Using just water to wash off the Croc-Crete will take much longer remove the Croc-Crete and its effects from your skin. In the event Croc-Crete comes into contact with your eyes the first step is to splash or spray fresh water in your eyes to remove the most concentrated Croc-Crete, then after thoroughly flushing your eyes with fresh water I have found that blotting your eyes and face with a rag soaked with baking soda water will neutralize any remaining Croc-Crete that might be present on your skin. Next flush once again with clean water to remove the baking soda residue. I must reiterate that this process is what worked for me and is not guaranteed to work for anybody else so you are responsible for the safe handling and personal safety protection and protecting yourself when using Croc-Crete.
The next step is to prepare and protect the area for the use of Croc-Crete. All areas that the Croc-Crete could come into contact with should be taped off with plastic sheeting. Adequate ventilation will be needed if fuming were to occur. The fumes that Croc-Crete emits is mostly hydrogen chloride gas. These fumes are extremely corrosive to most metals and etching and damage to finished metal surfaces will result if contact with the fumes occur. We suggest that you cut a piece of plastic sheeting that covers the area of the shower floor and then cut out a hole in the plastic sheeting over the area that the drain is located. Next seal the plastic to the drain using painters tape with the hole centered over the drain pipe so the area immediately adjacent to the drain is protected.
The first step for proceeding with the application of Croc-Crete after the area has been prepared is to remove the filter from wet and dry vacuum and vacuum out all the water and loose debris out of the drain p-trap.
Next carefully pour a about 2 ounces of Croc-Crete into the p-trap and watch the reaction. Initially there will be some foaming ranging from a few bubbles to a lot of foam. As a rule regular concrete will gently foam whereas floor leveling compound will foam greatly. The foaming action will slow as a few minutes pass. If the p-trap allows some liquid flow through it then add about 2-4 more ounces of Croc-Crete. If the p-trap will not allow any liquid to pass then add Croc-Crete until there is about 2 inches of liquid above the concrete in the p-trap. At this point we let the Croc-Crete sit in the pipe for 24 hours, however depending on the situation with ventilation it might be a good idea to run a piece of ½” pex tubing from the top of the drain to outside through the window. If the tube is sealed to the top of the drain by use of a pvc bushing and tape then most all the fumes should exit outside.
After 24 hours has passed use the wet/dry vac with a piece of ½” or ¾” pex pipe connected to the suction hose to vacuum out the Croc-Crete solution and the slurry of dissolved concrete. After the vacuuming is finished make sure to hold the vacuum hose up so it doesn’t drip and take the vacuum outside. To prevent damage to the vacuum from corrosion the vacuum needs to be rinsed out with fresh water thoroughly and allowed to dry before reassembled. Repeat the application of Croc-Crete to the drain if concrete still remains in the trap. You should see the progress after each treatment. Usually the Croc-Crete will dissolve about ½-1” of concrete per treatment. Progress will be slower with concrete than with floor leveling compound. Progress will also be slower if the p-trap does not pass liquids due to being blocked off from concrete and will also vary based on how much concrete is in the trap. To speed up the process an aquarium air pump can be used to agitate the Croc-Crete to improve efficiency. This is accomplished by connecting a small 1/8” vinyl hose to the air pump and pushing the open end into the drain to the bottom of the trap under the Croc-Crete and the bubbling will stir and agitate the Croc-Crete thus improving it’s efficiency. A test ball can be used to hold the hose in place. A cheap hand operated snake can also be used carefully to help agitate and break loose any loose concrete as well.