Warning: Cleaned a 2 year buildup of barnacles off a pier leg and forgot how heavy wet gear gets

So I was on a job down in Port Townsend last Tuesday, swapping out some old sacrificial anodes. There was this one pier leg that had probably 2 years of barnacle growth on it. I got the pressure washer out and blasted it clean. Looked great, but I was standing right under it and didn't think about how much water that crust was holding. Must have soaked up like 30 pounds of saltwater. When I stepped back, it all came down on my head. Felt like getting hit with a wet concrete bag. Has anyone else had a "looked easier in my head" moment like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas_roberts15d ago

That 30 pounds of wet barnacle gunk landing on your head is exactly the kind of situation I used to think was just a lazy person complaining. I always figured, "it's just old crust, knock it off and move on." Then I helped a buddy pressure wash a dock float last summer and a huge chunk of the sludge from underneath came loose and hit me square in the chest. I swear it felt like someone dropped a soaked gym bag full of rocks on me. My whole shirt was soaked and I was coughing up saltwater for ten minutes. Totally changed my mind about how heavy that stuff actually gets.

dixon.ryan14d ago

My uncle used to work on a fishing trawler and he said that barnacle buildup is actually a solid inch thick on some hulls because the bottom layers calcify into almost a concrete shell. Makes me think that 30 pounds is on the lighter end of things honestly.

miles79814d ago

My back is still mad at me from the last time I tried to be a hero with a pressure washer and ended up wearing half the harbor. Note to self: gravity always wins against wet crust.