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Algae*Free Roof Cleaning · Feb 12, 2009

Water broom

Feb 12, 2009

It's similar to the pitch witch. AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!

Welcome to the board Kipp.

Read some more posts, lots of great info on here.

Algae*Free Roof Cleaning · Feb 12, 2009

If I shoud avoid it. What tool do you recommend?�

-- Edited by Kipp/Kipp`s Kleaning at 21:43, 2009-02-12

Guest

No pressure roof cleaning requires no type of "gadget" to rinse the roof. I personally let rainfall do it for me and my customers. You guys who are coming into this business really need to read alot more from these boards and then ask questions. There is enough information throughout the boards that a person could basically not have to ask any questions to get started in roof cleaning. Don't get me wrong, we're here to help but please read,....you'll learn more by reading anyhow.

Jeff

Roof Clean USA Georgia 229-227-0000 · guest

Kipp/Kipp`s Kleaning wrote:

Has anyone heard or use the tool called the roof gitter? Also is it better to clean from the ground or ridge. I`m new to the business I have a janitorial business & I want to expand into roof cleaning. I cleaned 5 roofs last year by trial & error. Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks Kipp

Jeff, from Rayestown is absolutely right, Kipp.

You asked for advice, Kip, so here it is.

Most of use have used or have been thankfully steered clear from the MANY gadgets out there designed for pressure cleaning but have been adapted to supposedly work and function as a roof cleaning tool.

WHY?

BECAUSE most of them use some level of PRESSURE level that can be too STRONG to rinse the roof safely.

We here primarily are all promoting MAINLY pressureless roof cleaning.

I know of the roof gitter and actually have a version of one of these sitting in my shop that I built using the pictures available on the net. I also built a version of the Pitch Witch at one time and I have used both.

While I am not going to KNOCK the ingenuity of these 2 devices, at the end of the day, they both require a high pressure washer tipped down and with the unloader set at super low levels which isn't so great for the equipment, since it is not design to do this, except when doing so to supply soap for "pressure cleaning applications", with either up or downtream injectors.

The other side is that you are using pressure, usually to the tune of 200-300 and more like 500-700 pounds per square inch.

A "no-no" in 21st century roof cleaning methodology.

At roof level, the TIPS of these gadgets sit 1" - 3" off the surface of the asphalt shingle, and, with PRESSURE levels as indicated above, this can have devastating effects on the granules and overall LIFE SPAN of the roof.

Roof CLEAN USA promotes using NON-PRESSURE Roof Cleaning methods primarily.

The Granualrs are what hold a portion of the roofs UV protection and is what keeps the asphalt and other ingredients that provide the waterprof barrier the roofing system provides for the home INTACT.

Removing the granular material opens the door for pre-mature roofing system failure, which is equal to a LIABILITY NIGHTMARE.�

Roof Clean USA rigs have 5 pressure cleaners but rarely ever turn them on for roof cleaning.

We rarely, if ever use these, unless, we are trying to pick up some extra money left on the job because customers always ask, "Well, since your ALREADY here, could you do this or that", like driveways, house wash, gutter clean, etc. and I don't like to leave behind an opportunity to get additional business.

There are times when the roof is so cut up and / or the roof has some strange and varied levels, i.e. under dormers, etc. that I have had to rinse or sometimes the eve.s look unacceptable and we needed to very carefully add some pressure to touch up the job to make it look OUTSTANDING but for the most part, there may be an area once in a great while that may require rinsing but it is very few and far between.

Save your money and do not go down that road of buying or wasting your valuable time building or re-engineering something that is antiquated and is not used in this roof cleaning business for the most part.

Or if you plan on trying to build one of the contraptions, do yourself, and us, a favor and wait until the END of The 2009 season and then, when, and if you have the EXTRA CASH, in the fall or winter, build or buy one or both of them as a project or experiment and try them out, and then save them on your rig or in the shop for the eventual weird "one-off" roofs.

Or, better yet, find someone in your area that has one and have them let you test it. That will allow you to see why these may not be as applicable for Roof Cleaning as the slick advertising may lead you to believe.

I have to HONESTLY say that there have been times when they have been useful but again, only on rare instances.

Right now, since you are beginning your roof cleaning journey, it is your duty to yourself and your new business to set manageable goals and manage your priorities AND to educate yourself.

Read, Read, Read, and then R_E_A_D some more, on the subject of roof cleaning, proceedures, chemical application, MARKETING and setting up your trailer, truck, van or flatbed.

This will be the least expensive and most valuable tuition you will ever have to pay. And LOOK at it like this, RIGHT NOW the courses are available FREE on these terrific forums. Just point, CLICK and review.

What is extremely important is NOT TO TAKE AWAY valuable start up time trying to re-invent the process.

And please, out of respect for us, while we, collectively, will try to answer any and all questions, we as roof cleaning contractors are only making a living when we are cleaning roofs, not answering e-mails and questions, especially, when they have been previously answered in MANY other posts and threads on this same subject.

We professionals, as you aspire to be, have to ALSO work, eat and pay our kids college and car payments, advertising bills, business insurance and business licenses and on and on.� Just like you do.

You get the idea.

Not trying to come down on you too hard here, brother, but, DO research on some of this stuff on your own before posting simplified questions, which to you, may seem complicated.

Fair enough?

The reason you haven't seen many posts from me over the winter is that I have been busy reading and gaining knowledge, working and saving to buy a newer flatbed truck and then outfit it with the lowest priced, highest quality equipment I could source and all of that has taken a good part of the winter months.

Also, I make it a point to NOT to get involved in internet politics and ignorant defamation of character postings and ego wars over who has the biggest pressure washer and /or who has the LONGEST wand.

I bypass this nonsense and go on about my BUSINESS and when the dust settles I QUIETLY come back and read useful posts and offer help where I can but MAINLY quietly and maturely continue on to make an honest living doing what I love to do which is spray pressurized and non-pressurized water and chems for money. LOL

Most of the knowledge I have gained through the years has been, from others, mainly from READING posts and books and taking courses or through CLEANER TIMES mag, joining and being a member of various groups or through trial and error.

And so it will go with you, my friend. Soak it ALL in, from a multitude of resources, many of which are available to you (such as the amazing expansive growth of the GOOGLE search engine and the NET itself) that originally weren't available to me.

At the end of the day, this opportunity to clean roofs is still as much on the "ground floor" as it was several years ago, but 'ground floor" doesn't mean "leaky basement".

Much of the groundwork has ALREADY been done by our forefathers in the business, like Chris T. Of Apple Roof Cleaning and Don Phelps of ALL Seasons, Myself and many others, too numerous to mention now.

Please Kit, do us and yourself a favor and utilize and take this distilled WISDOM and run with it!

Like Moulder on X Files says, "The Truth, It's OUT There"

By ALSO getting out there in the field and doing some roofs the we prescribe here you will learn a lot and in the evening come here and post your pictures and keep educating yourself.

I have been at this game (in all types of residential, commercial and industrial pressure cleaning and low and now primary Non- Pressure Roof Cleaning) for 20 plus years (I am 43 and started at 22) and I have tried all sorts of ways to do it better, faster, etc. LOL

The problem is that while you are doing that, trying to find every last niblet of Information to start your business,meanwhile, some competitor that is willing to absorb the advice and YEARS of hard won exprerience, many times quicker than you, that has been painstakenly poured into these MUch too long and detailed posts, LOL,is out Cleaning up the roofs in your areas while you are still trying to figure out why this or that will or will not work.

My advice to you is don't think so much on how to come up with a new fangled way to perform roof cleaning better than what has ALREADY been discovered.

Instead, use the knowledge and detailed and ALREADY typed up and available to you with the MIGHTY SEARCH FUNCTION and in print.

USE and make the most of this easy to access knowledge accessible so SIMPLY by typing a query into a search browser and put it to work and go make a living.

Don't get us wrong, we are happy to help you but we are not going to answer every basic roof cleaning question, especially when, if you do a BASIC search on the topic you are searching for, USING the SEARCH box FUNCTION above, listed in the forum below the header, you can answer all of the questions I have seen you asking so far.

Good Luck on your journey and keep posting and don't let me discourage you.

Just� remember NEW JEDI, we are slowly steering you away from the DARK SIDE.

You would do well to Remember this......

"Common Sense, is NOT so Common"

Please excercise good judgement when asking and posting questions that may have already been covered and that way we can help answer and field the really important questions like, "When are we getting paid again"? LOL

Thanks for the interest, much success to you and I hope this raw and unbiased info helps you in succeeding in your goals.�

-- Edited by Roof Clean USA at 02:34, 2009-02-14

Roof Cleaning Corpus Christi TX · Guest

Great Post!

Very well said.

Roof Cleaning Alabama 251-222-3011 · Guest

Christopher wrote:
�
Great Post!

Very well said.
�

+1 from me

Feb 13, 2009

Heck of a post Dave. 2 thumbs up!

Casteph Contractors · Guest

I needed to pop a bag of popcorn and kick back and read that post. Lots of information on that post.

Algae*Free Roof Cleaning · May 25, 2009

You got that right,if you read you will find a goldmine right in front of you. Kipp

al9226 · Premium Member Roof Cleaning Institute of America

I have one that I use to sweep an area of Concrete (no roofs) of debris either before or after I pw it. Do not use it on a roof.

The Roof Cleaning Institute Of America Training & Certification Forum "Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"

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"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"