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chuck drane · Guest

RE: Bare minimum roof cleaning rig for the newbie

fireman489 · Guest

Roof Cleaning Pro Greensboro NC (336)362 7659 wrote:

Buy the pump ONLY from pressuretek. TRUST ME ON THIS!

Read some more about hose, PVC ball valves, fittings, nozzles.

Ok well I'm not sure this is the correct thread to introduce myself, but I'm Erich from Fl, I'm a paid firefighter who owned & ran a pressure cleaning biz 15 years ago. I am considering starting up my biz again. I realize now the way I was doing things was not correct and there are major improvements in equipment and chemicals since then. Maybe the same technology WAS there back then & I wasnt aware of it. Either way I found this sight and have learned alot in the last 3 days.

Ive been reading this "bare minimum" thread and am wondering why buy only the pump (which I'll be gettin the fat boy) from PT? Is it cheaper to get the rest from Home Depot or Lowes ect ?

Also is there any companies doin this as a 1 man gig? It sounds like most are using a ground mad to water/ rinse the plants.

Is this Apple Cider solution ok to use on vinyl sided homes or alluminum sided mobile homes?

Do any of you use the solution for pool cages ect. ?

Thanks for any advice,
Erich Leipold

Guest

Welcome Erich, best advice is read everything ,i know theres a lot of BS in the reading but you will answer most of your questions then ask a question and you will get help , not asking is the worst thing to do.

SP Cleaning · Jun 5, 2009

Welcome Erich, Like Vinny said read, read, and read some more. You will get a lot of info to put together and understand setups, chems, SAFETY, etc. You can start with this link on the FATBOY. Read the whole thread, good info here. Good luck with your ROOF CLEANING business.

Chris

A1CC&PW · Guest

I always learn excellent information from here, thanks guys!

Adam · Guest

kfish,
where in pennsylvania does that bleach cost $5-6 gal?

Try getting it in bulk at higher concentrations. I get 55gal drums for $74 dollars. It is twice the strength as store-bought bleach. That's comes to 68 cents a gal for regular strength bleach.

Check the yellow pages under "chemicals" and start calling to find out who has the cheapest and closest bleach.

joshuabcrutcher · Guest

Couple questions guys:

1) Do you guys just use the customer's water for the plants? I am trying to decide the best setup.

2) What is the best protocol for refilling during the day? Do you make trips back to your facility or do you carry enough chem with you to refill between sites?

Just curious because of the laws of carrying # of lbs of chems.

Roof Cleaning Richmond VA 804-687-4960 · Guest

Josh,

I average two sometimes three roofs per day in the warmer months . I use the customers water for the vegitation. I have two fifty gallon tanks premixed and keep 4 additional 5 gallon jugs of 12.5% SH on the truck as back up. Hope this helps

Baltimore MD Roof Cleaning 410-482-4367 · guest

Hi Josh
You should be able to carry 1 barrel of SH. The law here in MD is less than 1,000lbs before a placard is needed. The tank, in fact any tank carrying the SH needs to labeled by federal law.
Call your state police for info on DOT standards. I beleive the 1000lb limit is federal. All you need to do is label the container, make sure it holds no more than 100 gallons (12.5% SH is 10lb per gallon) and carry the hazard sheets (part of the MSDS) within arms reach of the driver. I used to do the 5 gallon tote thing, but found that it caused more spills and shortened my SH shelf life a little. But the totes will work fine if thats what you prefer. Now I carry 1 labeled barrel and pump it over as I need it.

Welcome Erich,
The cider sauce should not be used on siding in general(touch up near the roof is ok) only because it is too strong. For house washing you need a weaker solution so you don't kill everything around the house.
Some guys are forced to work 1 man gigs, but it is riskier as you might not always see whats going on on the ground, such as gutter bag overflowing or mist hitting a deck. Just take your time and it can be done, but a ground man is best even if you can just grab up a highschooler for the summer.
As for the rest of your questions as these guys said please read some more of the forum, and use that search feature. All the answers to get you started are here. Once you are about to build your rig, post pics and ask questions so the pros here can catch any mistakes in your rig building.

DUAL AXLE TRAILERS WITH BRAKES SAVE LIVES NOT WASTE DOLLARS!!!
Liquid is Very Very heavy and moves around when driving. Most Singla Axle trailers are not made to carry the wieght a roof cleaner carries.

Roofguard Shingle Cleaning · Guest

Great information for a newbee,

I would like to add that if you are looking for a light weight poly tank I found that National Tank Outlet had the best price on 50 gal tanks. their number is 888-686-8265 They will ship same day.

Roofguard Shingle Cleaning · Guest

I was wondering what your apple cider mix is for MD.

Baltimore MD Roof Cleaning 410-482-4367 · guest

I started my biz in Saint Marys and used to work Waldorf area. Plenty of work there, good luck with it!!! I use the standars cider sauce mix, adjusted for pitch or strength. More Dawn for more stick and more or less SH depending on intensity of stains.

Please fill out your name and signiture and I will call you about it.

-- Edited by Baltimore MD Roof Cleaning 410-482-4367 on Monday 29th of June 2009 02:03:41 PM

Roofguard Shingle Cleaning · Guest

That's a greatIdea. Having dedicated batteries. That would workfine for 12volt systems

hickeys45 · Premium Member Roof Cleaning Institute of America

Great info here. The RCIA is a minefield of information.

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