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Legacy1 · Guest

First whole roof clean today!!

RCIA Founder

Legacy1 wrote:

We did our first whole roof today ! It was around 2700 sf so I mixed up around 40 gallons of mix. 12 gallons 12.5% SH ( azone 15 ) 28 gallons H2O , about 1 cup Ammonxy lo and a splash of green apple juice. We waited around for like 30 min to see the out come and it looked great. It rained about an hour and a half after we got done . So to all the experts is this good or bad ??? I know we want rain but how will this short of a dwell peroid effect the cleaning process. All in all everything looked and worked great I will post pics tommrow. Any feed back woould help. Thanks for all you do this Buds for you.

This is the best possible scenarion, you clean a roof, an hour later it rains heavy for 15 minutes or more, you are home free. Your customer will be left with a beautiful roof, and not have to put up with a smell for long. I predict the pics will show a really nice looking roof.

Legacy1 · Guest

Thanks Chris for all the help you give us new guys!!!!!! I drove by the house this morning and there were a couple spots that I should probly hit again (good thing this was a test house)
I think I need to put alittle more Ammonxy lo in the mix it seemed to run off more then I expected for a 6/12 pitch. Does anyone have a guide line to how much ammonxy to use? I used a 1/4" tip on a ball valve wand . Should I down size the tip for less flow?

Legacy1 · Guest

Well here are the photo's of the house we cleaned I went back today and hit the front with a second 15 gallons. As you can see from the first photo's the roof was pretty bad. Waht do you all think?

gutterdog · May 4, 2010

I noticed something similiar on a roof I did not long ago. I did some rinsing. The dirt kept coming in areas. when I hit it with the garden hose it was brand new clean. Then discoloration ran down it?? I think this roof needed a severe rinsing, or a good rain? The pics are in certified upper marlboro md.

May 4, 2010

Your mix was too weak. You would have needed closer to a 60sh 40h20 ratio or 50/50 on that one.

Guest

Great job. white roofs are not fun sometimes. 50/50 works great on white roofs.

guest

Greenville SC Roof Cleaning (864)752-7073 wrote:

Great job. white roofs are not fun sometimes. 50/50 works great on white roofs.

I could of sworn I seen Chris Tucker post yesterday that 50/50 mix is damaging to the shingles, is it or not, what is the strongest you use?

I realize some SH is hotter than others, especially in Florida.

Guest

2 weeks ago some stains would not come off...maybe weak bleach so i put it on straight 15% ( Pump up strayer) and it came out great no damage at all i drive by all the time and the owner gives my name out all the time too.

But normally we only add 15-20gal sh to a 55 gal drum h2o

May 4, 2010

Yes, I remember Chris writing and telling me 50/50 mixes can be too strong sometimes.

But like you said maybe not for the rest of the country, because Florida tends to make their bleach stronger.

My mix for this roof would have been

20 gallons of SH
30 gallons water
8 lbs. TSP (pre-mixed in hot water)
64 oz. ISA (91%)
1/2 gallon Ammonyx Lo

guest

Greenville SC Roof Cleaning (864)752-7073 wrote:

2 weeks ago some stains would not come off...maybe weak bleach so i put it on straight 15% ( Pump up strayer) and it came out great no damage at all i drive by all the time and the owner gives my name out all the time too.

But normally we only add 15-20gal sh to a 55 gal drum h2o

I believe Chris Tucker said that if you use SH too strong damages could occur up to a year later, the damage wont appear immediately, did I read his message right?

Legacy1 · Guest

I would have to agree with you guys on the mixture !! I think on these roof in MN I'll have to use at least a 40 to 60 ratio maybe stronger . I did go back and rinse the roof after the second application and it looked great . I'll check it in the morning.

Roof Cleaning Corpus Christi TX · Guest

I know that the guys in Florida have hotter and fresher SH than most of us can get.

Different parts of the country will need stronger ratios because of the weaker SH that we buy.

A lot of times I have to use a 50/50 mix but lately by adding the Hang Tite from Pressure Washer Products it helps a lot so we can get by with a weaker mix.

It just takes time to know your area, what strength of mix you need most of the time because the strenght of chemicals, how bad the fungus is on the roof and other variables will help you know later on what you need to clean the roofs.

Guest

Unless I missed it,.... I didn't see anywhere you mention how many times you sprayed the roof on the day you did the job. Your mix was on the weak side I think,...should've used at least 15 gallons of SH. But with that being said,...if you only sprayed it once and walked away,...that could've been part of the problem. You will often times need to hit the heavier spots 2-3 times to get it done. even with a stronger mix.

Jeff

Baltimore MD Roof Cleaning 410-482-4367 · guest

Raystown Roof Cleaning Central PA 1-800-236-0322 wrote:

Unless I missed it,.... I didn't see anywhere you mention how many times you sprayed the roof on the day you did the job. Your mix was on the weak side I think,...should've used at least 15 gallons of SH. But with that being said,...if you only sprayed it once and walked away,...that could've been part of the problem. You will often times need to hit the heavier spots 2-3 times to get it done. even with a stronger mix.

Jeff

I find it very funny that we are always repeating this.

Strong SH mixes can be dangerous to roofs that have faulty roofing materials already. If that strong chlorine hits an exposed nail and rusts it, you may have a leak on your hands within a few weeks. Yes this is easy stuff but you will have issues once in a while. If you clean hundreds if roofs, some will leak when your done and the customer will try and blame you. Just part of the business. Make sure your guarentees have a note in them that you are not responsible for leaks due to existing faulty roofing. We turn down roofs that are falling apart, offer minor repair on ones that have a few years left and always check the ridge vents and caps on old roofs before spraying. Just carry some tar or 'Through the Roof'.

Legacy1 · Guest

Jeff was right I had put on one thick coat on the house and waited alittle then left. It was my first house to clean and I adjusted my mixture and recleaned it the next day . I am learning everyday from you guys . I find my self at 2-3 in the morning if I can't sleep reading your posts. I will be stopping by the house this morning to get another look. Thanks for your replies.

Roof Cleaning Corpus Christi TX · Guest

That is a very good point Bill.

There are a lot of roofs out there that are just too worn out to be cleaned and I have passed on some just because I don't want to be the blame when it starts leaking if it has not started leaking already.

It is not worth the risk, hassle and possible dealing with attorneys for those worn out roofs to be cleaned.

Remember, there are unscrupulous people out there that will set you up to pay for their new roof by having you clean the worn out roof.

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

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