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

I did the same thing on my first roof about two wks ago. there was no gutters either. just did another one just like it. I treated the roof, soaked the ground then hosed off about the first 3 ft around the edges. No dead grass yet.

In our invoice that the customer signs, they agree to water the plants for 3 mornings following the cleaning, and after the first rain.

Do everything you can to prevent it, but dont let it get to you when something does die. Its going to happen. I am also very realistic with them before the job. NEVER gaurantee no damage.

A short anecdote: We were cleaning a tile roof and bagged all the gutters. Or so we thought. We got a call a few days later saying that his bush was dying. We went over and realized that there was a downspout we didnt see that emptied directly into the roots. OOPS!! No biggy, we put a new one in, cost us $65 and he thanks us for our prompt attention.

We are worried right now because if we dont get a sustantial amount of rain in the next week, the weatherman is calling for a drought. NOT GOOD

Confident Roof Cleaning Houston TX wrote:

---

In our invoice that the customer signs, they agree to water the plants for 3 mornings following the cleaning, and after the first rain.

Do everything you can to prevent it, but dont let it get to you when something does die. Its going to happen. I am also very realistic with them before the job. NEVER gaurantee no damage.

A short anecdote: We were cleaning a tile roof and bagged all the gutters. Or so we thought. We got a call a few days later saying that his bush was dying. We went over and realized that there was a downspout we didnt see that emptied directly into the roots. OOPS!! No biggy, we put a new one in, cost us $65 and he thanks us for our prompt attention.

We are worried right now because if we dont get a sustantial amount of rain in the next week, the weatherman is calling for a drought. NOT GOOD

---

This is very good advice. Never guarantee plants. We tell people the truth, that 85 percent of the time, you will never know we have been there, except for a beautiful roof, and a smell that will go away. We tell them if they can't tolerate a yellow spot here and there, we will gladly pressure wash their roof

 

RWpaint wrote:

---

Maybe it was the dew.It was late in the afternoon on the shade side of the house where I finished up on the last job.Ireally didnt get a lot of run off.But there was some.If the mix sits over night or in the shade for a whle does it stay active till the sun hits it again?

---

The mix evaporates in 24 hours, and leaves mostly salt crystals.

 

RWpaint wrote:

---

Maybe it was the dew.It was late in the afternoon on the shade side of the house where I finished up on the last job.Ireally didnt get a lot of run off.But there was some.If the mix sits over night or in the shade for a whle does it stay active till the sun hits it again?

---

 After the SH evaporates and leaves the salt behind, the salt falls down onto the leaves and sucks the moisture out of them. Thats why I have the customers water for 3 days after. Some companies rinse the lower 5 feet to prevent this.

There is NO such thing as "overwatering" after roof cleaning, but underwater plants, and watch what happens
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We drown the plant beds before, during and after. Like Chris said, its better to be safe than sorry. Plants will sometimes die though no matter what, ecpecially sensitive ones. Its just part of the business, BUT, sometimes you think there dead and they are not. A good way to tell is bend one of the twigs on the plant. If it snaps, then that part is dead. If it flexes then the leaves will grow back shortly.

hahaa, sorry, the last part of your post is funny. Keep up the good work, practice makes perfect. Good information for us newbies in this thread, guys!

Do you prefer tarps over soaker hoses?  Or are both of these a waste of time providing there is a good ground man soaking like crazy.

When there are no gutters, and there hasnt been much rain, its almost impossible not to burn a little grass. Plants are easy though. We usually rinse, then throw a light tarp over the un guttered plants, spray, remove the tarp and rinse again. The key to tarps is to not leave them on more than a few minutes as the sun will bake them and kill them.