OK, I had about 35 gallons of 2 week old love in the tank. This stuff had Dawn and IPA in it so after 2 weeks it was pretty much just salt water. In fact, it wasn't even yellow any more so I figured it was probably inert and safe to dump.
Last week we had a huge downpour of rain so I went out in the rain and I parked the Danger Ranger in a clearing in the woods and opened the valve. Salt water flowed for about 2 minutes as the tank drained itself and the spent love mixed with the heavy rainfall as it splashed to the ground.
About an hour later the skies cleared up and I noticed that tons of night crawlers were brought to the surface at the very spot where I had dumped the sauce. I'm talking about five or so per suqare foot. I also noticed that they were dead.
I felt bad about it, even though they are just worms. So I thought I'd share this experience in case anyone else had a soft spot for animals. From now on I'm going to dump in sandy areas which are not likely to have many earth worms.
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What's Eating Your Roof? Jon Wolfe 269-377-7940 Grand Rapids, MI
The next time you have 2 week old mix in your tank and you think it is "inert", put a little onto some stained shingles and watch it clean them. It may not work nearly as fast as a fresh mix will, but it will still clean.
Don't fall under the false assumption that this stuff is harmless after a few weeks because of what you mix together. I have taken runoff that I had in a five gallon bucket that was over 3 weeks old and used it out of desperation to touch up a tiny spot on a roof. This was runoff that had already been sprayed on a roof and then was put into a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. I thought it was old house was until I opened the lid.
Before you guys just start dumping this stuff somewhere under the assumption that it is "safe" because it has been sitting for a few weeks, you need to research it a little more. I have had mix that sat for two weeks in the months of November/December and just added a little extra chlorine to it to freshen it up. It works just like a fresh mix does.
Try spraying that mix on your grass or plants and watch how quickly it kills them. This is serious stuff we deal with. Make sure you treat it that way.
I'm not trying to personally attack you by any means. I am just trying to make a point to the new guys who sometimes seem to lose site of how dangerous this chemical can be.
There are guys on here all the time saying how the runoff is almost like water after it hits the roof and "loses strength from killing the algae". I can tell you I have personally cleaned entire roofs using runoff.
Not everything you read here is gospel. Remember that some of the guys giving advice haven't even cleaned a roof yet. Pick and choose what information you take and then test it yourself to see if it is true.
Sorry for the rant. I just don't want to see someone get hurt or get into some EPA problems.
Brian
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Brian Friel The Roof Cleaners llc Oxford PA 19363 610 842 2104
The Roof Cleaners of Chester County Pennsylvania 610-842-2104 wrote:
The next time you have 2 week old mix in your tank and you think it is "inert", put a little onto some stained shingles and watch it clean them. It may not work nearly as fast as a fresh mix will, but it will still clean.
Don't fall under the false assumption that this stuff is harmless after a few weeks because of what you mix together. I have taken runoff that I had in a five gallon bucket that was over 3 weeks old and used it out of desperation to touch up a tiny spot on a roof. This was runoff that had already been sprayed on a roof and then was put into a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. I thought it was old house was until I opened the lid.
Before you guys just start dumping this stuff somewhere under the assumption that it is "safe" because it has been sitting for a few weeks, you need to research it a little more. I have had mix that sat for two weeks in the months of November/December and just added a little extra chlorine to it to freshen it up. It works just like a fresh mix does.
Try spraying that mix on your grass or plants and watch how quickly it kills them. This is serious stuff we deal with. Make sure you treat it that way.
I'm not trying to personally attack you by any means. I am just trying to make a point to the new guys who sometimes seem to lose site of how dangerous this chemical can be.
There are guys on here all the time saying how the runoff is almost like water after it hits the roof and "loses strength from killing the algae". I can tell you I have personally cleaned entire roofs using runoff.
Not everything you read here is gospel. Remember that some of the guys giving advice haven't even cleaned a roof yet. Pick and choose what information you take and then test it yourself to see if it is true.
Sorry for the rant. I just don't want to see someone get hurt or get into some EPA problems.
The Roof Cleaners of Chester County Pennsylvania 610-842-2104 wrote:
The next time you have 2 week old mix in your tank and you think it is "inert", put a little onto some stained shingles and watch it clean them. It may not work nearly as fast as a fresh mix will, but it will still clean.
Don't fall under the false assumption that this stuff is harmless after a few weeks because of what you mix together. I have taken runoff that I had in a five gallon bucket that was over 3 weeks old and used it out of desperation to touch up a tiny spot on a roof. This was runoff that had already been sprayed on a roof and then was put into a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. I thought it was old house was until I opened the lid.
Before you guys just start dumping this stuff somewhere under the assumption that it is "safe" because it has been sitting for a few weeks, you need to research it a little more. I have had mix that sat for two weeks in the months of November/December and just added a little extra chlorine to it to freshen it up. It works just like a fresh mix does.
Try spraying that mix on your grass or plants and watch how quickly it kills them. This is serious stuff we deal with. Make sure you treat it that way.
I'm not trying to personally attack you by any means. I am just trying to make a point to the new guys who sometimes seem to lose site of how dangerous this chemical can be.
There are guys on here all the time saying how the runoff is almost like water after it hits the roof and "loses strength from killing the algae". I can tell you I have personally cleaned entire roofs using runoff.
Not everything you read here is gospel. Remember that some of the guys giving advice haven't even cleaned a roof yet. Pick and choose what information you take and then test it yourself to see if it is true.
Sorry for the rant. I just don't want to see someone get hurt or get into some EPA problems.
Brian
"Not everything you read here is gospel. Remember that some of the guys giving advice haven't even cleaned a roof yet. Pick and choose what information you take and then test it yourself to see if it is true."
+1 again. Well said Brian. I see loose words spoken as the gospel a bit too frequent as well.
New folks - pay very careful attention to Brian's posts - you'll be glad you did.
The chemical is weakened somewhat by it's battle with algae, and organic matter. However, this does NOT mean it is "harmless" as it runs off. Once the chemical evaporates, what is left behind is mainly salt, but not totally. Care should always be taken whan handling it, or any other chemical.