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Roof Cleaning Long Island N.Y 516-763-4108 wrote:

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Make sure you rinse your tank out really good before your new mix for the slate roof.

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 Great Point That stuff at the bottom of you tank can be chemicals never before seen in the world due to exposure to constant reactions. Who knows what they might do to a slate roof ?

Well, I just learned something .  We did a Slate roof last week here in Toledo and it turned out perfect and quick.  This roof was almost completely black and green.  We used about a 40% mix with tsp and talon and it came clean with on e quick shot.  We have a whole neighborhood here in Toledo that has slate roofs.  This one is 77 years old.  Sure wouldn't of wanted to replace it.  Do you think I should stop using my regular asphalt mix?  Here's a picture of the results.  The homeowners loved the results and we have several more to do on the same street now.  

I have a question here, why even use alcohol?  The only time I ever use it is if the temps are below 50, I have used it over the last few yrs but I really don't see where it benefit's anything other than weaking the Sh. I know it will help penetrate asphalt when temps are low

Dave

Roof Cleaning Missouri 417-230-8103 wrote:

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I have a question here, why even use alcohol?  The only time I ever use it is if the temps are below 50, I have used it over the last few yrs but I really don't see where it benefit's anything other than weaking the Sh. I know it will help penetrate asphalt when temps are low

 

Dave

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 Here is a partial excerpt from the US Patent

Further, the combination of ingredients is unique in that the chlorinated bleach solution will clean mold, mildew, fungus, algae, and other stains on outdoor surfaces, but at the same time the surfactant or surfactants act as a buffer in thatthey combine with and retard the harshness of the chlorinated bleach solution and enhance the action of the chlorinated bleach solution by emulsifying organic oils and any animal fatty acids and dirt residue. The surfactants are also penetrants thatwill actually penetrate porous surfaces and help lift the foreign matter to the surface for easy removal. The alcohol serves two purposes: first, it helps the chlorinated bleach to slightly raise the grain in wood so the wood will more easily releasethe foreign matter and cleaning action can take place with no labor, and second, it also acts as a drying agent on the emulsified organic oils so that they tend to thicken and stick together for easier removal. With this combination of ingredients, thepressure from the average garden hose is all that is needed to cause the surface to be cleaned. This action is unsurpassed in cleaning and preparing surfaces and especially wood, for painting, staining, or sealing.

Importantly, and unexpectedly, the composition does not cause the nap of wood to raise, does not cause premature deterioration of other materials such as some fabrics, and does not form a white scum on cleaned surfaces, as did its commercializedforerunner, which used about 5 percent by volume of a 100 percent chlorinated bleach solution.

According to the present invention, the surfactant can be any surfactant that is miscible with water and compatible with concentrated chlorinated bleach solutions. The phrase "compatible with concentrated chlorinated bleach solutions" means thatthe surfactant and chlorinated bleach solutions are soluble in each other without reacting or changing their chemical composition. The surfactant must be suitable for storage with hypochlorite solutions without loss of its cleaning ability and withoutreaction.

The surfactant emulsifies the oils and dirt impregnated in the wood or surface being cleaned as well as any perfume or odorant oils added to the inventive composition. Further, the surfactant emulsifies undesirable materials in and on thesurface being cleaned and helps remove these undesirable materials such as oxidized oils and dirt. The surfactant also serves as a buffer to prevent raising the wood grain by the hypochlorite solution.

Preferably, the surfactant is an amine oxide, a lauryl betaine, an ethoxylated carbon chain compound and/or a sulfonated carbon chain compound.

Specific examples of such surfactants suitable for use in the present composition include a lauryl dimethyl amine oxide, a lauryl betaine, an ethoxylated hydrogenated tallow amine, a nonylphenol ethoxylated or triethanol amine salt of analkylauryl sulfonate or an octylphenoxy polyethoxy ethanol. An amine oxide, a lauryl betaine, or an octylphenoxy polyethoxy ethanol are especially preferred.

The surfactant can be one or a combination of surfactants and the total percent by volume ranges from about 0.1 to about 10 percent. The preferred amount of surfactant is about 1 percent by volume.

According to the present invention, the alcohol can be any of a primary, secondary or tertiary alcohol, as long as it is compatible with concentrated chlorinated bleach solutions. The phrase "compatible with concentrated chlorinated bleachsolutions" means that the alcohol and chlorinated bleach solutions are soluble in each other without reacting or changing their chemical composition.

Specific examples of suitable alcohols that are useful in the present composition, on a 100 percent basis, include methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol and its denatured counterparts, and isopropyl alcohol.

Isopropyl alcohol and/or methyl alcohol are preferred. Ethyl alcohol and its denatured counterparts are less desirable because of high cost and the complexity of the denaturant formulas. Higher alcohols such as butyl, octyl, and decyl alcoholare not desirable because they dry too slowly.

The alcohol aids the penetration of the surfactant and bleach (hypochlorite) into the surface and helps emulsify undesirable oils. The alcohols can be used alone or in combination.

The alcohol is used in an amount of from about 0.1 to about 8 percent by volume, and an amount of about 0.5 to 1.2 percent by volume is preferred.

According to the present invention, the chlorinated bleach solution can be any of sodium hydrochlorite, potassium hypochlorite or calcium hypochlorite. Calcium hypochlorite is less preferred because the calcium ion is relatively insoluble andcauses surfactants, soaps or detergents to become inactive.

In the present composition, hypochlorite removes the stains caused by mold, mildew, fungus and algae usually associated with dampness and moisture. The chlorinating and oxidizing action of the hypochlorite solution whitens and brightens thesurface cleaned and returns it to a stain and dirt free surface as when new.

The bleach solution is used in an amount of from about 1 to about 4 percent by volume of a 100 percent chlorinated bleach solution, and about 3 percent by volume is preferred.

The present inventors have unexpectedly found that compositions with greater than about 4.0 percent bleach cause the nap of wood to raise and compositions with less than about 1.0 percent bleach are cleaners in themselves. However cleaning time is excessively long. The inventive composition cleans effectively in minutes whereas concentrations of less than 1.0 percent bleach require hours, thereby making the job labor intensive.