We are new to roof washing. I just started the roof washing division of my company two weeks ago and have completed five jobs as of today with several more booked. Everywhere I look there are dirty roofs! Bought a Fat Boy setup from Pressuretek with an accumulator tank and 200' of 5/8". Currently skid mounted in the company dually while I search for a trailer.
The question is for the guys who shoot from the ground up..
As a Mold remediation company, we've treated a LOT of moldy attics. A LOT. The question is...how many look inside the attic after the cleaning...and more importantly the rinse down) to see if you are getting water in thru the ridge vent or roof jacks? If not...it is definitely something to be aware of a and a distinct possibility if you wash upwards from the bottom with a big pump.
Now...obviously the mix being used is full of Chlorine, which...by the way...is absolutely NOT recommended for interior mold remediation (we use a Quaternary Ammonium Fungicide...yes it kills GM, no it doesn't do moss very well...yes it stains metal, no it isn't recommended...you think SH is bad for your lungs, try breathing in a bunch of QUAT ), That chlorine will evaporate in a hot attic leaving the water. The wash down, if done, will be plain water.
My wash guy (I hired somebody with rock climbing and roofing experience...he is fully versed in rigology) has been told to hit the ridge vent only with the lowest flow nozzle and to go across from the top instead of upwards to hit the mass quantities of moss on the peak of EVERY roof in this area.
Just something to be aware of...
Kevin you sound like a very knowledgeable person and pretty successful in your other buisness. Two things, don't waste your time rinsing a roof,spray it and leave it. The other thing { being that your successful } we would really enjoy you becoming a premium member right away, your knowledge and insight would really be a contribution to this site. Good Luck!
When you are shooting up you don't want to shoot straight at the roof angle, that'll force solution up under the shingles. Angle up your stream so as to have the love fall down like rain. That will eliminate the solutions intrusion into the vent caps.
When you are shooting up you don't want to shoot straight at the roof angle, that'll force solution up under the shingles. Angle up your stream so as to have the love fall down like rain. That will eliminate the solutions intrusion into the vent caps.
Good point, I start with my ladder in the middle, shoot left and right the move to one side and finish up.
Kevin you sound like a very knowledgeable person and pretty successful in your other buisness. Two things, don't waste your time rinsing a roof,spray it and leave it. The other thing { being that your successful } we would really enjoy you becoming a premium member right away, your knowledge and insight would really be a contribution to this site. Good Luck!
Thanks, I will be joining. I have a policy that the initial capital purchase be paid for before any ancillaries are purchased. The cap x is now paid for with the first few jobs...now just need some CC payments we ran yesterday to hit the account before more investments are made...like a Premium membership!
I have been doing this eleven years and the vents have NEVER been an issue. Even when we used to power wash every roof back in the day. WOW! That just made me sound old. lol
Regarding wash downs...we will be offering them at an additional charge. We have a LOT of moss here in the PNW. My feeling is that if somebody is willing to pay for it, we are happy to come back. Also, I deal with, and market heavily to, a lot of Real Estate Agents. We just did a roof washing flyer to them pointing out the marketing and curb appeal advantages of a nice clean roof. Hard to justify when the roof is full of white dead moss...so for them we will heavily push the extra washdown after a few weeks if needed. There are also highly tree sheltered neighborhoods which will not get as much direct rain. Besides which...I would never turn down an extra revenue "Stream"
I have washed a total of zero roofs, but I've put on 1000's of feet of ridge vent. The most popular ridge vent style today is the "shingle over" ridge vent, so I guess that's the type you are wondering about. I've seen hands on demonstrations taking a garden hose and shooting it directly into the baffles of the RV and no water enters the attic space. If the RV is correctly installed, a low pressure roof wash should not compromise the RV.
If youre offering a washdown, better exclude yourself from liability to landscape damage. Just sayin. As far as moss, only once I had to return with a leaf blower to finish the job a month later. Huge birthday cake-sized moss. Yeah you may get impatient customers who may complain that its taking too long. But after 2 months you never hear from them, and its not because they gave up. Be confident in the process. And for lichens, be up front: it could take up to 90 days. As for premium membership, it should respectfully paid up front, again just saying. What trade could you learn without either putting in time as a helper/laborer, or having to pay tuition. Been in the plumbing trade for a long time. Wanna know how many facefulls of sh*t I had to take before it all clicked? I would much rather of paid a hundred bucks.
The shingle over continuous ridge vent type is what I'm talking about.
Since we do so many attic spaces...I think the next time we are doing a cleaning, I'm going to climb in and see if we can get some Love into the attic shooting different angles. Besides which...on a badly mossy roof, there is often a chance we'll see some mold in there we can take care of. Turn a $500 job into a $2500 job.
Of course, all the answers aren't behind the premium member door.... but if 100 bucks isn't a big deal to you then its definitely worth it.
True Chris. Moldbuster seems to be very capable of doing the honorable thing. I can understand hard luck cases but roof cleaning seems to be an add-on to MB. Its hard not to feel a certain way to those who can pay, but refuse to until they turn a profit.
Of course, all the answers aren't behind the premium member door.... but if 100 bucks isn't a big deal to you then its definitely worth it.
True Chris. Moldbuster seems to be very capable of doing the honorable thing. I can understand hard luck cases but roof cleaning seems to be an add-on to MB. Its hard not to feel a certain way to those who can pay, but refuse to until they turn a profit.
Just to be clear...it isn't a matter of turning a profit...it is a matter of paying off the initial capital investment in the division before investing any more funds. Yes, I can easily afford the $100' but no additional capital spending occurs until the gear is paid in full...which means the money is IN the account. I do everything this way, it is a personal rule I put in place when I started the company many years ago. When all the contractors around me were financing stuff left and right ($60K diesel rig here...$35K drying rig there) I was buying smart, buying used when it made sense and paying cash. They had the (now repossessed) fancy trucks, I had the $5K used diesel dually). They had the $50K Sprinters, I bought the four year old fleet serviced E-250s. Results? I own all my equipment outright, don't have a single cent owed to finance companies or banks and I am still in business... where the competition is now calling me looking for a job...just hired two top guys from former competitors.
We need someone on RCIA with your intelligence for business, you have outlasted your competitors and now you are hiring them to work for you. That's great, you must be rollin fat!
Actually Kevin with your acute eye for business adventures I am surprised you haven't already joined us.
I have washed a total of zero roofs, but I've put on 1000's of feet of ridge vent. The most popular ridge vent style today is the "shingle over" ridge vent, so I guess that's the type you are wondering about. I've seen hands on demonstrations taking a garden hose and shooting it directly into the baffles of the RV and no water enters the attic space. If the RV is correctly installed, a low pressure roof wash should not compromise the RV.
Welcome, Tom. Good folks here to help, as you see.
Thanks, Al and all, This is a great site and like Kevin I've been in another business for many years, am debt free due to prudent spending and just getting into the roof cleaning BUT I absolutely see the benefit and value of being a premium member and strive to be certified. No doubt having the community, knowledge base and certification will be asset to success in roof cleaning. Tom
A stand up guy like Tom I would go out of my way to help. This site is home to a lot of us. Becoming a premium member is more than collecting money. I personally don't see a dime of it. But those who become premium show a commitment and we know they're not here mooching free info. The moochers become the low-ball hacks that wind up in your backyard.