My colleagues, or guild members, are considerate people and are trying to help you, but in different ways. I know the person who instructed you as one of the most generous and professional people you'll meet, so I know that you were trained as well as that conversation could train you, and you no doubt had an invitation to call with any questions.
However:
1) Seeing that baby in your arms, I disagree wholeheartedly about what I consider the equivalent of handing you a loaded gun without proper training. There is a reason information isn't forthcoming here to anyone who wishes to tackle the job to save a few dollars. It isn't just that people who wish to earn a living at this trade wish to protect a formula that's well known.
There is a reason that the people trained here often carry millions in liability insurance.
How will that baby's father have that ladder secured against that roof or gutter? Will he tie it off? How many rungs will be above the roof edge, should he decide to leave the ladder and walk the roof?
Does he have the ladder at the proper angle for climbing? Does he know what that angle is? It only takes a second of poor judgment or lack of training. Consider a Ladder Max or proper stand-off or stabilizer. Some of the pros here will no longer climb without one. Why?
Where are the pets and where is that child while dad is up there spraying or venturing out on that roof, on slippery algae-coated surfaces that he's spraying a slippery chemical mixture on?
2) Watch your lungs and your eyes. Wear protective gear and a respirator. I personally had a suction tube flip out of a bottle of chemical while not wearing goggles. It will drop you to your knees and has potential to blind you, so have your drinking water canteen on your hip to flush your eyes.
3) Know what was in that sprayer before you use it with the chemicals you are using. If you mix SH with the wrong chemicals you could have toxic gas or an explosion. STAY WITH THE MIX YOU WERE GIVEN. DON'T GET CREATIVE.
4) If you have rust stains in addition to algae and you wish to spray them with an acid based chemical, STOP. DON'T. Talk to people here before even thinking about it.
5) Watch YOUR OVERSPRAY, or you'll be buying your neighbors new plants, siding, paint job on their vehicles.
6) Be sure that the gutters aren't clogged and aren't pulled away from the fascia, allowing chemical to run behind the gutters and onto awnings, siding, decks, or other surfaces below.
7) Bag those downspouts and get those cleaning agents away from where the pets drink etc.
Some of the pros here tell people to close their windows and stay inside while the tech is out spraying. There is a reason for this.
Can you do the job? Sure you can, and if my colleague instructed you, he did it with a kind heart and he did it well.
Don't take the situation lightly.
Best wishes to you,
Al
(Edited for omission.)
-- Edited by Skyline Roof Cleaning Virginia on Friday 28th of October 2011 02:21:04 AM
And this is just for starters, too many think it is just a simple no brainer to apply but mistakes will happen if you are not experienced and even more so IF "your afraid of hieghts!"
I ususally try to take extra precautions (especially when I am up a ladder, etc), but I appreciate all the tips you have learned from years of experience. It seems hiring a pro is the best option for me right now. I'd much rather do something myself, even if just to say, "I did it myself", but it seems the pump up sprayer is not going to be an adequate applicator, so I will have to sit this one out.
Pat, did you see how good this turned out for the group?
- H.O. want's to DIY
- Group genuinely tries to help
- H.O. learns it's not a job for a DIY'er
- Group member get's business
- Future H.O. will learn from this and hire a pro from the get go.
My colleagues, or guild members, are considerate people and are trying to help you, but in different ways. I know the person who instructed you as one of the most generous and professional people you'll meet, so I know that you were trained as well as that conversation could train you, and you no doubt had an invitation to call with any questions.
However:
1) Seeing that baby in your arms, I disagree wholeheartedly about what I consider the equivalent of handing you a loaded gun without proper training. There is a reason information isn't forthcoming here to anyone who wishes to tackle the job to save a few dollars. It isn't just that people who wish to earn a living at this trade wish to protect a formula that's well known.
There is a reason that the people trained here often carry millions in liability insurance.
How will that baby's father have that ladder secured against that roof or gutter? Will he tie it off? How many rungs will be above the roof edge, should he decide to leave the ladder and walk the roof?
Does he have the ladder at the proper angle for climbing? Does he know what that angle is? It only takes a second of poor judgment or lack of training. Consider a Ladder Max or proper stand-off or stabilizer. Some of the pros here will no longer climb without one. Why?
Where are the pets and where is that child while dad is up there spraying or venturing out on that roof, on slippery algae-coated surfaces that he's spraying a slippery chemical mixture on?
2) Watch your lungs and your eyes. Wear protective gear and a respirator. I personally had a suction tube flip out of a bottle of chemical while not wearing goggles. It will drop you to your knees and has potential to blind you, so have your drinking water canteen on your hip to flush your eyes.
3) Know what was in that sprayer before you use it with the chemicals you are using. If you mix SH with the wrong chemicals you could have toxic gas or an explosion. STAY WITH THE MIX YOU WERE GIVEN. DON'T GET CREATIVE.
4) If you have rust stains in addition to algae and you wish to spray them with an acid based chemical, STOP. DON'T. Talk to people here before even thinking about it.
5) Watch YOUR OVERSPRAY, or you'll be buying your neighbors new plants, siding, paint job on their vehicles.
6) Be sure that the gutters aren't clogged and aren't pulled away from the fascia, allowing chemical to run behind the gutters and onto awnings, siding, decks, or other surfaces below.
7) Bag those downspouts and get those cleaning agents away from where the pets drink etc.
Some of the pros here tell people to close their windows and stay inside while the tech is out spraying. There is a reason for this.
Can you do the job? Sure you can, and if my colleague instructed you, he did it with a kind heart and he did it well.
Don't take the situation lightly.
Best wishes to you,
Al
(Edited for omission.)
-- Edited by Skyline Roof Cleaning Virginia on Friday 28th of October 2011 02:21:04 AM
And this is just for starters, too many think it is just a simple no brainer to apply but mistakes will happen if you are not experienced and even more so IF "your afraid of hieghts!"
Kim R
LOL KIM! To be honest I'm not really afraid of heights, I'm just afraid of falling from high up. Either way roofs/ladders/etc don't usually fit into my ideal weekend.
" One member stands out causing a problem for H.O. striking a "Nerve " H.O. learns it's not a job for a DIY'er H.O. figures he has to bite the bullet on this one task.
In a one in a million shot a member get's the job
H.O. and "problem causing member" are best pal's, member is traveling to complete roof cleaning for free.
" One member stands out causing a problem for H.O. striking a "Nerve " H.O. learns it's not a job for a DIY'er H.O. figures he has to bite the bullet on this one task.
In a one in a million shot a member get's the job
H.O. and "problem causing member" are best pal's, member is traveling to complete roof cleaning for free.
I can't stand it when people come on this board and say stupid things like "Ted Saunders is the man!" The only thing worse is when seasoned veterans say things like " I am not questioning your intelligence or experiance I have read your previous post and you have plenty of both." The man's head is large enough already and he doesn't need any encouragement.