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leizman · Guest

Correcting misinformation regarding roof cleaning

Roof Cleaning New Jersey · Jun 23, 2012

Welcome Scott. Definitive answers are no fun :(

leizman · Guest

I know Ed.....I tend to think about things too much but not only do I hate to be wrong, I hate pretending to be right about something that I don't really know about.......ya know?

Roof Cleaning New Jersey · Jun 23, 2012

I hear ya brother. When people ask for back up to my shpeel, I just give them Gary's personal cell phone number. Honestly bro, most people really dont care if its a mold, fungus, or rodent. They just want to know that the roof will be clean and it wont cause more harm then good. Most want to be assured that they wont be replacing shingles that were blown apart by a pressure washer. As far as the roof soap, you'll learn how to keep things protected against run off. Some guys tweak the sysem and develop there own style, but overall its the same. Its best to get a few under your belt from friends and family.

Roof Cleaning Raleigh NC · Jun 23, 2012

Grab a bag of salt. Go out in your yard and pick out your wifes favorite bush. Then pour it all around the base. Most inportant, don't call me in a week looking for a place to live!

Roof Cleaning New Jersey · Jun 23, 2012

Call me anytime Scott. I got nothing better to do anyway.

leizman · Guest

.....looks like I found an answer!

Answer:

At one time cyanobacteria were called blue-green algae and were included with the algae. However, like bacteria and unlike algae, cyanobacteria are prokaryotes, meaning that they do not have a nucleus. For this reason they were removed from the algae (which are eukaryotes) and put into the bacteria, with all the other prokaryotes.

See:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanomm.html

garyw · Jun 23, 2012

leizman wrote:
.....looks like I found an answer!

Answer:

At one time cyanobacteria were called blue-green algae and were included with the algae. However, like bacteria and unlike algae, cyanobacteria are prokaryotes, meaning that they do not have a nucleus. For this reason they were removed from the algae (which are eukaryotes) and put into the bacteria, with all the other prokaryotes.

See:

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/cyanomm.html

Holy Chit,,,I'm getting a headache reading this post. I thought roof cleaning was easy, but I may have to go back to school to learn how to pronounce those big words. confuse confuse

Eric SCHNAIBLE · Jun 23, 2012

Good stuff Scott.

I know that The stains are a cyanobacteria, but most people still identify with the term algae, so I generally
use it with single quotation marks ( 'algae' ) in case someone calls me on it. Also, It is not mold, but because
GM maintains moisture longer, it harbors the growth of mold and of course moss and lichen. So it very well
may be mold much of the time, and thats good for our business. Please some one correct me if my conclusions are wrong.
This is a good stream.

Roof Cleaning Tallahassee · Guest

Scott, if you want to be taken seriously here and avoid a serious debate, I suggest you do some more research on the proper roof cleaning techniques instead of worrying about Gloeocapsa Magma terminology.

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning Tallahassee on Saturday 23rd of June 2012 12:29:54 PM

Roof Cleaning Tallahassee · Guest

I'm sure you have read this technical bulletin from ARMA because you said you have done ... ""a lot"" of research but I'll post a link in case you missed it. Pay close attention to the terminology and even more attention to the "Caution" towards the bottom of the page.

http://www.asphaltroofing.org/pdf/tb_217.pdf

If I sound like I am being an a-hole and condescending towards you it's because I am. I had a bad day and need to take it out on someone.

Seriously though, this is a good article from ARMA to start building a solid foundation from.

-- Edited by Roof Cleaning Tallahassee on Saturday 23rd of June 2012 01:04:02 PM

Mr Maintenance · Jun 23, 2012

Scott it is a good idea to be correct when answering a customers questions but to be honest with you if a customers wants to sit and debate about my Biology knowledge or if it is a cyanobacteria , that is not a customer that I will clean a roof for. Scott you should listen to Ed Thompson he is a memeber with alot of experience. As far as the internal temp question, Go stand out in the direct sun light on a 90 degree day with a white shirt on and stay there for 10 mins, then do it with a black shirt on. Black shingles are the hottest shingle a customer can put on ther home I always try to recommend a blended color to a customer when intalling a new roof and it is because that a dark black shingle does attract the sun. Good luck Scott

leizman · Guest

Thanks for the contibutions so far, Guys!!

I realize that there is just a small chance that the topic will come up with a customer, the main reason I want to be correct is that I am still building my website and if I am going to "educate" my customers, I don't want to give them wrong information. I think it is important, as an industry, to be consistant with our information. Conflicting information makes us look unprofessional, IMHO.

A to Z · Deleted

I have won multiple jobs due to having far more knowledge than the " other guy". You need to know what your talking about. When you can educate them a little about the type of algae they have and exactly what to expect out of your roof cleaning you will be all set. Then you just have to follow through with the proper application.

Roof Cleaning New Jersey · Jun 23, 2012

I just agree with the customers theory. I nod my head and say "yup, it's jet fuel!"

MJ · Jun 23, 2012

I could never find any conclusive data that supported higher utility costs during some months because of staining. I have removed all references to it from our site and marketing. The theory that a algae blankets the shingles granule's to the point where it does not repel the UV rays and causes attic "super heating" is interesting, but why make a claim that could cost you credibility. My experience is that it is not a motivating factor in deciding to spend the money to clean a roof.

We don't promote the mold "scare" or the potential health related issues for the same reason. HO's live with musty smelling basements for years which is a precursor to mold because of water leaks which puzzles me.

Moss does cause shingle deterioration due to rooting. Moss growth does motivate HO's for roof cleaning sometimes. We have cleaned shingles for preventative motives several times.

leizman · Guest

MJ wrote:

We don't promote the mold "scare" or the potential health related issues for the same reason. HO's live with musty smelling basements for years which is a precursor to mold because of water leaks which puzzles me.

Exactly what I'm trying to say, Mike!

I know that getting customers is hard (I have been in the moving business for 19 years), but I don't want to be that guy who lists every possible reason for getting your roof cleaned even if it has not been proven. I have found in business, that being as honest and forthright as possible with the customer, the more they will trust you and refer you to their friends and family. After all, we all know word of mouth is the best form of advertising. If you get a job by scaring them into it and then they happen to find out later that some of the information that you told them was either a lie or unproven, they will never trust you again, they will never call you back for more work and they won't refer you.

Again, IMHO, honesty is always the best policy!

Roof Cleaning New Jersey · Jun 23, 2012

On your website instead of listing all the questionable terminology and before and after photos, just have a picture of Mother Teresa standing on a roof with wand in hand.

larrykilby · Jun 23, 2012

Scott,

If you shoot the roof with a temperature gun on a dark stained area and then on an area with no staining there will be a difference in temperature. I had a customer that thought roof cleaning only offered curb appeal and was not so interested until I showed him the diff in temperature and I closed the sale. By the way I like your splat.

Larry

Eric SCHNAIBLE · Jun 24, 2012

I think the ARMA technical bulletin was written before GM was correctly categorized as a Cyanobacteria.
Let's face it, most HO's are never going to understand this stuff. But, in my opinion it's good for us to know. The splat and a,hole comments were rich. This thread keeps getting better.

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

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"Find A Certified Roof Cleaner Directory"