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Roof Cleaning Tallahassee · Guest

58 Year Old Ex Roof Cleaner

RCIA Founder

Today is my birthday, I am 58 years old today. It don't seem like it, but I have been cleaning roofs nearly 20 years.

I initially started part time, went door to door, working for ONLY Cash. Yep, I was one of those unlicensed and uninsured guys ashamed

Hey, we all have to crawl before we walk. I wanted a Yellow Page ad, and was asked what my Company Name was ?

I said I did not have a company name, but I was eating an Apple, so I said "Apple Roof Cleaning".

The Yellow Page guy liked it (it started with A), so Apple Roof Cleaning was born, after I did the ficticious name stuff!

Way back then, there were only a few pressure washing forums. The Big One was the Delco Board, owned by Robert Hinderliter of Delco Cleaning Systems in Ft Worth Texas. They are now Powerwash.Com, and Michael Hinderliter has taken over from his father.

Ron Musgraves of PWI, Beth of The Grime Scene, and I were all posters on the Delco Board. I was the first roof cleaning teacher this industry knew. Hard to believe I am still doing it, but I very much enjoy it. In fact, my passion for all things roof cleaning related still burns. It is a darn shame my lungs and health are not good anymore, and I can no longer actually do what I Love to do.

So, I guess you could say I "live my life" through you guys, and share your excitement when you guys get roof cleaning jobs.

I am proud of each and every RCIA Member, and I am always here to do my best to help any member that needs it.

Roof Cleaning New Jersey · Oct 9, 2012

Happy Birthday Chris! We're like a Marine in that there's no such thing as an ex-roof cleaner.

RCIA Founder

Roof Cleaning New Jersey wrote:
Happy Birthday Chris! We're like a Marine in that there's no such thing as an ex-roof cleaner.

LOL, Ed, you got That right!

My lungs try to protect themselves, and close up whenever I am around the chemical. This makes me cough like crazy, and wheeze.

I can use an inhaler, but they raise your blood pressure, and mine is already high as hell. It really sucks, because now I must depend on others, to do what I once could.

My Doctor says we may try some steroid inhalers, that will keep my lungs from freaking out around the chemical. Then, I may be able to work again someday.

The other day, my brother was sick with the Flu. We had 5 roofs to do, all under 2500 sq ft shingle roofs, and all within 10 miles of each other.

Back in my day Ed, there were very few cleaning roofs here in the Tampa area the right way. 5 roof days were the norm, and was no big deal.

I never stayed with the small 12 volt pumps we had back then. I always had some kind of super pump system, to take down multiple roofs. Big Pumps, Big Tanks, and Big Diameter Hose was always the "Trademark" of an Apple Roof Cleaning Truck.

I used to use John Blue DP 193 Pumps back then ED. I actually had the valve springs and all the wet end bolts made for me out of pure Hastelloy! They came with Stainless, and that will not hold up for long.

The John Blue DP 193 is a diapraghm pump, not an air pump. It ran off a 5hp Honda. It was capable of 19.3 GPM, and 250 psi!

When I used them personally, I got from 6 months to a year out of them, but if you miss rinsing them out ONCE, you are screwed.

My employees would rinse them, sometimes, you know how employees can be. Finally, I told them that IF I "taste chlorine" i the hose between jobs, or at the end of the day, they could find another job!

Unfortunately, John Blue changed that pumps manifold and other chit, and it will not hold up anymore.

Roof Cleaning West Chester PA · Premium Member Roof Cleaning Institute of America

The past 2 years I've went from employee to employer and I'm building something special out here that will one day be handed down to my son. This site gave me the vision to get where I wanted to go, and has undoubtably helped me avoid some of the growing pains that I'm sure you incurred so many times. From one roof cleaner to another, happy birthday brother!

sweetwaterfish · Guest

Happy birthday Chris and thanks for your friendship!

RCIA Founder

Roof Cleaning West Chester PA wrote:
The past 2 years I've went from employee to employer and I'm building something special out here that will one day be handed down to my son. This site gave me the vision to get where I wanted to go, and has undoubtably helped me avoid some of the growing pains that I'm sure you incurred so many times. From one roof cleaner to another, happy birthday brother!

Thank You Mike, My Italian friend! (I am 1/2 Italian)

Yes, back when I started, roof cleaning w/o pressure was a black art, known only to a very few people, and they were not sharing any information either! I had to more or less learn on my own, and became determined to help people, by sharing what I learned.

It is quite safe to say that many of the advancements in roof cleaning we now take for granted, came from me.

In fact, if you go to The Grime Scene, and go way back in the roof cleaning archives, you will see I almost literally got into "fist fights" in what we now call "The Hose Wars".

Can you believe that at one time, people were actually using, and then suggesting 3/8 hose to clean roofs wih ?

Not only does small diameter hose severely cause pressure and flow loss, making your pump work harder then it has to, it also gets under the shingles because of it's small diameter. People were actually tearing shingles up, ripping them, as that small 3/8 hose got under them, and when you pulled on it, the shingles would tear!

I won the "Hose Wars", but pissed some peoople off in the process, because I made them look bad, proved they were wrong in suggesting 3/8 hose to others.

"Chlorine Proof" Air Diapraghm pumps for roof cleaning came from me too, as did the search for chlorine stable surfactants, though my good friend and fellow RCIA Member Billy Jensen of H20 Pressure Washing and Roof Cleaning found Ammonyx.

I preached "Big Pumps, Big Tanks, and Big Diameter Hose" long before it has become the established way to go, that it is today.

My ideas I taught were once revolutionary, and flew in the face of the "accepted wisdom" at one time.

But over time, they have been proven to be correct, and have improved the life of every roof cleaner, though many roof cleaners are unaware they came from me.

Some sellers of roof cleaning chemicals and equipment will never admit that I am responsible for the discovery and widespread acceptance of what they now sell. WHY they do this is beyond me ? To her credit, Lori from PWP at one time did tell customers "Chris from Apple uses and recommends this, and is the one who told me about this". To me, it would be a selling point, that I approve of something a distributor sells. Unfortunately, some sellers of roof cleaning equipment and chemicals seem to want to take the credit for my discoveries themselves. Whatever .....

I guess some are "scared" of the advice I give, and consider me a "wild card" who is uncontrollable. For instance, I no longer use, or suggest anyone else use, Titan Hose Reels. I use the best hose reels money can buy. NO HOSE REELS. I have YET to find any Hose Reel or swivel combination from ANY manufacturer that will last very long. Our Trucks simply wind our hoses around plastic boxes that hold our tarps and other stuff. We average maybe 3 roofs a day. It is not "that hard" to simply wind and unwind our hoses, 3 times a day, VS spending nearly 500 dollars every 3 to 5 months on Junk Titan Hose Reels, that have small, restrictive manifolds, that BREAK right at the weld, no matter what we do. And, let's not even GO there about their swivels, that soon fail, and leak all over your equipment!

I simply grew tired of making Titan rich, and when they were made aware of this problem, they did nothing about it.

Same with UDOR Roof Cleaning Pumps, nothing more then expensive Junk, and a company that refused to honor their warranty, after I spent nearly 6 grand equipping my 3 trucks with their POS Pumps, all of which failed really quick. UDOR told me I was the only one having trouble, and then REFUSED to honor their warranty!

I warned against roller pumps for roof cleaning long ago (been there, done that), and you will notice they are no longer sold for cleaning roofs.

Unknown to most of the RCIA Members, I have been approached with lucrative financial offers if I (or the RCIA) would just "get behind" certain distributors, and what they sell !

But, guess what ? I am NOT "For sale", never have been, and never will. I will never "sell myself or the RCIA out" and compromise those who rely on me for advice on what to buy, or who to buy it from either.

RCIA Founder

Roof Cleaning Palm Harbor FL 727 543 3276 wrote:
Happy Birthday my friend. I would go into a long azz speach about our friendship and all the ways you have helped me but you already know. Lol... I hope you had a great day and I hope you have a GREAT year! Love ya buddy!

Love you too Brother Larry, and thanks Mike and John biggrin

I love this business and helping all of you. It will only get better and better every year, for all you guys up North.

My phone is "perpetually open" to each and every RCIA Member. It comes with your membership here.

I am here to help each and every one of you, so don't be shy, or make needless mistakes.

This year, I would like to see all of us at the RCIA put our heads together, and share what has worked, and what has not, as far as extending the roof cleaning season to when it is cold outside.

I was told by a Chemist once if you pre spray a roof first with a certain chemical, and THEN hit it with our mix, the cleaning power can be jacked up possibly enough, to overcome the cold temperatures!

I have some other ideas that I hope can work out well enough, so we can continue to clean well into the winter, as long as Snow and Ice are not on the roof.

-- Edited by Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 on Tuesday 9th of October 2012 10:53:08 PM

Apex Roof Cleaning · Guest

Happy Birthday Chris,

But I have to ask do you feel like your lungs have been deteriorated by the SH? Have you ever used a mask?

Thanks for all that you have done.

Dan

A to Z · Deleted

Happy birthday Chris!

RCIA Founder

Apex Roof Cleaning wrote:
Happy Birthday Chris,

But I have to ask do you feel like your lungs have been deteriorated by the SH? Have you ever used a mask?

Thanks for all that you have done.

Dan

Most of the time, yes, I used a respirator. But all it takes is ONCE to breathe in the atomized roof cleaning chemical spray particles!

Remember, it is not the Odor (fumes) of what we are spraying, it is the small droplets caused by the force of the spray hitting the roof, and then bouncing into the air in a toxic cloud. You can SEE this, if you stand back, and watch a roof being cleaned.

Then, you are walking right through this cloud, breathing this crap in, and thats what kills your lungs!

Look, I was pretty much a Gym Rat much of my life. I was not Born with breathing difficulties.

Roof Cleaning Cleveland (216) 323-0552 · Oct 10, 2012

Happy Birthday Chris. I'll make some kielbasa

Bruce Weber · Oct 10, 2012

Happy Birthday, Chris. I have never met you in person, but have talked to you on the phone. I want to thank you for changing my life and teaching me how to clean roofs. Have a great night!

jcstomper · Oct 10, 2012

Happy birthday man!!!!!!

Oct 10, 2012

Happy Birthday Chris and THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!

Apex Roof Cleaning · Guest

Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa FL (813) 655-8777 wrote:
Apex Roof Cleaning wrote:
Happy Birthday Chris,

But I have to ask do you feel like your lungs have been deteriorated by the SH? Have you ever used a mask?

Thanks for all that you have done.

Dan
Most of the time, yes, I used a respirator. But all it takes is ONCE to breathe in the atomized roof cleaning chemical spray particles!
Remember, it is not the Odor (fumes) of what we are spraying, it is the small droplets caused by the force of the spray hitting the roof, and then bouncing into the air in a toxic cloud. You can SEE this, if you stand back, and watch a roof being cleaned.
Then, you are walking right through this cloud, breathing this crap in, and thats what kills your lungs!
Look, I was pretty much a Gym Rat much of my life. I was not Born with breathing difficulties.

I have seen the vapors coming off of the roof during a hot day. Speaking of gym rats, I hurt my back today deadlifting. I'm gonna stay away from deadlifts for a long time.

Guest

Happy birthday chris

garyw · Oct 10, 2012

Man, you're only 58? I didn't realize I was that much older than you furious

Now I REALLY feel old.

Happy birthday, Sir

RCIA Founder

Thanks Everyone biggrin

Oct 10, 2012

Happy Birthday my friend. I would go into a long azz speach about our friendship and all the ways you have helped me but you already know. Lol... I hope you had a great day and I hope you have a GREAT year! Love ya buddy!

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"