john neilson
Roundtable Host 2009
I heard we should wash roofs bottom to top but I see a lot of guys doing it top to bottom. Why? what is your method and reasoning?
Well ...... depends on which KIND of a roof.I heard we should wash roofs bottom to top but I see a lot of guys doing it top to bottom. Why? what is your method and reasoning?
Everyone has a way that works for them. We actually climb on nearly every roof we clean.Chris hit a great point regarding tile roofs. You have to clean from the bottom to spray the tile edges, especially barrel tile roofs. Those edges can easily be seen from the ground and are the hardest part of the tile to clean. Shingle and metal roofs really don't matter what direction IMHO.
I see that you are here in Florida!Ok all. lots of great points. I did a roof yesterday. I did it from bottom up sideways in a sweeping motion. I watched the video on you tube of AC spraying a roof with very little run off. I too have have very minimal run off. I ran into the problem of the algae being so heavy in one area that I hit it twice And when i left it was obviously Dead but still visible. should this be left to the next rain or just keep hitting it until it is all gone . I use 10% from Leslies pool supply and use a 40% mix.
I see that you are here in Florida!
Leslie's Chlorine sucks, seriously it does. Do you have a Pinch A Penny Store close to you ? If so, their SH is a Lot better then the Leslies stuff.
To answer your question, we can't always rely on the rain to do our job.
Our goal should be to leave a roof as clean as is possible, and only then rely on the rain to make it absolutely spotless.
When we tell a customer to "wait for the rain", they sometimes reply "Then WTF Did I Pay You For".
There are 2 things that discolor any roof, algae and dirt. It is up to you to remove the algae, then the rain will remove the dirt, once the algae is gone.
But we can not leave behind big missed spots of algae, then depend on the rain to remove them for us.
It is not unusual for us to have to hit some really thick "Florida Algae" spots 3 to 5 times.
Well ...... depends on which KIND of a roof.
Tile roofs have edges (Lips) that are easier to get if you work from the bottom up.
This forces the spray against the edges of the tiles, but the same thing can be done with an angled wand, or a ball valve turned sideways.
For shingle roofs, honestly, I have done them both ways, from top to bottom, and from bottom to top, and also sideways!
I never saw any streaking, no matter what way I did them.
However, to be "kind" to my groundman, I always tried to do the edges of the roof first, and then walked up the roof, and then went from the top down.
If you do the first 3 to 4 rows of shingles from the bottom of the roof first, it is fairly easy, once you get some experience, to not have any more run off, or very very little.
"Chicken Shit" roof cleaners stand at the top of the roof, and spray down, creating tons of run off, and a nightmare for your grounds people.
Once any potential roof cleaner shows any fear of heights in my company, he is finished here.
He can not work for us, because all our employees are cross trained, as they should be, in any small roof cleaning company.
It is no "Sin" to be scared of heights, hell, I am scared to get into an MRI Machine!
But fear of heights will cause you to get hurt, in the roof cleaning business.
That Shurflo 45 psi 3.5 GPM pump is ancient technology! If you are using 3/8 or even 1/2 inch hose, going to 5/8 hose will be a huge improvement, because the larger the hose diameter, the less pressure and flow loss there is.I agree, I am here in Florida, I service mostly so far Volusia and Seminole counties. I Agree that when I do a roof I want to drive away with out a spot left. There is a pinch/penny around. They both are plentiful.
I currently use a 3.5 GPM 45 psi surflow, I think i need a larger pump for more volume to get better distance. As far as the spots go I was wondering if going 50 50 would be better or even TSP ( as if I know what TSP is )
I see that you are here in Florida!
Leslie's Chlorine sucks, seriously it does. Do you have a Pinch A Penny Store close to you ? If so, their SH is a Lot better then the Leslies stuff.
To answer your question, we can't always rely on the rain to do our job.
Our goal should be to leave a roof as clean as is possible, and only then rely on the rain to make it absolutely spotless.
When we tell a customer to "wait for the rain", they sometimes reply "Then WTF Did I Pay You For".
There are 2 things that discolor any roof, algae and dirt. It is up to you to remove the algae, then the rain will remove the dirt, once the algae is gone.
But we can not leave behind big missed spots of algae, then depend on the rain to remove them for us.
It is not unusual for us to have to hit some really thick "Florida Algae" spots 3 to 5 times.