TSP or not?

Does TSP REALLY make a difference? I use it now with great results but I hear chatter from from sides. Any and all input would be great to finally put this to rest in my mind!! lol

i just use soap usually. So i dont think its necessary but i use it occasionally.

On shingle yes and its recommended
On tile no its not really needed but it helps.
TSP allows for a better clean with a little less CHL.
We use it for all of our mixes.

I use a commercial soap, chlorine and water. This mix works fine for me. Hugh

You can clean with only Chlorine/Water.
But the addition of a little TSP makes for a nicer looking job.

I use it, but sometimes I run out and I just bump the sodium hypochlorite a tad , it is not needed to clean a roof but its a nice little addition

Russ Spence said:

I use it, but sometimes I run out and I just bump the sodium hypochlorite a tad , it is not needed to clean a roof but its a nice little addition

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It does make the cleaning a little easier, But I have a problem with it clumping and clogging my nozzles....any suggestions? I put it in a night before using it. use a power drill and mortar mixer to mix at leaste 5-6 times, and it still clumps and doesnt dissolve.It's almost more of a hassle than its worth....

Just a thought: Put some warm water (not hot) in a 5 gallon bucket and mix the TSP in there. The warmth should help the TSP to dissolve. Once you have it mixed, pour the 5 gallon bucket into your big tank.

Good Idea, thanks. I didnt realize you were a follow Houstonian. What part of town do you operate out of?

I'll go all over (if the money is enough to justify the time) but normally try to keep my service area rather small.

North of Beltway 8, between 249 and I-45 (give or take a couple miles on each side of 249 & I-45) is my usual area. Just last week I went out west of 290 off Highway 6, though.

Fellow Texans!

Hey Guys!

There are a few of us out here --more than we know...

We should meet someday near 45 & the tollway for lunch to share war stories...

I work the North side from Spring & Woodlands to Huntsville etc.

Give a post or call if you want to meet up!

Scott

Always nice to meet new people.
I don't have many war stories, though, as I can just about guarantee I don't have as many jobs as you guys. This is something I'm trying to build up, but it's going slowly. I have a wife and 4 kids so I can't leave my "real" job and jump into this full-steam-ahead. I refuse to go into debt to build up my pressure washing business, so I'm not borrowing any money, which makes things slower, but also much less risky financially speaking.

Nice to see all you Texans.
I know there is a lot of roof cleaning work over in Texas.
Florida is not the only humid place in the USA.

Sparklean said:

Always nice to meet new people.
I don't have many war stories, though, as I can just about guarantee I don't have as many jobs as you guys. This is something I'm trying to build up, but it's going slowly. I have a wife and 4 kids so I can't leave my "real" job and jump into this full-steam-ahead. I refuse to go into debt to build up my pressure washing business, so I'm not borrowing any money, which makes things slower, but also much less risky financially speaking.

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Ive got a couple of war stories to share...things to be careful about. We didnt borrow money either. We actually have a small real estate company that doesnt keep us busy but a few hours per week, and we found ourselves sitting around doing nothing...house wasnt being cleaned, dogs werent being walked, and just a bunch of wasted time all around...

So I started wondering what could make us more money in the spare time. And came up with roof cleaning...started advertising, and when I got my first few calls, I told them i was booked for 2 weeks. that gave me time to get my equipment. Now we're busy as hell, and the house looks good again since we're not being lazy. And the bank account is fattening up a bit

That would be great for us to get together and have our own little "Roundtable" one afternoon. Just give me a call, and Ill set aside some time. We're in League City, but work as far as Conroe, Brookshire, Baytown, crosby, etc...as long as there's profit to be made, and I have an opening...Ill do the job!!

Count me in Iam in Dallas - however I go to Houston alot?

There are more in Houston but don't want to register for one reason or another. So far I think that there are around 12 guys out there doing roofs.

Just like on any board, there are a bunch in the area but don't want to register or let the others know that they are out there.

I think it would be better if everyone was known so things would be better and possibly work together in many ways.

Too many people view others in the same industry as "competition." While that might be true to a certain extent, it's also alienating those that can help you. The Houston Metropolitan Area is huge, not just in population but in land-area. Go to other major cities (New York, Chicago, Atlanta) and you'll see that Houston is very spread-out. Viewing everyone as competition in Houston is not the way I see things. I'd rather network than compete. I don't want to--actually, I WON'T--drive 60 miles for a $250 job. I'd rather pass the job off to another PW company that I know works that area and does a good job. Some guys would rather just tell the customer, "Sorry, I don't service that area." That's a poor way to do business if it can be helped.

Christopher said:

There are more in Houston but don't want to register for one reason or another. So far I think that there are around 12 guys out there doing roofs.

Just like on any board, there are a bunch in the area but don't want to register or let the others know that they are out there.

I think it would be better if everyone was known so things would be better and possibly work together in many ways.

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Nice to see all you Texans here

Sparklean said:

Too many people view others in the same industry as "competition." While that might be true to a certain extent, it's also alienating those that can help you. The Houston Metropolitan Area is huge, not just in population but in land-area. Go to other major cities (New York, Chicago, Atlanta) and you'll see that Houston is very spread-out. Viewing everyone as competition in Houston is not the way I see things. I'd rather network than compete. I don't want to--actually, I WON'T--drive 60 miles for a $250 job. I'd rather pass the job off to another PW company that I know works that area and does a good job. Some guys would rather just tell the customer, "Sorry, I don't service that area." That's a poor way to do business if it can be helped.

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Actually, having a FEW, similar priced competitors is actually GOOD for business.
The PROBLEM comes when supply exceeds demand, and price chopping occurs.
You beat my price, I beat yours, Billy Bob beats both of us.
No one wins except the customer.
Actually, the customer LOSES, because to get down to a low price, important things like a ground man are often left out.

I would like to see this TSP discussion get back on track ?
Sodium Hypochlorite, or bleach, is not a surfactant.
That is why it is a good idea to add a little TSP, or some kind of bleach compatabile surfactant to the mix.
It makes for a nicer job.
Can you clean roofs with just Sh and water, yes.
Same way you can slap some brake pads on w/o turning rotors/drums.
Sometimes, you can get away with it.
Is it the RIGHT way to do it ?
Depends on what quality work you want to produce.
I have actually done roofs with, and w/o TSP in the same subdivision, and came back later to compare them.
The roofs done with TSP added ALWAYS looked a little better.

Here are some before and afters of a tile and shingle roofs done with Apple Sauce.
It has TSP in it.

I want to touch on a few points here...

First I agree with Chris and Adam and Mr. Apple. I will pretty much drive anywhere in the houston area, but only for the right amount. I have called Adam a few times already to refer service in his area that I didnt feel was worth me driving. What I have noticed thought from another roof cleaning company is exactly what Mr Apple said. He has started undercutting us by $200 bucks per job. I still get them usually because I offer a discount on my PW services with multiple services. I welcome other roof cleaners as long as they dont start chopping prices, because then the quality goes down and we all get a bad Rep.

The problem Im about to run into with the apple sauce is that Im getting my bandit this week and I know the roller pump can not have any granules run through it. So im testing out the New and Improved apple sauce with the Isopropyl Alcohol hoping it works well.

However, for those that use delavans only, the apple sauce is amazing. I once had to go to a touch up job with a 35/65 mix, but no TSP, and it was rediculous. I had to layer it 3 times for it to "nicely' clean up. I could have upped my chlorine % but thats prob not very safe.