I wanna be a roofee!

Josh_Cronin

Josh_Cronin

New member
I do fleet now and house washing. But I have wanted to be a roofee since I was a little boy! Well at least since last summer. Soft washing is what im looking at. Ok I need to know everything and my 4+ hours of reading have not given me the whole picture.

I need to know the start to finish process. I am in WI so I may not be competition for alot of you.

What are the no no's? What damage can be done? Do you have to reclaim? Why rinse or not rinse? How much chemical per 100 SQ? I know the Apple sauce recipe but what do others use? What is the best setup. what are some tips and tricks?

The best things about forums are that we noobs can learn from 100 guys(and girls) mistakes! Let me know. Dont want to publically share your tricks? shoot me an e-mail!.
 
I did a few of them Roofies in the seventies, good chit man !!
 
Josh_Cronin said:
I do fleet now and house washing. But I have wanted to be a roofee since I was a little boy! Well at least since last summer. Soft washing is what im looking at. Ok I need to know everything and my 4+ hours of reading have not given me the whole picture.

I need to know the start to finish process. I am in WI so I may not be competition for alot of you.

What are the no no's? What damage can be done? Do you have to reclaim? Why rinse or not rinse? How much chemical per 100 SQ? I know the Apple sauce recipe but what do others use? What is the best setup. what are some tips and tricks?

The best things about forums are that we noobs can learn from 100 guys(and girls) mistakes! Let me know. Dont want to publically share your tricks? shoot me an e-mail!.
Click to expand...

I have not done many roofs as others here, but here is some info from my experience:

1. Make sure your insurance covers you, working on roofs.
2. Even some contractors work by themselves, I strongly recommend to have a helper for roof cleaning. Not just to help you with rinsing, but also to spot you. To be on a roof is a big liability, so make sure you have taken good pre-cautions in that manner.
3. Make sure you have at least 100gal tank for the mix. Refill will slow you down. Time is money.
4. When buying the needed equipment, don't go cheap. Any hose smaller than 1/2" is worthless for that purpose. Aluminum or Stainless reel with good swivel is not cheap but you buy it once. If you do only residential, 12v diaphragm pump is ok, but if you do commercial and need to pull the hose above 2 story buildings, you will need a stronger chemical pump.
5. When I did the first roof (not long ago) I read a lot about roof cleaning mixes and chemicals. Apple sauce or cider or any other mix may keep the roof clean for longer, but a simple chlorine mix does an excellent job as well.
6. This one may be funny and may offend some guys here, but here it goes :): If you are over 170 pounds, you will most likely brake a lot of tiles so keep yourself in shape for that field of cleaning :)).

7. There was a post in the past, where you should walk on tiles in order to prevent braking them.

8. There are many other tips, but best way to find them is on your own on the roof :). Good luck!
Here is the first roof we did not long ago:
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Thanks so far! I will only be doing shingled roofs...That is all we have here in WI.

So far I figure you spray it on evenly, and let it dry?!? bag the gutters and WATER the heck out of all things green! ***stupid question alert*** When people say clorine that is just sodium hyypochloride right? Bleach? but at least 12% right or no? also what about 17% better or worse? How much solution(average) is needed per 100sq ft or 1000sq ft? no rinse? After it is dry is it common to have to do another application?
 
If you want to learn the right way, take a trip down to Florida and spend a couple days there, the guys will teach you the right way and you will have more knowledge than what you can get from the internet without lots and lots and lots of typing.
or
Make a lot of calls and talk to everyone, we all will help you out.
 
Josh_Cronin said:
Thanks so far! I will only be doing shingled roofs...That is all we have here in WI.

So far I figure you spray it on evenly, and let it dry?!? bag the gutters and WATER the heck out of all things green! ***stupid question alert*** When people say clorine that is just sodium hyypochloride right? Bleach? but at least 12% right or no? also what about 17% better or worse? How much solution(average) is needed per 100sq ft or 1000sq ft? no rinse? After it is dry is it common to have to do another application?
Click to expand...

Its actually Sodium Hypochlorite. Some call it bleach, I call it chlorine. Potato, Pota'to. At least 12%. Never heard of 17%. Mix it 50/50 with water and add soap. You can even go as litlle as 60/40 to. I dont measure roofs but an average roof on a 2500 sq.ft. house usually takes about 60 gallons of mix.
To rinse or not to rinse is like the d.s./x-jet debate. Its done upon preference.
I dont rinse roofs. Roof cleaning is done in warmer temps. Becuase of that the chlorine actually breaks down within a couple of hrs. But if you wanted to rinse, thats fine to.
Its usually not common to have to do any touch up. But every once in a while I come across a stubborn roof and its required.
This will give you an idea. Others will chime in and give some of their advice as well. Then you can develop your own strategy and methods. If you have anymore questions just ask away.
 
Josh_Cronin said:
Thanks so far! I will only be doing shingled roofs...That is all we have here in WI.

So far I figure you spray it on evenly, and let it dry?!? bag the gutters and WATER the heck out of all things green! ***stupid question alert*** When people say clorine that is just sodium hyypochloride right? Bleach? but at least 12% right or no? also what about 17% better or worse? How much solution(average) is needed per 100sq ft or 1000sq ft? no rinse? After it is dry is it common to have to do another application?
Click to expand...

I personally don't rinse the roof. 12% at some places can be weaker than 10% at others (from what I have read here). It depends how fresh is the mix your supplier sales. I have not found stronger chlorine than 10% in my area but I am very happy with the 10% I buy. I have never heard of 17%. All the above names are different in the chemistry but the same in the roof cleaning jargon. It depends how dirty is the roof you clean. Some may take twice the mix vs others. 50gal to 70gal mix should be enough for average house ~2500sq ft
 
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