Foam , WHY?

[Ron Musgraves]

Foam , WHY?



The whole reason for using foam is so you have time for chemical to work and that t hangs on vertical surfaces.

KEC , Foam for a KEC guy is great stuff in some application. Kitchens have little places foam applied chemicals can damage wiring ,electronic parts and petroleum based products.

Foaming Roofs??????

If like in any application the chemical are prepared correctly I can see foaming working.

One down fall I could see is that plants would also need to endure the hang time of the chemical. I don’t see this happening. Grass would also be affected by hang times.

Foam is no new state of cleaning; foaming in fleet washing has been in since I started in 1984 and has probably been around for years prior.

Companies out there do not like foam; there are claims for adverse affects do to the hang time and not having a control on what the chemical may cling to after rinse off.


KEC guys have almost complete control of rinse and chemical.

Fleet guys have very little to damage or worries about foaming problem. (Hydraulic and brake lines)

Roof guys have a lot to worries about do too roofs are made of petroleum products and hang times can be longer and rinsing process may increase. Containing the chemicals and keeping off vegetation is nearly impossible. The foam will stick to plants and dwell possibly destroying them. (Regardless of wetting down first)

This thread prompted me to write because of concerns. I have never foamed a residential roof. I have foamed cooling towers near vegetation with caustics and it had harmful affects. We knew it was going to destroy the plants but de-scaling the towers was a priority on replacing plants on this project. I predominately clean flat surfaces and foaming is not a big part of my business now.

When I cleaned garbage trucks and transfers it was everyday life.

 

[Russ Spence]

Roof guys have a lot to worries about do too roofs are made of petroleum products and hang times can be longer and rinsing process may increase. Containing the chemicals and keeping off vegetation is nearly impossible. The foam will stick to plants and dwell possibly destroying them. (Regardless of wetting down first)


This was very correct ! Plant life could suffer from the foam as it does take longer to rinse so it would not be a benifit for a roof cleaner

 

[Apple Roof Cleaning]

When I first "set foot" on the Internet, I hung out on the Delco board.
Newer boards like this and TGS were just starting up.
I kind of stuck at Delco, but asked several friends what the new boards were like.
I was told one board, this one, had a lot of "Greasers"
Not being familiar with Pressure Washing Terminology, I honestly believed Greasers were commercial pressure washing guys with high GPM Hot Water rigs who removed grease from Gas Stations, Garages, etc.

After I realized that a Greaser is a term given to those who engage in kitchen exhaust cleaning, I decided to have a look at what these cleaning brothers did.

I found that they are almost "first cousins" to a non pressure roof cleaner.
IMHO, roof cleaners and kitchen exhaust guys have more in common then roof cleaners and pressure washings companies do.

This is because the Kitchen guys and us roof cleaners rely on CHEMICALS, not pressure to do the job.

Like us roof cleaners, the Kitchen guys are constantly looking for better chemical mixtures, thickening and emulsification, and making cool little gadgets to better do their job.

My hat is off to them!

IMHO, Foam is a great thing, for them!
I have tried it on a roof before with less then great results.
The wind is a BIG problem,.
Us roof guys work outdoors, as opposed to our Kitchen cleaning friends who work indoors.

Plants are also a problem.
That which sticks better to roofs, also sticks better to plants.
Also, it is nice to SEE what the roof cleaning chemical is DOING on a roof.
In a duct, I surmise you are sometimes working blind anyway.
This is not the case on a roof.
A missed unseen spot in a duct may be OK, but on a roof you might not get paid.

In spirit, I am TOTALLY with Matt, Anthony, and any and all of my Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning brothers.
I excitedly watch, and even sometimes offer my input, as they push the limits of their respective profession.

I MAY be wrong, and I have been wrong before, but I think the Foam is better left for them, and other applications besides roof cleaning.

 

[Racer-X]

I have been using foam to clean exhaust systems for over a year now and I would never go back. I can see how it would hurt plants the chemicals I mean, but why would you wash a house with chemicals that can hurt plants? The foam doesnt kill plants, only the chemicals that are added to the foam can kill plants.

 

[gks72]

Ron,

I posted the "foamed one" thread over on Bob's board...I explain things a little more later in the thread...too pooped to elaborate again. But I employ a different mix...and there are other reasons.

But basically Foam can be your friend.

 

[Russ Spence]

I have been using foam to clean exhaust systems for over a year now and I would never go back. I can see how it would hurt plants the chemicals I mean, but why would you wash a house with chemicals that can hurt plants? The foam doesnt kill plants, only the chemicals that are added to the foam can kill plants.

well lets see mildew is a living plant and in order to kill mildew( a plant )you must use something to get rid of it so it wont come back in two months, especially on a roof where mildew thrives and feeds on the limestone filler in asphalt shingles, so what do you do ? You prep the area to insure that all precautions are made not to harm vegitation around the home , you then clean the infected area and then rewet around the home to dilute the remaining solution to an acceptable level


some one may chime in and say the crap about biodegradeable products but we will address that when it comes up (chlorine evaporates and salt will break down in water )

 

[Apple Roof Cleaning]

I have been using foam to clean exhaust systems for over a year now and I would never go back. I can see how it would hurt plants the chemicals I mean, but why would you wash a house with chemicals that can hurt plants? .

THe only other alternative is to use pressure, and damage a roof.
I agree Mark, IN a Duct, foam is fiine.
Not so sure, on a roof, spraying outside.