Some newbie questions

D

Dave Stauffer

New member
Just found this forum...I am a lurker on the PWNA site as well. The knowledge on these boards is invaluable and the people are really great.

I am thinking of starting a roof cleaning / gutter maint. business here in the Raleigh NC area. I am new to the business and want to get into it the correct way. Not just get in and start destroying stuff. It would be great to trade some free labor for knowledge so if anyone is willing to share, I would be glad to have the opportunity.

I do a ton of carpentry work (screen porches, decks, sheds etc so the gutter part is easier. Pressure washing is, I am learning, is a heck of a lot more in depth than most people anticiapate.

Long story short, I got my roof cleaned and noticed that there is a BIG niche available for this market. We have over a million people in our county and a ton of dirty roofs. I have no idea why it is so neglected.

A couple of questions for you pro's out there.

Cleaners. Bleach chems vs. "environmentally friendly". I have read the pros and cons of both and from what I have gathered bleach works great but shortens the life of the shingles and makes them brittle. The environmentally friendly stuff is supposed to work but seems like it takes more work to get the same results. Comments?

I understand the low pressure need because of the granule loss. What is the best cleaning method you have come across? Pitch Witch seems to be popular on the net but in doing some talking I have not found many that REALLY use it. It seems like a great idea.

These are hopefully the first of many questions. I will quit here because I could type questions all night. Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave Stauffer
dstauffer@nc.rr.com
 
I am sure somebody with more roof experience will chime in here. I use bleach and there is some disagreement as to the effects. I think a lot of the naysayers are the makers of the " friendly" products.
One of the best and most accurate ways to apply roof chems is with a shurflo setup. Some do it with an x-jet as well. I have used the x-jet but you really have to watch the overspray as a lot goes everywhere.

P.S. Welcome to the best and most unbiased board on the net!
 
Most of the roof cleaning products that are touted as "enviromentally friendly" consist of a sodium hydroxide-based formula. Depending on concentration levels, it can burn grass, plants and other vegatation just as quickly as sodium hypochlorite (bleach/chlorine). In most instances, the sodium hydroxide formulas aren't that hot, meaning it would take them longer to potentially cause damage. The problem with using it is the fact that most shingles are a petroleum-based product and sodium hydroxide is known as a degreaser, therefore it can and will cause shingles to dry out prematurely. It also requires approximately 500 psi to rinse and remove the stain from a roof, whereas sodium hypochlorite will often cause the mildew/algae stains to simply disappear. Rinsing is always a good idea with the use of this chem also, as it will turn to a salt when dried which tends to dry things out as well. As far as health concerns with humans, both chems will burn skin and can cause inhalation dangers as well.
 
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Thanks for the info......I will do some more checking. I guess the only real way to do it is to test it out and see what works best for your particular needs. I will be practicing on some neighbors here once I can get up and rolling.......

Do you guys use the yard signs to advertise when you do a house? I was so impressed by the results on my house I told the guy he needed to post one.....Apparently he thought differently because he kind of let it go by the wayside...

I would think that if you could find a busy road or intersection and cut some kind of deal with the homeowner maybe to leave a nice sign up after the work is done people would call. There are a few areas here where rush hour creates some long waits at red lights and people will be looking.

Thanks again for the info and I will keep on asking if you don't mind. I think I need to get off the computer now. "March Madness" is in full swing around here and I think that it might be against the law to not be watching. Go Pack!!!
 
i have tried both and don is as usual right on! i tried the sodium hydroxide cleaners and a dark brown goo came with it so i knew this must have been pulled out of the shingles by the hydroxide ,i rinsed super well and never used it on a roof again .some people swear by it but i will stay with the hypoclorite myself it seems to be much easier to work with.ive been washing for 9 years but just recently started doing roofs and im still learning so for whatever its worth thats my experience
 
Dave Stauffer said:
Just found this forum...I am a lurker on the PWNA site as well. The knowledge on these boards is invaluable and the people are really great.

I am thinking of starting a roof cleaning / gutter maint. business here in the Raleigh NC area. I am new to the business and want to get into it the correct way. Not just get in and start destroying stuff. It would be great to trade some free labor for knowledge so if anyone is willing to share, I would be glad to have the opportunity.

I do a ton of carpentry work (screen porches, decks, sheds etc so the gutter part is easier. Pressure washing is, I am learning, is a heck of a lot more in depth than most people anticiapate.

Long story short, I got my roof cleaned and noticed that there is a BIG niche available for this market. We have over a million people in our county and a ton of dirty roofs. I have no idea why it is so neglected.

A couple of questions for you pro's out there.

Cleaners. Bleach chems vs. "environmentally friendly". I have read the pros and cons of both and from what I have gathered bleach works great but shortens the life of the shingles and makes them brittle. The environmentally friendly stuff is supposed to work but seems like it takes more work to get the same results. Comments?

I understand the low pressure need because of the granule loss. What is the best cleaning method you have come across? Pitch Witch seems to be popular on the net but in doing some talking I have not found many that REALLY use it. It seems like a great idea.

These are hopefully the first of many questions. I will quit here because I could type questions all night. Thanks in advance for any help.

Dave Stauffer
dstauffer@nc.rr.com
Click to expand...

We do alot of roofs,and we have tried every way possible.The best and most efficient way is with a sure-flow.I come out of a 35 gal tank with a mixture of 15 gal of pool bleach 15 gal of water and a half a gallon of all purpose cleaner and or degreaser.

This mixture will work real well on both type roof's (tile) and or (shingle).Just make sure you rinse the plants before and after the job!! I then tell the customers to water thier yard when i leave,and that seems to be fine.

Whenever i do a shingle roof cleaning i try to get the customer to sign up for a yearly treatment,which is the same mixture,just alot less applied then a good rinsing.When i tell them that i can garantee that thier roof will never mildew again,most of them will take it.I only charge them $80.00 for that service and it takes me 20 minutes to do.
 
If you read the post again,you will see that the roof treatment only takes 20 minutes.The original roof cleaning will take about 1.5 to 2 hours.
 
"enviromentally friendly" vs "non toxic"

I agree with Don, "environmentally friendly" or "biodegradable" does not mean that the product is non-toxic; certainly sodium hydroxide or chlorine are chemicals that require safe handling, and professional application.

Through research, I found that indeed the camps on safety, and efficacy of products are pretty well divided and aligned based on which ever chemical that vendor produces. To me it didn't seem right, people should have choices. If a customer truly wants a non-toxic formula, then there should be an option to meet their need, otherwise, a job could be lost.

With that in mind Cleaner Today developed a sodium percarbonate (oxygen bleach) based formulation. Our goal was to have a truly safe formulation, that also contained adequate surfactants and detergents to effectively clean roofs. Through our research we found that the typical Oxygen Bleach (oxi clean etc) has less that 20% Sodium Percarbonate, and the remainder salts, and fillers. Our formulation is super concentrated with over 80% active ingredient, and the balance additional detergents and a blend of surfactants. The result: a powerful roof cleaner that is non-toxic and earth friendly.
Its branded as "Roof OX"http://www.cleanertoday.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=43&Click=43.

Of course we also have a Sodium Hydroxide based formula (Roof QSE), which many contractors prefer for speed. But for those who are concerned because of the 'internet buzz' about the dangers of Bleach, Chlorine, and Hyrdoxides, we now have an acceptable solution.

So in the end, its about choices, and our approach was to not claim one is better than the other. Both formulas work, and have a place and time that they are appropriate.

Cleaner Today lets the consumer choose.
 
Well Tim hell of a infomercial you got going...lol. Snake oil...........everyone selling it.....
 
russ s,

do you have a better picture? i'm tired of that one.

rando
 
douseahouse said:
russ s,

do you have a better picture? i'm tired of that one.

rando
Click to expand...
:eek: OMG:eek: ...............RUN Russ....RUN:D
 
:eek: Ohhh man I laugh my a$$ off.......Then thought "hey wait a minute".............:D
 
Larry B said:
I am sure somebody with more roof experience will chime in here. I use bleach and there is some disagreement as to the effects. I think a lot of the naysayers are the makers of the " friendly" products.
One of the best and most accurate ways to apply roof chems is with a shurflo setup. Some do it with an x-jet as well. I have used the x-jet but you really have to watch the overspray as a lot goes everywhere.

P.S. Welcome to the best and most unbiased board on the net!
Click to expand...
An X Jet is a poor way to clean a roof, unless a Sun Burn is your main objective. Shurflo Pumps were good, back when this thread started. They have been replaced by much better Delevan 12 volt pumps.
 
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