Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

FreshwaterOCS · Newbie

Roof cleaning UK

waxman18324 · Founding Member Rest in Peace

Daniel,

Here are some questions I have. How much reading have you done on the subject? What equipment do you have? Do you have chemical suppliers near you and what do they have(SH) in stock?

Here is a good thing. The roof is small so it shouldn't take you long to complete(Max 2 hours with set up and breakdown) for someone new. Again this all depends on what equipment you have.

Regarding a price to quote...you have to keep in mind every market is different. In Florida, which is one of the most competitive markets, they charge about a third of what we get here in the northeast. You should know what your costs are and what your market can bear.

That orange lichen at the top of the roof will take upwards of 3 months before it decomposes and comes completely off the roof with the help of mother nature. In addition the color will not change that much after spraying the roof but as long as you hit it properly it will die.

This next question is because I'm old and the eyes are not what they used to be. What type of shingle is that(asphalt, slate, etc)?

Hank

PS...I'm going to take a nap(again old) and will be back later.

-- Edited by waxman18324 on Tuesday 6th of January 2015 10:48:10 AM

Michael Hickey · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I think it is concrete tile. Personally I don't think that all the moss and lichen will wash off over a few months or at all because the texture of the tiles. We usually clean tile roofs manually which takes time.

waxman18324 · Founding Member Rest in Peace

Michael,

Is sodium hypochlorite available to you guys over there? Just curious.

Hank

Ed Thompson · Approved Exterior Cleaner

FreshwaterOCS wrote:
Hey all.
I've been asked to clean the roof of this house. I wanted some advice on how to price and what detergent/cleaning solution to use. I'm fairly new to softwashing and this is my first roof clean.
Thanks
Daniel

Hello Daniel and welcome. Most guys here are not so quick to shell out trade secrets. Hang around for a bit, get to know everyone and I promise you more will be revealed.

tjteed · Approved Exterior Cleaner

I would give an introductory price since you are new to business. Just enough to cover costs. Spray your solution. Don't rinse or scrub. The lichen will turn white. The orange won't change color until a 4 weeks or so. Go back every 2-3 weeks and take photos. It may take 8 weeks for the growth to rinse off with the rain. A good way to show homeowner what it will look like is to do a hard rinse of a 12" x 12" square. It will be clean. That is what we do for concrete sidewalks so that we can show homeowner what it will look like. This will be a great marketing piece to show how job will look over time. Just assure homeowner that it will be clean. If you are happy with the results after several weeks you can give future customers a price if you rinsed/scrubbed roof and a lower price for not rinsing.

Michael Hickey · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Yes Hank we have SH over here. The reason I say that a lot of it may not wash off is because these tiles are very rough (assuming I'm right about the type of tile ) and the moss tends to stick in the joints and overlaps. I did a friends house when I first started out and although the moss died and didn't grow back, three years later there was quite a lot of dead moss on the roof. Maybe I didn't use a strong enough mix at the time to really break the bond.

waxman18324 · Founding Member Rest in Peace

Michael Hickey wrote:
Yes Hank we have SH over here. The reason I say that a lot of it may not wash off is because these tiles are very rough (assuming I'm right about the type of tile ) and the moss tends to stick in the joints and overlaps. I did a friends house when I first started out and although the moss died and didn't grow back, three years later there was quite a lot of dead moss on the roof. Maybe I didn't use a strong enough mix at the time to really break the bond.

Michael,

I was not sure if sh was available. Now that I look at it that question was stupid on my part(they must have swimming pools). With the moss we have up here in the wooded communities in the mountains we spray heavily rooted moss at 4%(60%water/40%sh). Once I did a roof at 5%.

Hank

Michael Hickey · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Not that many swimming pools Hank or at least not many private ones. We tend not to get long hot summers, more like pleasant temperatures with plenty of rain at times, however SH is used extensively as a sterilising agent on farms etc over here. I might try a stronger mix this year, my main concern is that some of these tiles are 40/50 years old or older and I might completely bleach the little bit of colour left in the tiles from them. ( happened before)

ginty · Aprovered Exterior Cleaner

Am hearing ye on this one michael , a hand scrap all moss off wee can with a extension pole and brass brush before a spray the roof but a do say it will be 6 months to a year before its completely cleaned of

-- Edited by ginty on Thursday 11th of June 2015 09:01:15 AM

Michael Hickey · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Where did you get that scraper Ginty, looks cool.

ginty · Aprovered Exterior Cleaner

Made it from B and Q harris painters extension pole and a screw on brass brush . a also have a pole that broke so a flattened the end like a scrapper it works a treat only costs about £20 quid . 5 mtr pole .