NO GUTTERS ON HOUSE! should I attempt the roof?

newbie pete

New Member
Hello everyone,
I got a call today for an estimate on a house with no gutters. Not just that but, the roof is really steep, pretty dirty, and surrounded by plants. I use a 4% sodium hypo mix with some TSP. Now, I know this will kill the plants or at least do them some damage if I just let it sit in the plant bed. I told the customer that there is a good chance that the plants will be affected but, he still seemed interested (or at least he wants to check if they will really die before attempting). So, I told him I would do a little research but that he would have to sign a disclaimer making me not responsible for any damage before performing the work.
So, this is my research. Has anyone ever attempted this before and if so, what were the results? If I do take the job I'll make sure I have someone hosing the $hit out of the flower bed but, it's really got nowhere to go but in the soil. The bad part of the roof has a lot of thick algae on it so it will definitely take a lot of chemical to kill it and the plants are right below. So, if anyone has any input or any experience with good or bad results, I would definitely appreciate it. No matter what I'm going to tell him that he's taking a chance and put that in writing but, I figured I'd see if I can get some feedback to share with him first. Thanks[whatup]
 

K.J.

New Member
K.J. Pressure Washing & Non Pressure Roof Cleaning

Tent/tarp plants - ground man for watering.

Exactly!
Also, try thickening up your mix with some extra soap for cling. Spray the mix and let it do it's thing while you or your groundperson (PC, LOL!!) continuously water the garden areas diverting the diluted runoff away from the garden if possible.
 
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newbie pete

New Member
So, do you guys think that with enough dilution I should be OK? Even if I add soap for cling, all of the chemical is gonna come down when I rinse the roof anyways but, it will give me time to dilut the bed.
 

K.J.

New Member
K.J. Pressure Washing & Non Pressure Roof Cleaning

Do not rinse the roof. Constantly dilute the run off even after the final bit of roof mix has dripped and you will be fine. Also do not make your roof mix any stonger than 4%.
Good Luck.
 

JetstreamSWFL

New Member
Roof clean...cont

Ken,
When u say not stronger than 4% give me an example. I have a 65 gal chem tank and when I have a nasty mildewed roof I've have used as much as 45-50 gallons of chlorine the rest water and my tsp addition. If you could give a good mix example on a normal roof clean it would be of great help. Thanks..Jim
 

Don Phelps

New Member
All Seasons Exteriors Professional Non-Pressure Roof Cleaning

Do not rinse the roof. Constantly dilute the run off even after the final bit of roof mix has dripped and you will be fine. Also do not make your roof mix any stonger than 4%.
Good Luck.

That's how All Seasons Exteriors, Inc. rolls in Orlando too, Schwartsky!
 

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K.J.

New Member
K.J. Pressure Washing & Non Pressure Roof Cleaning

For a 4% mix using a 65 gallon tank... use no more than 26 gallons of 10.5 % and the rest water. Add whatever else you like to your mix; tsp, soap, etc..
Wazzz upp Don![whatup]
 

newbie pete

New Member
Maybe the Florida market is different, but I'm in New England. Do you guys mostly do black roofs? Those I can see not rinsing. But, a lot of the roofs I do have the green moss/algae spores that turn white after the chemical application and stay stuck to the shingles for a LONG time afterwards unless you rinse them off. Is this what your talking about when you say don't rinse or are you just talking about the black roofs?
 

Christopher

New Member
Newbie, are you using a groundman to water, keep things watered and to water when finished?

If not, you risk killing plants and grass and what happens if you fall, who is going to call 911 to help you out?

It is just my opinion but if you are doing roof washing, you need a groundman for not only safety concerns but to help keep the plants and grass from dying.

It is common for some people to try and save some money by not having a groundman but when it comes to safety and keeping plants from dying, it is a good decision to have the groundman.

As for having the homeowner sign a waiver for the plants, I would be more worried about when word gets out about others around the country doing this safely and not killing plants by having a groundman to keep the plants wet what do you think your customers will think about you?

Do you think that they will think that you are a tightwad? Not knowledgeable? Don't care about them or their property? Don't know how to do the job you are promoting?

Not trying to start an argument but word is getting out about roof cleaning and how to do it safely, it is not worth it to not have a groundman.
 

newbie pete

New Member
I always have a groundman with me at $10 per hour. Every job, no matter how small I always bring him. This house is different because there are no gutters and even with a groundman, I'm worried about the plants. Some are telling me not to rinse but my job is to get the algae off the roof not kill it and turn it white and let it stay there so, I'm trying to find out if anyone has worked on a roof like this.
 

carla

New Member
how did you do it?

That's how All Seasons Exteriors, Inc. rolls in Orlando too, Schwartsky!

hi don,
I like the look of that roof. I looked at a roof today simular to that roof in the picture and I'm not sure if I should attempt it, I'm supposed to give the home owner an estimate tomorrow. The roof is very steep, too steep to walk.. My question is, how did you clean this roof? I really would like to do the job but I don't have the answers.:confused:
 

newbie pete

New Member
Hi,
Im not Don but Ill answer you anyways. If the mold is just black, all you have to do is spray it from the gutter and let it sit then rinse from the gutters. Theres really no need to get on the roof as long as your chem pump can reach the top of the roof. that stuff just disappears after you spray it a couple of times and let it sit. Hope this helps.
 

carla

New Member
Hi,
Im not Don but Ill answer you anyways. If the mold is just black, all you have to do is spray it from the gutter and let it sit then rinse from the gutters. Theres really no need to get on the roof as long as your chem pump can reach the top of the roof. that stuff just disappears after you spray it a couple of times and let it sit. Hope this helps.

Thanks newbie pete, that's exactly what I did. The house did not have any gutters, but I was the grounds woman with the hose. The roof came out really good.
Thanks again
Carla
 

roof cleaning

New Member
Valrico FL - Roof Cleaning - Brandon Florida

hi don,
I like the look of that roof. I looked at a roof today simular to that roof in the picture and I'm not sure if I should attempt it, I'm supposed to give the home owner an estimate tomorrow. The roof is very steep, too steep to walk.. My question is, how did you clean this roof? I really would like to do the job but I don't have the answers.:confused:
Steep Roofs are a day in our life, and not to be feared, as long as your pump is up to the task .
Nothing worse then to be on a 40 foot ladder, and have a wimpy pump.
Perhaps this picture of a roof we did some time ago might give you a visual idea ?
That is 5/8 diameter hose and a 3/4 inch ball valve with a 0 degree 1.5 GPM nozzle.
The pump is 15 GPM.
It will shoot even further, but ufortunately the 0 degree plastic quick change nozzles we use only come in 1.5 GPM as the biggest size.

Here is our pump shooting clear across a roof with the 1.5 GPM nozzle.

I put a 2.5 GPM 0 degree nozzle on it once, and it was shooting over trees!
 

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simon

New Member
Hello everyone,
I got a call today for an estimate on a house with no gutters. Not just that but, the roof is really steep, pretty dirty, and surrounded by plants. I use a 4% sodium hypo mix with some TSP. Now, I know this will kill the plants or at least do them some damage if I just let it sit in the plant bed. I told the customer that there is a good chance that the plants will be affected but, he still seemed interested (or at least he wants to check if they will really die before attempting). So, I told him I would do a little research but that he would have to sign a disclaimer making me not responsible for any damage before performing the work.
So, this is my research. Has anyone ever attempted this before and if so, what were the results? If I do take the job I'll make sure I have someone hosing the $hit out of the flower bed but, it's really got nowhere to go but in the soil. The bad part of the roof has a lot of thick algae on it so it will definitely take a lot of chemical to kill it and the plants are right below. So, if anyone has any input or any experience with good or bad results, I would definitely appreciate it. No matter what I'm going to tell him that he's taking a chance and put that in writing but, I figured I'd see if I can get some feedback to share with him first. Thanks[whatup]

I've done this before no gutters. no problem What you have to do is pour about 3 quarts of vinegar & soda water to every 4 feet of vegitation in the area where the plants are, this will nutralize the clorine & tsp thus having no afect on the plants.
 

simon

New Member
Hello everyone,
I got a call today for an estimate on a house with no gutters. Not just that but, the roof is really steep, pretty dirty, and surrounded by plants. I use a 4% sodium hypo mix with some TSP. Now, I know this will kill the plants or at least do them some damage if I just let it sit in the plant bed. I told the customer that there is a good chance that the plants will be affected but, he still seemed interested (or at least he wants to check if they will really die before attempting). So, I told him I would do a little research but that he would have to sign a disclaimer making me not responsible for any damage before performing the work.
So, this is my research. Has anyone ever attempted this before and if so, what were the results? If I do take the job I'll make sure I have someone hosing the $hit out of the flower bed but, it's really got nowhere to go but in the soil. The bad part of the roof has a lot of thick algae on it so it will definitely take a lot of chemical to kill it and the plants are right below. So, if anyone has any input or any experience with good or bad results, I would definitely appreciate it. No matter what I'm going to tell him that he's taking a chance and put that in writing but, I figured I'd see if I can get some feedback to share with him first. Thanks[whatup]

I've done this before no gutters. no problem What you have to do is pour about 3 quarts of vinegar & soda water to every 4 feet of vegetation in the area where the plants are, this will nueralize the chlorine & tsp thus having no affect on the plants.
 

simon

New Member
I've done this before no gutters. no problem What you have to do is pour about 3 quarts of vinegar & soda water to every 4 feet of vegetation in the area where the plants are, this will neutralize the chlorine & tsp thus having no affect on the plants.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
 

newbie pete

New Member
that is good to know. I ended up passing on that job and I just read the post( i havent been on here in a while) but that is interesting. Ill have to run a test on some of my own plants. But thats valuable info if it works. thanks for the reply
 

roof cleaning

New Member
Roof Cleaning Tampa Florida

I've done this before no gutters. no problem What you have to do is pour about 3 quarts of vinegar & soda water to every 4 feet of vegetation in the area where the plants are, this will neutralize the chlorine & tsp thus having no affect on the plants.
Unfortunately, Chlorine is harmful at BOTH ends of the PH scale.
So, if you take a MILD acid link vinegar{acetic acid}, you will slightly LOWER the PH of the chlorine run off.
This can burn plants too.
There are TWO killing mechanisms in chlorine run off.'
The powerful oxidizer in the forms of both the hypochlorite Ion, and the hyperchlorous acid formed when chlorine contacts Organic Matter.

Then, there is the SALT, or the SODIUM that can NOT be "neutralized" any practical way BUT by dilution.

The best way to clean a roof is to first pre wet all plants and building surfaces, and Grass IS a plant too.
Then, as you clean the roof, your GROUNDMAN follows you around the house, keeping run off on the plants promptly diluted.
You cant just wet the plants, spray the roof, and get down and water.
You CAN tarp the plants, just be careful for run off splashing on the walls, and out in the grass as it hits the tarps.
OR, you can simply take a garden hose WITH you on the roof, and water from up top.
We feel a groundman is the best option, and safer too.

These are roofs cleaned in tampa were done with Apple Sauce, w/o using any pressure.
 

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